Hi All,

I noticed it' s very hard to find a fiddle player in my regions and expecially to play with a B set of uilleann pipes. So now my question: are there any adjustments in tunning what makes it more comfortable to play the fiddle to play in B major/ mix, c# min, E major, f# min and G# min?

Patrick

It's just what you'd expect. B pipes are down a minor 3rd from concert tuning (D). So fiddlers will typically tune down a minor 3rd also to E-B-F#-C#, and finger the tunes normally.

But there are reasone fiddlers may be reluctant to do that. And it has little to do with where you're located.

Retuning the fiddle back and forth is not necessarily trivial. It's a pain to do, because it throws your "settled" normal tuning out of whack. Dropping the string tension gives a flabbier feel and may result in other problems - like a dropped sound post, poor tone, and unwanted resonances behind the bridge. Ideally, you'd want to replace the strings with a higher tension set. And constantly retuning up and down stresses the top.

If they're playing regularly with flat pipes, they may prefer to set up a second fiddle specifically for B tuning. But not every fiddler can afford to keep a second B-tuned fiddle around.

For a few years now, our local tionól here has featured a B session. And the fiddlers who plan to participate simply tune down for the evening. I've known a few classically-trained ITM fiddlers who will willingly play in B-tuned keys - BMaj, EMaj and related modes - for a set or two without tuning down. But that's not so much fun for them, and tuning down is the more typical solution.

Point of order....

A correctly cut and fitted soundpost won't drop with the tension lowered, even all the way. It should, however, drop when you gently squeeze the sides either side of the F holes, strings off.


Carry on.


Rob

Duly noted, Sir Rob.

(Not that I haven't come across fiddles with poorly fitted soundposts. )

Thanks for the info !

Patrick