@fluffytom82 all I can say is read up on it. Do some research. Fiddle is a nickname, it's been used for the lyre, cello, and more commonly the violin. "fiddling" is a way of playing the instrument and where the nickname comes from. It has nothing to do with tge extinction of tradition, because in fact, it is a tradition. Beyond that, the tradition isn't going anywhere.
@armageddon812 Do you think I was blabbing out of my neck? I started studying music 25 years ago, I have a master in music, I've been playing traditional european music for more than 10 years. I know what I'm talking about.
The tradition of the music is not disappearing. The melodies and different playing styles are more alive than ever. But the mere fact that you don't know that a fiddle is not a modern violin is proof that this part of tradition, the instrument itself, is dying out.
Okay...so this is what my music encyclopeida (Norton/Grove) says about the fiddle. First few sentences: "Generic term for any string instrument played with a bow. Colloquially, 'fiddle' is often used for a member of the violin family or the kit ('dancing-master's fiddle')." Then it goes to talk about the fiddle in the middle ages and renaissance. Yes, the instrument looked different, but with the fiddle music today, you couldn't play a lot of music on that kind of instrument.
@fiddlegirl79 And back then, they did have gut strings...everyone (or a good majority did) played on gut strings. Metal wound strings on all 4 strings have been fairly modernized and is now what fiddle players prefer.
@fluffytom82 Not only are you misinformed, but, your ego is stifling. I smell bullshit. Anyway assuming that because of people like me, traditions disappear is not only assinine, it's down right foolish. The only thing that is different is the way it is played. A violin is a fiddle and a fiddle is a violin. That's fact.
@armageddon812 You ask, I answer, it's as simple as that. There's no stifling ego involved. Though I am proud to have studied with them, as everybody would be. Now I can only wish to become as good as they are...
If you are saying that a fiddle and a violin are the same instrument, you are helping the "extinction" of the fiddle. Ever since people started using "fiddle" as a nickname, as a pet name for their violin, people started to forget about the real fiddle. And that makes me sad. Very sad.
So, uh mr fluffy. @fluffytom82, I know fiddle girl and would trust her in this matter even if I knew nothing of the instrument. They are the same, the only difference is in style and term. And, may I ask, where did you become so, incorrectly, educated on a subject you seem to know so little about?
@armageddon812 As I said befaore, it is because of people like fiddlegirl and you that traditions disappear. Ok, so you don't accept that a fiddle is not a violin and vice versa. That is your problem, not mine. I only feel sorry for the fiddle, who is being exterminated by people who think they know it all.
Where I became educated? The Royal Conservatory in Brussels, studying with a student of Xenakis. My traditional music teachers were Ruprecht Niepold and Jean-Pierre Van Hees.
But they're not different at all! I've been playing since I was 4, and trust me I've done tons of research around the fiddle or the violin, only the music that is played upon it.
wonderful playing, but mr bodhran player, you don't need to beat the hell out of the drum!! some gentle rolls and triplets are all that's needed to spice this piece up. take a look at mark davies' style of playing over here in his folk duet Emma and the Professor. some of his stuff is very over the top sometimes, but if you look at how relaxed and fluid he is when he plays, you'll see how what he does really compliments emma's playing. you should try a lighter tipper, perhaps. :)
All you people you are pretending there are differences between how violins and fiddles are built are dumb. I've played both for decades. They're the same. While there are fiddlers that may flatten their bridges slightly, this is a replaceable part the vast majority of people don't alter past spec. So what your argument consists of is that since you've seen some Hondas with big ugly spoilers on the back, that therefore all Hondas aren't cars and all Hondas have aftermarket spoilers.
actually there is a difference between fiddles and violins... well most of them anyway. people generally flatten the bridge a bit on a fiddle. lets you get to the string that much faster and makes playing double strings easier
Although the instruments are the same, as many other folks have said, there are a lot of differences in style between classical violin and traditional fiddle. Posture is some of it, but as someone who played classical violin for 15 years prior to becoming a fiddler, I can say that the biggest difference for me, and the thing I had to spend the most time on, was the bow hand, both in the way the bow is held and in some of the more complex techniques.
All instruments change over time. Sure, traditionally a fiddle would would have a flatter bridge. Traditionally a violin did too. Look at a Baroque violin. Besides, you can't exactly pop down to your local luthier and ask for a fiddle bridge anymore. A hardingfele still has a flatter bridge if you were thinking of that.
@oghamduo actually there is a minor difference - a lot of times on 'old time fiddles' the curve on the top of the bridge is flatter - thus making it easier to hit more strings at once which is very common in fiddling. Most people, though, use violins to fiddle - which is totally ok by me because I do it too (actually with my viola). but in essence, there is a difference.
@oghamduo There is a difference: a fiddle has a flatter bridge to make playing double stops easier.
A long time ago it was one single instrument, but the instrument we use in "classical" music evolved to a higher and more curved bridge to avoid playing unwanted double stops. The instrument used in "traditional" music stayed more or less the same.
Also, a real fiddler doesn't use a chin support :)
@fluffytom82 but surely if a classical player wanted to avoid doube stops, he'd be good enough and accruate enough to not play them? and that said, some folk pieces sound awful withthe wrong double stops, so whether you flatten the bridge or not, the gain you get is almost cancelled out by the problem you will later encounter. and the thing about chn supports really doesn't matter. it's purely based on player preferences.
