FIDDLE JOHN - reprise: "Old Joe Clark"

[FiddlinMikeRolland]

Hey we just posted a Appalachian lesson for Candy Girl, which we also play in AEAE. Keep up the good fiddlin man!

[jacobtxfiddler]

Folks, do some research! Holding the instrument and bow incorrectly and playing off beat and out of tune are not part on old time fiddling. It simply comes from the fact that there were no teachers or books available outside of large cities at the time. There were many old time fiddlers who did use proper technique. Check out Eck Robertson's recordings from the early 1920's.

[violinmyth]

@jacobtxfiddler he is not out of tune. Regarding the holding of bow, it's the other way around which you should hold it - check out. For the violin - in case you are comfortable don't change it.

Good luck!

[LilMissSwagga612]

Bad posture! thats what they teach you in 5th grade!

other than that AWESOME!

[LittleShroomChild]

It doesnt matter hows hes playing he sounds good. thats all that matters.

[aiglesiasvera]

menos discusiones... bravo por el fiddle!!

[disneyluver14797]

hold ur violin up higher =)

[GeralmyJ]

Hold your violin up and use your bow properly u look like uv nvr played bfore

[FancyGapClawhammer]

He is fiddling. His not playing a classical violin. If you knew anything about old-time music or bluegrass music, you would know that it's not what looks pretty. It's what sounds good and what's comfortable. You sound like you've never been involved in old-time music. Instead of trying to make the man in the video look ignorant, you're the one who looks ignorant.

[wolfieboyer]

hmm

[mercrid]

I love it. the sound's got a great feel to it. makes me smile. so, old fiddle time fiddle's were tuned AEAE? interesting. why the difference?

[fiddlenut24]

almost all old time tunes were tuned to the key which they were played. AEAE is just tuned to A, you can tune them alot of different ways, DDAD, ADAD, ADAE GDGD AEAC# its alot of fun cross tuning the fiddle, plus it sounds better, and its easier to play

[bobwen51]

Bravo John... thanks for your videos. I'm trying to understand this old genre better, and your playing is just perfect.

[djallfiredup]

You know, the problem with many people here is that if and when they listen to the original music from the old timers they stick their tongue out and say "eww". Well at least the uneducated people do... This is actually how fiddle tunes were played long ago. Today fiddle tunes have been orchestrated - smoothed out and styled with modern overtones and the modern thought is that's how it was played over 100 years ago - this is just not the case people. He is also holding it old style.

[susiakasinead]

So many mean and unnecessary comments! Why post if you can't post anything nice? Keep your narrowmindedness to the violin forums.

Very interesting version of Old Joe Clark!!!! I've never heard it, and I thought I'd heard millions of recordings of that tune. Maybe they were all bluegrass recordings. It's a simple tune but you can do so much with it.

Anyway, well done and keep up the good work!

[jeffstrykr]

suddenly, everyone is a fucking critic!!!

nicely done!

[ShadowLucario1]

O.K What ever that tune is its not old joe clark. Not even the advanced version.

[djallfiredup]

Your comment is a bit on the ignorant side - this is the old time way of playing it. What you listen to now is modern, orchestrated pieces that are smoothed out. over 100 years ago, old time fiddle players held the violin on their chest and even close to their lap. What we hear today is "modernizing" the tunes passed on from generations ago.

[jbrad1211]

Fiddle tunes are slightly to greatly different depending upon what part of the country you're in. Texas fiddle tunes may have the same name, but the Virginia version is sometimes different.

It's like accents. Being from Arkansas, I don't have one. All you other folks have accents, not us.

[sligolad2]

Whatever that is you're trying to play, it's not Old Joe Clark. Maybe lessons would help?

[kwala927]

interesting style but the sound is not clear due to bad bowing

[CoolJack2]

Is there any chance of playing "Billy in the Low Ground"?

[fiddlerman1]

very nice

[jwllong]

Great fiddlin'. Just taking up the fiddle myself. I get lots of sly comments about choking up on the bow so much. I noticed that you tend to choke up the bow also. Glad to see I'm not the only one. I find I have more balance that way. Noticed also, you seem to play a lot on the tip of the bow. Is that easier to maintain that way? Curious?

J. Long

Jackson, Tn.

[Stahlross2]

haha, i think if you play this at night some drunken 80-year-olds will dance around you, making themselves wet.

[kokoKittyy]

you need to hold your violin better

[PinkFluffyandEvil]

That's actually how you play the fiddle. I know it's really different from the classical violin but that it how it is played. Interesting, huh?

[IrishFlute69]

Ummm... No, not really. That's how you poorly play the fiddle. It doesn't matter if you call it a fiddle or a violin, you should hold it the right way. The difference in terminology stems from the technical style of the music. Many great fiddle players are actually classically trained. I don't know what this guy is doing, but something is wrong. Even it that is Appalachian style, the point is to play nice music. If you have to hold it like a "violin" the so be it.

[PinkFluffyandEvil]

True, True. But you don't have to totally critisize people on how they play the fiddle or violin. He doesn't really get good sound of the fiddle but that doesn't mean you should totally be mean. There's bad bowing and other things he needs to tweak but it's not that bad. Thank You thought for you bit of information.

