viola fiddling

SteveShaw · Post by **SteveShaw** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 6:24 pm

Alasdair Fraser plays the viola as well as the fiddle - apart from solo albums with various accompanists (including Tony McManus - "Return to Kintail" is one of my very favourite albums of all time), he plays in the group Skyedance.

Caroline Lavelle is a fantastic cellist. She graced three or four of our sessions around last Christmas. She can play reels all right. She can play anything! She mentions our highland pipes-playing landlord (The Tree Inn, Stratton, near Bude) in the article here: http://www.carolinelavelle.com/letter11.html She still lives near me but we haven't seen her since New Year's Eve, more's the pity.

Steve

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 9:24 pm

Woohoo! Just found out my sis still has her violin from the old days and has no use for it. I am kindly volunteering to give it a loving home. Interestingly, I guess because I played when younger, I'm finding I'm much more adept at playing by ear on the viola (and presumably the fiddle) than I am at whistle, for which I want that sheet music crutch.
(plus, I did a little online violin pricing--wow.)

fluti31415 · Post by **fluti31415** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 7:03 am

emmline wrote:Woohoo! Just found out my sis still has her violin from the old days and has no use for it. I am kindly volunteering to give it a loving home. Interestingly, I guess because I played when younger, I'm finding I'm much more adept at playing by ear on the viola (and presumably the fiddle) than I am at whistle, for which I want that sheet music crutch.
(plus, I did a little online violin pricing--wow.)

What good (and timely) news!! Have fun!

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 7:10 am

SteveShaw wrote:Alasdair Fraser plays the viola as well as the fiddle - apart from solo albums with various accompanists (including Tony McManus - "Return to Kintail" is one of my very favourite albums of all time), he plays in the group Skyedance.

I have a Skyedance, but my favorite is "The Road North" which he did with Paul Machlis.

Jonathan · Post by **Jonathan** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 1:02 pm

I've been wondering about the viola thing myself. Someone mentioned Martin Hayes playing the viola on In Good Company. I wonder if he tuned the viola up a 1 1/2 steps to match the Bb flute or if he just tuned it up or down a half-step and played the tunes in positions that they wouldn't normally be played. I'm about to take delivery of a Bb flute and my wife plays fiddle, so we were thinking about getting a second fiddle and setting it up/tuning down to play w/ the low flute. Then we thought about maybe using a viola (tuned up), but I don't how well that would work. Anyone have experiences they'd like to share?
Adios

Wormdiet · Post by **Wormdiet** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 1:13 pm

Jonathan wrote:I've been wondering about the viola thing myself. Someone mentioned Martin Hayes playing the viola on In Good Company. I wonder if he tuned the viola up a 1 1/2 steps to match the Bb flute or if he just tuned it up or down a half-step and played the tunes in positions that they wouldn't normally be played. I'm about to take delivery of a Bb flute and my wife plays fiddle, so we were thinking about getting a second fiddle and setting it up/tuning down to play w/ the low flute. Then we thought about maybe using a viola (tuned up), but I don't how well that would work. Anyone have experiences they'd like to share?
Adios

NOt sure on how the viola was tuned myself. . .

I will *hopefully* be having an "experience" when a low A flute I have on order arrives. I thought long & hard about a Bb but an A flute makes much more sense if you want to play with other people without requiring them to play in weird keys.

dubhlinn · Post by **dubhlinn** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 1:36 pm

Violas are tuned in regular fifths. The strings are tuned to C - G - D - A.

The lowest string ( C) is an octave below middle C.

The remaining three strings are the same pitch as on the Violin.

Slan,
D.

Jonathan · Post by **Jonathan** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 2:44 pm

Right, but you'd still have to tune it up 1 1/2 steps to play w/ a Bb flute, unless you wanted to re-learn all of your tunes in new and probably more difficult positions. Then again maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm just a flute player

dubhlinn wrote:Violas are tuned in regular fifths. The strings are tuned to C - G - D - A.

The lowest string ( C) is an octave below middle C.

The remaining three strings are the same pitch as on the Violin.

Slan,
D.

SteveShaw · Post by **SteveShaw** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 5:32 pm

emmline wrote: I have a Skyedance, but my favorite is "The Road North" which he did with Paul Machlis.

His association with Paul Machlis is superb and I mean to get all the albums. I don't know whether the one with Tony McManus was a one-off (Return to Kintail) but it's wonderful. I play it more than any other CD I have.

Steve

dubhlinn · Post by **dubhlinn** » Sat Jul 09, 2005 5:57 pm

Jonathan wrote: I'm just a flute player

Well for what it's worth..I'm just a fiddle player

Slan,
D.

fidla · Post by **fidla** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 1:35 pm

emmline wrote:I have one, that I used to play...lots of years ago, and I didn't totally stink.
Obviously, most fiddle music is written in treble clef, and isn't all that viola compatible.
Anyone know of a good use for viola in the realm of ITM?
(all jokes aside--save them for the bodhran!)

I use 5 string fiddles for my Irish fiddling...yes, the lowest string is C, same as a viola.

One of my favorite tunes to play on the 5 string is "Dinky's Reel". I start on the G string, and play it 4 times through, modulating up a key each time. It's a real crowd pleaser to say the least

With a 5 string, you can also play up on the E. It's really a great concept.

BrassBlower · Post by **BrassBlower** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 2:33 pm

fidla wrote:
emmline wrote:I have one, that I used to play...lots of years ago, and I didn't totally stink.
Obviously, most fiddle music is written in treble clef, and isn't all that viola compatible.
Anyone know of a good use for viola in the realm of ITM?
(all jokes aside--save them for the bodhran!)
I use 5 string fiddles for my Irish fiddling...yes, the lowest string is C, same as a viola.

One of my favorite tunes to play on the 5 string is "Dinky's Reel". I start on the G string, and play it 4 times through, modulating up a key each time. It's a real crowd pleaser to say the least

With a 5 string, you can also play up on the E. It's really a great concept.

So it's like playing a violin and a viola at the same time? Kewl!

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Sat Jul 23, 2005 5:56 pm

At the moment I'm having to satisfy the fiddling urge with the viola anyway. The violin is older and seems more in need of a tuneup. At this point, nothing from rosin dust to peg compound is keeping that E peg in place, and I'm hoping a violin shop in Baltimore can do some tweaking and teach me a thing or two in the process.

Cathy Wilde · Post by **Cathy Wilde** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:55 pm

fidla wrote:
One of my favorite tunes to play on the 5 string is "Dinky's Reel". I start on the G string, and play it 4 times through, modulating up a key each time. It's a real crowd pleaser to say the least

With a 5 string, you can also play up on the E. It's really a great concept.

A 5-string .... that is cool!
I wonder if that's the reel we call Dinky's Dorian? Great tune. Anyway, I never thought of modulating that up, let alone thru 4 changes .... far out!

Good luck, Emmline -- can you wrap a tuning peg with thread or Teflon tape, or beeswax it like you can a flute tenon or tuning slide?

monkey587 · Post by **monkey587** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 1:20 pm

Jonathan wrote:Right, but you'd still have to tune it up 1 1/2 steps to play w/ a Bb flute, unless you wanted to re-learn all of your tunes in new and probably more difficult positions. Then again maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm just a flute player

Martin Hayes plays plenty of things in new and more difficult keys. According to an interview I read, he doesn't generally leave the 1st position, though.

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