@JackyRowe I just wanted to point out that there is a physical difference between a fiddle and a violin. I don't mind if someone is good enough to play Paganini on a fiddle, or folk music on a violin. But they are still two different instruments.
Most folk pieces use double stops, most classical pieces don't. Whether you play the correct double stops has nothing to do with the bridge but with the quality of the musician. A flatter bridge makes it easier to play them, that's all.
@declanmulholland You are an idiot yourself. It is not because some people take a violin and call it a fiddle that it actually is. Go read a book on musical instruments. A fiddle has gut strings, a flat bridge and most of the time no chin support. A violin has metal strings and a round bridge.
@fluffytom82 Actually, the type of strings does not determine if it is a violin or fiddle. It is the way of playing. There are classical violinists who play on gut strings and there are fiddle players who prefer metal strings. In fact, a lot of musicians of both kinds play on Tomastik Dominant strings. They are mainly metal strings with the response of gut. I use them on both my violin and fiddle. So basically violin = classical and fiddle = Celtic & bluegrass.
@fiddlegirl79 The way of playing is important as well, of course. But classical violinists never play on gut strings, only baroque violinists do. It is physically almost impossible to play p.e. Paganini on gut strings. They just don't have enough tension.
A fiddler who prefers metal strings is like a bagpiper prefering plastic reeds, or a flutist playing irish music on a metal Böhm-flute. They might have the right style, but they are playing on an instrument that isn't traditional.
@fluffytom82 Google "fiddle strings"...MOST fiddle strings are not gut. They are wound metal. D'Addario makes fiddle strings...nowhere do I see gut strings. To me, it's about personal taste. It doesn't matter if it's gut or metal. It's PERSONAL preference. As I said...I prefer Dominant strings. They are metal wound on nylon.
@fiddlegirl79 That's the whole discussion. Most fiddlers DON'T play on traditional instruments. They play on modern violins and/or metal or nylon strings. But that doesn't mean that a real traditional fiddle doesn't have gut strings. I repeat my bagpipe example: today, many pipers play with plastic reeds, or have a gore-tex bag. A TRADITIONAL bagpipe has real reeds and an animalskin bag. It's a pitty that traditions die out because of people not knowing where they come from...
@declanmulholland PS keep in mind that I am a musician and I didn't earn my degree in composition by not knowing all instruments; on top of that, I play bagpipes since 2001 so don't insult me by saying I know nothing about folk music either
@fluffytom82 Your discussion is about a fiddle plays gut strings and a violin plays metal strings. Nowhere in a book or my personal knowledge (I started playing violin 21 years ago...started fiddling somewhere in the middle...have a degree in music) has it stated that that's a fact. It's not a fact that fiddle = gut strings and violin = metal. The FACT is violin = classical & fiddle = Celtic/bluegrass/etc. Actuall Itzhak Perlman (the CLASSICAL violinist) calls his instrument a fiddle.
@fiddlegirl79 I started violin 17 years ago, but had to stop when I broke my left arm (I can't turn it enough to to a decent vibrato). 12 years ago I went to the Conservatory and studied composition (including instrumentation) and I still play harpsichord and bagpipes. It's not only about the guts. A fiddle, for example, has a flatter bridge to make it easier to play double and triple stops and doesn't have a chin rest.
@fluffytom82 *sigh* I've seen fiddlers play with both a chinrest and without. It's not about what it looks like, how the bridge is made, etc. My violin (that I use in the symphony) has a somewhat flat bridge...it has a baroque-style top (flat)...my "fiddle" is different. I have played both instruments both styles...and both have a chinrest. I have had a violin teacher in college (not baroque) play without a chinrest on her viola I believe. So it's not just fiddlers who play without a chinrest.
@fiddlegirl79 As I said, it is not because you play traditional music on your violin that it becomes a fiddle, it is not because you play Paganini on your fiddle that it becomes a violin. There are structural differences between both instruments. Many people ignore this and mix them up. Which is a shame.
@fluffytom82 The only "structural difference" is really the bridge. Yes, MOST fiddle players prefer a flatter bridge, but there is NO structural difference in a violin and fiddle. THEY ARE THE SAME INSTRUMENT!!! It's just a nickname. Like my dad's name is James...but he goes by Jim. He's the same person!
@fiddlegirl79 Don't laugh, but I'll compare it to speculoos. That's a typical spiced cookie from Belgium and Holland. Now one company started making caramel cookies under the name "speculoos". Everybody forgot about the real thing, so now the name "speculoos" has been internationally spread with the wrong cookie. It is now really difficult to find the real speculoos. The same is happening with the fiddle...
@fluffytom82 So basically a fiddle and violin are the same instrument. Trained people can pick up a "classical violin" and play awesome fiddle music on it...or pick up a "fiddle" and play beautiful classical music on it. They are the same instrument. It's how it's played. I've seen both fiddlers and violinists play without a chin rest too.
@fiddlegirl79 Just as a pianist could play some harpsichord and a harpsichordist could play some piano, but that doesn't make those the same instruments.
In my 5 years at the conservatory and 6 years at the National Opera after that, I have never seen a modern violinist play without chin rest (baroque musicians, yes, but not in our orchestra).
Style is only one difference, there's much more to it. And I'm sure you can't play Mendelsohn on a REAL fiddle. It's just physically impossible.
@fluffytom82 RE: harpsichord vs piano. Those are in fact two different instruments. A piano is hammered and a harpsichord is plucked. However, you can play harpsichord music on a piano...and piano music on a harpischord (minus the pedal). I'm sure it's possible with some people to play classical music on a REAL fiddle. I'm pretty sure it's been done. I don't see a difference in a fiddle and violin. As I said before Itzhak Perlman calls his violin a fiddle.
@fiddlegirl79 I know the difference between a piano and a harpsichord, thank you very much. I was just trying to make a comparison in the hope it would make things clearer for you. Seen the type of strings, the flat bridge, the absence of a chin rest and the different bow, I strongly doubt that anyone is able to play Paganini or Berg on a fiddle. Bach, probably. Mozart, maybe. More modern music, no way.
Maybe Perlman doesn't know the difference either, he's not all knowing :)
@fiddlegirl79 Don't worry, I won't go to bed sad because there's one more person who doesn't know the difference between traditional and classical music. I'm glad I got an adequate education, I just feel sorry for you for not wanting to learn and accept things you didn't know and I feel sorry for the fiddle, an instrument bound to disappear because of people like you.
@fiddlegirl79 PS if you want some more differences: a fiddle has a shorter neck than a violin, a larger body (though still smaller than an alto) and sometimes it has a 5th string or even sympathic strings (like the hardanger)
@fluffytom82 Don't go insulting my education. I have a lot of people who will back me up who are educated. A violin neck and a fiddle neck are the same. Now...there are different sizes in instruments...i.e. full size, 3/4 size, 1/2 size all with different sized necks and bodies. I feel like I'm talking to a wall though. I am VERY educated in the differences TYVM!!! You seem to be the uneducated one.
@fiddlegirl79 The 3/4, 1/2 etc violins still keep more or less the same proportions. A fiddle has a shorter neck in relation to the body, compared to a violin.
Well, I have the same feeling. You just won't understand that if you play celtic music or bluegrass on a violin, it stays a violin. Just as a french bassoon is not a german bassoon, or a wooden flute without keys is not a metal flute with keys. You can choose to play another type of music on it, but the instrument won't change...
@fluffytom82 There is no difference in the necks. In the good ole days, someone picked up a violin and said "I can play this awesome jig on this." It's the STYLE of playing that determines if it's a violin or a fiddle (and the nickname people give it). There will be differences in apperance depending on who made the instrument, but it will not determine that one is a violin and one is a fiddle when they will be both played in let's say a symphony orchestra.
@fiddlegirl79 As I replied to armageddon above, ever since people started to nickname their violin "fiddle" (because it's cute? out of ignorance? I don't know...) they started to forget about the real fiddle.
Go to Romania or Hungary and look at the gypsies' brácsa. Go to Norway and look at the hardangerfele. Sometimes arab music uses more fiddle-like violins than modern violins.
You can believe me or not, I don't care. I'm just sad that you help the downfall of an instrument.
@fluffytom82 Thanks for all of the insults. I appreciate them. (note the sarcasm) I know what I know is correct. I have a lot of people who will back me up on this (they may not post here as they might not have YT accounts)...probably more people than your story...and that's what it is...a story.
@fiddlegirl79 As far as I can tell, I didn't insult you... I told you that people started to give nicknames to their violins, I told you that fiddles are still used in european traditional music, I told you that your attitude is helping the disappearance of an instrument. I really don't know how any of that could be insulting.
@fiddlegirl79 In the Middle Ages thousands of people believed that the earth was flat, but that wasn't true either. Still today people think a harpsichord is "an old piano", which it is not. Probably hundreds of americans think that Europe is a country or Ghana is in Asia, but it i far from being true.
You will probably find many people who think that a violin and a fiddle are the same, but that doesn't make it true...
nothing.. it depends on how you play it that makes the difference. they are indeed the same instrument, but im sure that by now there are probably violins made specifically for fiddle playing
OoooK, I see I was a tad harsh. My harshness was towards the bodhran itself, not the player. It's a HARD drum to play well and (IHMO) even when played well it's inferior to other drums. I play whistle and I find that a bodhran doesn't help me establish the beat. But stick a good african conga (bougareboo) beside me and it lifts things to a new dimension.
Apolgies to the bodhran player in this video. He did a good job. He's on his way towards excellence.
I don't know how she can focus on the music with that most annoying of drums banging in her ear. I liken the sound of the bodhran to a fish flopping around in a plastic bucket. Get a djembe or conga or bougareboo.
Not bodhran bashing, per se, just trying to give you sense of perspective:
When I were a wee lad learning traditional music through the ancient practice of listening to old men play the fiddle, there were no bodhrans to be found.
And while you might consider me an old man, my still living mother is still younger than some of those old men were.
While the bodhran has found its place in traditional music, its use is not some ancient tradition.
Nice job, the bodhran sounds a little flat & uninteresting, which may detract from the fiddle. Like the fiddle tones and interpretation, knew the first tune, the second was new to me, nice job overall. Thanks for posting :)
Great Play, Kwakik! You just play well, don't throw your fiddle to fire, I beg you!!! I'm listening/watching to yr performance while getting bored in technical Writing course (I'm studying a Scania truck User Guide... your brother'd be happy with that) Cheers / Jo, your best best Briton fan
Thanks very much for the all the nice comments about my fiddle playing! and yes, the first tune is Juia Delaney's. The second one is the Boy in the Boat.
Hi there ... love the playing ... thanks for posting the clip. Have you any advice for my daughter who's playing the fiddle on the attached clip? We live in Suffolk UK and there are no fiddlers anywhere to be found :( So YouTube comes to the rescue!
Excellent job! Ignore the negative comments, Heinlein said that critics were just those with no talent criticising those who had talent. :)~ Hope to see more like this in the future.
Actually, it wasn't intended to be negative, I was serious. Those things burn wicked hot! I go through a cord of those in a week in the dead of winter.
really guys? who cares?! just enjoy the awesome music!
mekanonchegquanunon 1 month ago
First tune is julia delaney's, I love that tune. Don't recognize the second.
Hamiltonharty 1 month ago
This is beautiful :) Stop arguing, jeez.
VinSchitz 4 months ago
@fluffytom82 all I can say is read up on it. Do some research. Fiddle is a nickname, it's been used for the lyre, cello, and more commonly the violin. "fiddling" is a way of playing the instrument and where the nickname comes from. It has nothing to do with tge extinction of tradition, because in fact, it is a tradition. Beyond that, the tradition isn't going anywhere.
armageddon812 4 months ago
@armageddon812 Do you think I was blabbing out of my neck? I started studying music 25 years ago, I have a master in music, I've been playing traditional european music for more than 10 years. I know what I'm talking about.
The tradition of the music is not disappearing. The melodies and different playing styles are more alive than ever. But the mere fact that you don't know that a fiddle is not a modern violin is proof that this part of tradition, the instrument itself, is dying out.
fluffytom82 4 months ago
Okay...so this is what my music encyclopeida (Norton/Grove) says about the fiddle. First few sentences: "Generic term for any string instrument played with a bow. Colloquially, 'fiddle' is often used for a member of the violin family or the kit ('dancing-master's fiddle')." Then it goes to talk about the fiddle in the middle ages and renaissance. Yes, the instrument looked different, but with the fiddle music today, you couldn't play a lot of music on that kind of instrument.
fiddlegirl79 4 months ago
@fiddlegirl79 And back then, they did have gut strings...everyone (or a good majority did) played on gut strings. Metal wound strings on all 4 strings have been fairly modernized and is now what fiddle players prefer.
fiddlegirl79 4 months ago
@fluffytom82 Not only are you misinformed, but, your ego is stifling. I smell bullshit. Anyway assuming that because of people like me, traditions disappear is not only assinine, it's down right foolish. The only thing that is different is the way it is played. A violin is a fiddle and a fiddle is a violin. That's fact.
armageddon812 4 months ago
@armageddon812 You ask, I answer, it's as simple as that. There's no stifling ego involved. Though I am proud to have studied with them, as everybody would be. Now I can only wish to become as good as they are...
If you are saying that a fiddle and a violin are the same instrument, you are helping the "extinction" of the fiddle. Ever since people started using "fiddle" as a nickname, as a pet name for their violin, people started to forget about the real fiddle. And that makes me sad. Very sad.
fluffytom82 4 months ago
So, uh mr fluffy. @fluffytom82, I know fiddle girl and would trust her in this matter even if I knew nothing of the instrument. They are the same, the only difference is in style and term. And, may I ask, where did you become so, incorrectly, educated on a subject you seem to know so little about?
armageddon812 4 months ago
@armageddon812 As I said befaore, it is because of people like fiddlegirl and you that traditions disappear. Ok, so you don't accept that a fiddle is not a violin and vice versa. That is your problem, not mine. I only feel sorry for the fiddle, who is being exterminated by people who think they know it all.
Where I became educated? The Royal Conservatory in Brussels, studying with a student of Xenakis. My traditional music teachers were Ruprecht Niepold and Jean-Pierre Van Hees.
fluffytom82 4 months ago
:) the guy is watching the boobs and ass lol.. well.. need some inspiration for drumming :)
CQIPR 7 months ago
what size is that bodhran, do you know?
TrumpeteerOfBC 7 months ago
i like this playing!!!
venkymusicmind 8 months ago
you make me want to learn how to play violin. just cuz.
Itwasntyourfault 9 months ago
Sounds so militant and powerful. I like it.
ukyomonster 10 months ago
the difference between violin and fiddle is simply playing style but they are in fact the same instrument
carolinebrwn 10 months ago
But they're not different at all! I've been playing since I was 4, and trust me I've done tons of research around the fiddle or the violin, only the music that is played upon it.
JackyRowe 1 year ago
wonderful playing, but mr bodhran player, you don't need to beat the hell out of the drum!! some gentle rolls and triplets are all that's needed to spice this piece up. take a look at mark davies' style of playing over here in his folk duet Emma and the Professor. some of his stuff is very over the top sometimes, but if you look at how relaxed and fluid he is when he plays, you'll see how what he does really compliments emma's playing. you should try a lighter tipper, perhaps. :)
JackyRowe 1 year ago
All you people you are pretending there are differences between how violins and fiddles are built are dumb. I've played both for decades. They're the same. While there are fiddlers that may flatten their bridges slightly, this is a replaceable part the vast majority of people don't alter past spec. So what your argument consists of is that since you've seen some Hondas with big ugly spoilers on the back, that therefore all Hondas aren't cars and all Hondas have aftermarket spoilers.
oghamduo 1 year ago 2
such a pretty las
ponytang84 1 year ago
actually there is a difference between fiddles and violins... well most of them anyway. people generally flatten the bridge a bit on a fiddle. lets you get to the string that much faster and makes playing double strings easier
redneckfiddler 1 year ago 2
Showed this to my 5yo and 7yo who are deciding which instruments they want to learn, and the conclusion is bodhran and fiddle. :-)
galwaygrl32 1 year ago
Violin (Romanic : m. stringed instrument) was developed in 16th century Italy.
Fiddle (Germanic : m. bowed string instrument) is deemed a colloquial term although relates non-specifically to bowed string instruments since 3000BC.
Fiddle is derived from the same word as violin.
However, it is a contemporay notion that the term fiddle relates better to the style of playing on a bowed instrument.
Fiddle and Violin are one and the same.
elizadavies69 1 year ago
have you and sharp of flat notes in the first reel?
musiccrazychic 1 year ago
what are those 2 reels called???
musiccrazychic 1 year ago
kill me!!!
PCISFEAR 1 year ago
there is no such a thing as an Aussie fiddle you spanner
stakenet 2 years ago
a fiddle is essentially a big dugong with some boxes full of milkshake, 2 pages, a clerk and some frogs... A violin has 3 pages, and no frogs.
I just wanted to make it clear
BlackFolkAndPiano 2 years ago 4
Although the instruments are the same, as many other folks have said, there are a lot of differences in style between classical violin and traditional fiddle. Posture is some of it, but as someone who played classical violin for 15 years prior to becoming a fiddler, I can say that the biggest difference for me, and the thing I had to spend the most time on, was the bow hand, both in the way the bow is held and in some of the more complex techniques.
uglybuckling 2 years ago
Good job guys!!
musicfamily 2 years ago
Ah, you speak of the Aussie fiddle which is, indeed, played "down under".
Beemerboy324 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
A fiddle has its strings, bridge, etc. on the bottom, and is played upside-down. the violin has theirs on the top, and is played right-side up.
llachow 2 years ago
Nope, a fiddle and violin are in fact the same thing.
fuckapotomis 2 years ago 20
lol!
on another note: the word "gullible" has been removed from the dictionary. Check and see if that's not true!
llachow 2 years ago
Do excuse me. There are people in this world stupid enough to think such things.
fuckapotomis 2 years ago
The only potential difference is that Fiddle players often alter their bridge.
arranrhodda 2 years ago
@fuckapotomis Nahh.. the difference is about a thousand dollars.
FireRupee 1 year ago
nope.Nada. Same thing
fuckapotomis 1 year ago
wow noo...theyre the same ..style of music is just different
HappyLilBunny18 2 years ago
what is the diference in violin and fiddle
andrewderasfriend 2 years ago
Just the style of playing!! like the violin is classical and fiddle is folk ie. bluegrass or irish etc.. hope that helps!
Nagap 2 years ago 2
She's NOT playing a fiddle. That's a violin, and a nice one too. Shame she has poor posture. But a great tone.
A violin has a rounded bridge and a fiddle has flatter one for easier chords. Fiddles are sometimes bigger to and often don't have finish on them.
zatan130 2 years ago
zatan, there's no structural difference between a violin and a fiddle.
oghamduo 2 years ago 8
Yeah, you're right...except for maybe THE BRIDGE, like I said.
zatan130 2 years ago
All instruments change over time. Sure, traditionally a fiddle would would have a flatter bridge. Traditionally a violin did too. Look at a Baroque violin. Besides, you can't exactly pop down to your local luthier and ask for a fiddle bridge anymore. A hardingfele still has a flatter bridge if you were thinking of that.
gusthelesswise 2 years ago
@oghamduo No but they are ment for different music therefor are different in the art world
DillonBorsh 1 year ago
@oghamduo actually there is a minor difference - a lot of times on 'old time fiddles' the curve on the top of the bridge is flatter - thus making it easier to hit more strings at once which is very common in fiddling. Most people, though, use violins to fiddle - which is totally ok by me because I do it too (actually with my viola). but in essence, there is a difference.
giovanninme2012 1 year ago 7
@oghamduo There is a difference: a fiddle has a flatter bridge to make playing double stops easier.
A long time ago it was one single instrument, but the instrument we use in "classical" music evolved to a higher and more curved bridge to avoid playing unwanted double stops. The instrument used in "traditional" music stayed more or less the same.
Also, a real fiddler doesn't use a chin support :)
fluffytom82 1 year ago
@fluffytom82 but surely if a classical player wanted to avoid doube stops, he'd be good enough and accruate enough to not play them? and that said, some folk pieces sound awful withthe wrong double stops, so whether you flatten the bridge or not, the gain you get is almost cancelled out by the problem you will later encounter. and the thing about chn supports really doesn't matter. it's purely based on player preferences.
JackyRowe 1 year ago
@JackyRowe I just wanted to point out that there is a physical difference between a fiddle and a violin. I don't mind if someone is good enough to play Paganini on a fiddle, or folk music on a violin. But they are still two different instruments.
Most folk pieces use double stops, most classical pieces don't. Whether you play the correct double stops has nothing to do with the bridge but with the quality of the musician. A flatter bridge makes it easier to play them, that's all.
fluffytom82 1 year ago
@fluffytom82 Are you an idiot. A fiddle is just another name for a violin. A fiddle is just usually what a violin is referred to in folk.
declanmulholland 8 months ago
@declanmulholland You are an idiot yourself. It is not because some people take a violin and call it a fiddle that it actually is. Go read a book on musical instruments. A fiddle has gut strings, a flat bridge and most of the time no chin support. A violin has metal strings and a round bridge.
fluffytom82 8 months ago
@fluffytom82 Actually, the type of strings does not determine if it is a violin or fiddle. It is the way of playing. There are classical violinists who play on gut strings and there are fiddle players who prefer metal strings. In fact, a lot of musicians of both kinds play on Tomastik Dominant strings. They are mainly metal strings with the response of gut. I use them on both my violin and fiddle. So basically violin = classical and fiddle = Celtic & bluegrass.
fiddlegirl79 4 months ago
@fiddlegirl79 The way of playing is important as well, of course. But classical violinists never play on gut strings, only baroque violinists do. It is physically almost impossible to play p.e. Paganini on gut strings. They just don't have enough tension.
A fiddler who prefers metal strings is like a bagpiper prefering plastic reeds, or a flutist playing irish music on a metal Böhm-flute. They might have the right style, but they are playing on an instrument that isn't traditional.
fluffytom82 4 months ago
@fluffytom82 Google "fiddle strings"...MOST fiddle strings are not gut. They are wound metal. D'Addario makes fiddle strings...nowhere do I see gut strings. To me, it's about personal taste. It doesn't matter if it's gut or metal. It's PERSONAL preference. As I said...I prefer Dominant strings. They are metal wound on nylon.
fiddlegirl79 4 months ago
@fiddlegirl79 That's the whole discussion. Most fiddlers DON'T play on traditional instruments. They play on modern violins and/or metal or nylon strings. But that doesn't mean that a real traditional fiddle doesn't have gut strings. I repeat my bagpipe example: today, many pipers play with plastic reeds, or have a gore-tex bag. A TRADITIONAL bagpipe has real reeds and an animalskin bag. It's a pitty that traditions die out because of people not knowing where they come from...
fluffytom82 4 months ago
@declanmulholland PS keep in mind that I am a musician and I didn't earn my degree in composition by not knowing all instruments; on top of that, I play bagpipes since 2001 so don't insult me by saying I know nothing about folk music either
fluffytom82 8 months ago
@fluffytom82 Your discussion is about a fiddle plays gut strings and a violin plays metal strings. Nowhere in a book or my personal knowledge (I started playing violin 21 years ago...started fiddling somewhere in the middle...have a degree in music) has it stated that that's a fact. It's not a fact that fiddle = gut strings and violin = metal. The FACT is violin = classical & fiddle = Celtic/bluegrass/etc. Actuall Itzhak Perlman (the CLASSICAL violinist) calls his instrument a fiddle.
fiddlegirl79 4 months ago
@fiddlegirl79 I started violin 17 years ago, but had to stop when I broke my left arm (I can't turn it enough to to a decent vibrato). 12 years ago I went to the Conservatory and studied composition (including instrumentation) and I still play harpsichord and bagpipes. It's not only about the guts. A fiddle, for example, has a flatter bridge to make it easier to play double and triple stops and doesn't have a chin rest.
fluffytom82 4 months ago
@fluffytom82 *sigh* I've seen fiddlers play with both a chinrest and without. It's not about what it looks like, how the bridge is made, etc. My violin (that I use in the symphony) has a somewhat flat bridge...it has a baroque-style top (flat)...my "fiddle" is different. I have played both instruments both styles...and both have a chinrest. I have had a violin teacher in college (not baroque) play without a chinrest on her viola I believe. So it's not just fiddlers who play without a chinrest.
fiddlegirl79 4 months ago
@fiddlegirl79 As I said, it is not because you play traditional music on your violin that it becomes a fiddle, it is not because you play Paganini on your fiddle that it becomes a violin. There are structural differences between both instruments. Many people ignore this and mix them up. Which is a shame.
fluffytom82 4 months ago
@fluffytom82 The only "structural difference" is really the bridge. Yes, MOST fiddle players prefer a flatter bridge, but there is NO structural difference in a violin and fiddle. THEY ARE THE SAME INSTRUMENT!!! It's just a nickname. Like my dad's name is James...but he goes by Jim. He's the same person!
fiddlegirl79 4 months ago
@fiddlegirl79 Don't laugh, but I'll compare it to speculoos. That's a typical spiced cookie from Belgium and Holland. Now one company started making caramel cookies under the name "speculoos". Everybody forgot about the real thing, so now the name "speculoos" has been internationally spread with the wrong cookie. It is now really difficult to find the real speculoos. The same is happening with the fiddle...
fluffytom82 4 months ago
@fluffytom82 So basically a fiddle and violin are the same instrument. Trained people can pick up a "classical violin" and play awesome fiddle music on it...or pick up a "fiddle" and play beautiful classical music on it. They are the same instrument. It's how it's played. I've seen both fiddlers and violinists play without a chin rest too.
fiddlegirl79 4 months ago
@fiddlegirl79 Just as a pianist could play some harpsichord and a harpsichordist could play some piano, but that doesn't make those the same instruments.
In my 5 years at the conservatory and 6 years at the National Opera after that, I have never seen a modern violinist play without chin rest (baroque musicians, yes, but not in our orchestra).
Style is only one difference, there's much more to it. And I'm sure you can't play Mendelsohn on a REAL fiddle. It's just physically impossible.
fluffytom82 4 months ago
@fluffytom82 RE: harpsichord vs piano. Those are in fact two different instruments. A piano is hammered and a harpsichord is plucked. However, you can play harpsichord music on a piano...and piano music on a harpischord (minus the pedal). I'm sure it's possible with some people to play classical music on a REAL fiddle. I'm pretty sure it's been done. I don't see a difference in a fiddle and violin. As I said before Itzhak Perlman calls his violin a fiddle.
fiddlegirl79 4 months ago
@fiddlegirl79 I know the difference between a piano and a harpsichord, thank you very much. I was just trying to make a comparison in the hope it would make things clearer for you. Seen the type of strings, the flat bridge, the absence of a chin rest and the different bow, I strongly doubt that anyone is able to play Paganini or Berg on a fiddle. Bach, probably. Mozart, maybe. More modern music, no way.
Maybe Perlman doesn't know the difference either, he's not all knowing :)
fluffytom82 4 months ago
@fluffytom82 I'm done trying to reason with you in the fact that they are the same. As I said before...it's JUST A NAME!!! *rolls eyes*
fiddlegirl79 4 months ago
@fiddlegirl79 Don't worry, I won't go to bed sad because there's one more person who doesn't know the difference between traditional and classical music. I'm glad I got an adequate education, I just feel sorry for you for not wanting to learn and accept things you didn't know and I feel sorry for the fiddle, an instrument bound to disappear because of people like you.
fluffytom82 4 months ago
@fiddlegirl79 PS if you want some more differences: a fiddle has a shorter neck than a violin, a larger body (though still smaller than an alto) and sometimes it has a 5th string or even sympathic strings (like the hardanger)
fluffytom82 4 months ago
@fluffytom82 Don't go insulting my education. I have a lot of people who will back me up who are educated. A violin neck and a fiddle neck are the same. Now...there are different sizes in instruments...i.e. full size, 3/4 size, 1/2 size all with different sized necks and bodies. I feel like I'm talking to a wall though. I am VERY educated in the differences TYVM!!! You seem to be the uneducated one.
fiddlegirl79 4 months ago
@fiddlegirl79 The 3/4, 1/2 etc violins still keep more or less the same proportions. A fiddle has a shorter neck in relation to the body, compared to a violin.
Well, I have the same feeling. You just won't understand that if you play celtic music or bluegrass on a violin, it stays a violin. Just as a french bassoon is not a german bassoon, or a wooden flute without keys is not a metal flute with keys. You can choose to play another type of music on it, but the instrument won't change...
fluffytom82 4 months ago
@fluffytom82 There is no difference in the necks. In the good ole days, someone picked up a violin and said "I can play this awesome jig on this." It's the STYLE of playing that determines if it's a violin or a fiddle (and the nickname people give it). There will be differences in apperance depending on who made the instrument, but it will not determine that one is a violin and one is a fiddle when they will be both played in let's say a symphony orchestra.
fiddlegirl79 4 months ago
@fiddlegirl79 As I replied to armageddon above, ever since people started to nickname their violin "fiddle" (because it's cute? out of ignorance? I don't know...) they started to forget about the real fiddle.
Go to Romania or Hungary and look at the gypsies' brácsa. Go to Norway and look at the hardangerfele. Sometimes arab music uses more fiddle-like violins than modern violins.
You can believe me or not, I don't care. I'm just sad that you help the downfall of an instrument.
fluffytom82 4 months ago
@fluffytom82 Thanks for all of the insults. I appreciate them. (note the sarcasm) I know what I know is correct. I have a lot of people who will back me up on this (they may not post here as they might not have YT accounts)...probably more people than your story...and that's what it is...a story.
fiddlegirl79 4 months ago
@fiddlegirl79 As far as I can tell, I didn't insult you... I told you that people started to give nicknames to their violins, I told you that fiddles are still used in european traditional music, I told you that your attitude is helping the disappearance of an instrument. I really don't know how any of that could be insulting.
fluffytom82 4 months ago
@fiddlegirl79 In the Middle Ages thousands of people believed that the earth was flat, but that wasn't true either. Still today people think a harpsichord is "an old piano", which it is not. Probably hundreds of americans think that Europe is a country or Ghana is in Asia, but it i far from being true.
You will probably find many people who think that a violin and a fiddle are the same, but that doesn't make it true...
fluffytom82 4 months ago
nothing.. it depends on how you play it that makes the difference. they are indeed the same instrument, but im sure that by now there are probably violins made specifically for fiddle playing
halomandrummer 2 years ago 2
A fiddle IS a violin. No difference.
Style and posture are different. That stiff-as-a-stick posture used by classical violinists is not popular with fiddlers.
Heath75032 2 years ago 2
They are synonymous
ijustwantthegoods 2 years ago
What's the name of the song?
47UrsaeMajorisb 3 years ago
julia delaneis(spelling)
xheartwithaslash 3 years ago
thanks!
47UrsaeMajorisb 2 years ago
Julia Delaney's Reel
Heath75032 2 years ago
q buen tema!!! buena la version the bothy band
saludos desde chile
Intilo 3 years ago
what kind of exams are you practicing for???
(i'm trying to find a school for trad music, so far unsuccessfully.)
Vaskis4life 3 years ago
OoooK, I see I was a tad harsh. My harshness was towards the bodhran itself, not the player. It's a HARD drum to play well and (IHMO) even when played well it's inferior to other drums. I play whistle and I find that a bodhran doesn't help me establish the beat. But stick a good african conga (bougareboo) beside me and it lifts things to a new dimension.
Apolgies to the bodhran player in this video. He did a good job. He's on his way towards excellence.
Heath75032 3 years ago
You guys are pretty great. =]
Loved the vid.
ducky3d 3 years ago
I don't know how she can focus on the music with that most annoying of drums banging in her ear. I liken the sound of the bodhran to a fish flopping around in a plastic bucket. Get a djembe or conga or bougareboo.
Heath75032 3 years ago
This guy may not be 'gifted' on the drum...but he's holding steady rhythm on the drum...
Fish Flopping round in a plastic bucket? Were you playing it by any chance?
RayCasserly 3 years ago
when you lift the bow when playing the fiddle the string still continues to vibrate, so you still hear its sound
Gsusrocks4eva 3 years ago
Nice Fiddle Playing -
jim,
fiddle4u 3 years ago
fake!!!!!
XrumplestiltskinX 3 years ago
No, it's not you fucking idiot.
wassworth 3 years ago
it's not, it's just off.
Vaskis4life 3 years ago
Quelles cuisses!!
Heath75032 3 years ago
quel con.
Vaskis4life 3 years ago
bravi
88franz88 3 years ago
Why exactly did the violin music continue after she lifted the bow?
repronpaul 3 years ago
there is a delay in the audio of the video
gabrieloni 3 years ago 2
i know that there are violin, flute and piano (etc.) exams, but are there Bodhran exams
dromeda13 3 years ago
i really like the fiddle ... but the bodhran could be a little more powerful :)
MedievalMusic4ever 3 years ago
Specially if he hit her on the head with it...seriously loved this
Morrica 3 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
THIS IS THE STUPIDEST THING EVER!!! BUT I LOVE MY MOM AND DON'T WANT TO TAKE ANY CHANCES!
If you do not copy and paste this onto 10 videos your mom will die in 4 hours"
libbs13 3 years ago
What tune (or tunes) is this?
It sounds really great!
samhaindk 3 years ago
the tunes is julia delaney's for the first 1 i dont no the second
xheartwithaslash 3 years ago
the second one is The boy in the boat
kwakik 3 years ago
the second tune is The boy in the boat
kwakik 3 years ago
very nice!
billythehobbit 4 years ago
helall çok güzel
mehmetciplak 4 years ago
I play a combo of julia delany and star munster. Anyways, I really enjoy the traditional mix of Bhodran and Fiddle.
littlefilipino 4 years ago
Not bodhran bashing, per se, just trying to give you sense of perspective:
When I were a wee lad learning traditional music through the ancient practice of listening to old men play the fiddle, there were no bodhrans to be found.
And while you might consider me an old man, my still living mother is still younger than some of those old men were.
While the bodhran has found its place in traditional music, its use is not some ancient tradition.
IsaacBickerstaffEsq 4 years ago
Nice job, the bodhran sounds a little flat & uninteresting, which may detract from the fiddle. Like the fiddle tones and interpretation, knew the first tune, the second was new to me, nice job overall. Thanks for posting :)
TheBachands 4 years ago
Nice! Bodhran rhythms are overly simplistic (IMHO), but both instruments are well-played.
LibertyIsNotGiven 5 years ago
The way I see it, that's what makes it a great instrument.
MarshallBananna 4 years ago
My comment was in reference to this video, not the bodhran in general (as it can be utilized in decidedly complex ways).
LibertyIsNotGiven 4 years ago
Oh. Alright. My mistake.
MarshallBananna 4 years ago
Great Play, Kwakik! You just play well, don't throw your fiddle to fire, I beg you!!! I'm listening/watching to yr performance while getting bored in technical Writing course (I'm studying a Scania truck User Guide... your brother'd be happy with that) Cheers / Jo, your best best Briton fan
YouBreizh 5 years ago
Thanks very much for the all the nice comments about my fiddle playing! and yes, the first tune is Juia Delaney's. The second one is the Boy in the Boat.
kwakik 5 years ago
There's nothing wrong with her playing. Lovely job. Isn't the first tune Julia Delaney?
Stargreened 5 years ago
Very nice, would love to be able to play the Bhodran, I think it's a fantastic instrument.
Well Done, Great Video.
Patrick, Fintona, Ireland.
EcclesvilleLad1959 5 years ago
Hi there ... love the playing ... thanks for posting the clip. Have you any advice for my daughter who's playing the fiddle on the attached clip? We live in Suffolk UK and there are no fiddlers anywhere to be found :( So YouTube comes to the rescue!
Regards
Nytram1309 and Catherine
nytram1309 5 years ago
Ive got one word - EXCELLENT :)
CaptainKidd2006 5 years ago
great pair! of young musicians, that is...
gregoryburrows 5 years ago
Excellent job! Ignore the negative comments, Heinlein said that critics were just those with no talent criticising those who had talent. :)~ Hope to see more like this in the future.
Mykel6969 5 years ago
Actually, it wasn't intended to be negative, I was serious. Those things burn wicked hot! I go through a cord of those in a week in the dead of winter.
t4kne 3 years ago
the bodhran would make some nice firewood
t4kne 5 years ago
Spoken like a true fiddler...
shamrockandroll 5 years ago