[djallfiredup]

Old timer fiddle playing held the fiddle this way and even close to their lap, that is what this video is showing, don't you even read the information on the vid? Go look up old Appalachian fiddle playing. That's just the way the fiddle was played. It's not wrong for the genre.

[y0e0r0t]

Altough it might not be wrong, the "old time" technique of playing and holding the fiddle was revised to modern classical style of bowing and playing for a reason: it sounds better and allows the musician more control allowing for more advanced techniques...plz dont yell at me, that was an unbiased statement and i could really care less how other ppl choose to play, its their choice.

[humanity4408]

It's not an unbiased statement, it's an ignorant statement.

The advanced techniques you're talking about are things like spiccato bowing and shifting. Those things aren't done in fiddling. There has never been a "revision" of the hold in fiddling, it's just that a lot of former classical violinists bring their holds to fiddling.

[y0e0r0t]

ask any professional fiddle player and they will disagree with what you say

[humanity4408]

Are you sure? I play Irish fiddle, and I can see from your profile that you do too.

Watch Liz Carroll play, would you tell her that she's doing it all wrong? I've seen many professional Irish fiddlers perform with unorthodox fiddle and bow holds.

[y0e0r0t]

You are correct in that matter however, I was referring to bluegrass/country fiddle players...I started as a bluegrass fiddle player and studied it for almost 10 yrs. About 7 yrs into that I met Garth Brooks fiddle player, Jimmy Mattingly. I played for him and he conceded I was good and had much potential, but he said what makes a great fiddle player different than simply a good one is classical training and technique. Since then I've had 5 yrs classical training and only recently started irish

[humanity4408]

Fair enough, but there is a difference between bluegrass and old-time fiddling. Classical violin technique can be useful in bluegrass, but old-time doesn't use tricks like shifting.

I started on classical violin myself and started fiddling later, and personally I don't find that much classical technique is useful in Irish or old-tme fiddling. Bluegrass is a different kettle of fish though.

[humanity4408]

There's a good reason for it as well, it allows the fiddler to sing or call dances. This tune has lyrics after all, and they are often sung by the fiddler.

[citira]

I just discovered your videos: very good. Try to save your old mountain style... people could like it or not, but only until someone like you will keep it alive !

If you want, see my videos about Italian mountain fiddling on YT

[jwllong]

Soooooooooo Truuuuuuueeeeeee. I've been trying to keep the music alive in my area for over 20 years. Not easy, but I am happy to see younger people taking interest in the music.

[whirlpool33]

That is really good! but that is proobebly the worst violin positions i have ever seen. BUt ether way it was a really good fiddle tune

[sector9hummingbird]

I play classical and bluegrass, and I know plenty of kids who have done the same... BUT please don't perpetuate the myth that a fiddle and a violin are two different instruments. If I remember correctly, the word "fiddle" is derived from england/ireland, and was the word used for the instruments of the peasants, while I'm pretty sure violin comes from the italian word. The italian violins were more expensive and therefore were owned by the wealthy.

[BornofGod16]

I see you aren't up on violin history. A fiddle is any violin tuned to a traditional AEAE. I myself am an Irish fiddler. A violin and fiddle are one and the same, just tuned differently. Also, the style of music determines whether someone is a 'fiddler' or not. Please read up on your history before showing your ignorance

[sector9hummingbird]

I think you're misunderstanding me.

or maybe you're just a d-bag?

mehhhhh.

I was just addressing the fact that a lot of people think that violin and fiddle are completely different instruments. I've even had someone ask if one is fretted and the other fretless. wierd.

[redhedinsanity]

it's quite funny how quickly you point out someone else's ignorance while overlooking your own. the cross-tuning of AEAE is NOT a requirement for an instrument to be called a fiddle. in fact, in the US (from which this video's style comes), fiddling is simply a stylistic variation (and, in some cases, technical); look at the old-time fiddle traditions, especially in the western 2/3 of the country, and you'll see this quite clearly. ignorance indeed.

[jwllong]

I didn't know that. I always thought the only difference was in the attitude.

[BornofGod16]

And one more thing...Violins were a huge commodity...there was and still is huge rivalry between master craftsmen in Europe. The most notable however of violins is Stradivarius who incidentally lived in Italy. I think that is why you think it comes from Italian, but violins were still in existance before then. Even today, no one has figured out how he made his violins, which explains why the originals are in the millions. The duplicates only look the same, the tone is completely different.

[sector9hummingbird]

p.s. Stradivarius was definitely not the first Italian violin maker. why ohh why would you assume that I think the word "violin" comes from his work? my initial assumption on possible italian word origin was the viol's, the kind of larger clumsier precursors, but that may be incorrect as well.

regardless, please pause and contemplate before showing your unfounded arrogance.

[05rsx]

Im not a expert but ask a trained classical violinist who wips out pagannini to play bluegrass and most fall flat on their face..

[KanzlerM]

B.S.

[FiddleDoctor]

Hey guys. "Obey all rules" only applies to persons locked up by Barney Fife over in Mayberry, NC... not fiddling. The only "rule" is there are no rules! Keep on posting! Youtube needs more old-time music.

[skoobidooska]

is it also the style to use 1/10 of the bow?

[sayuri3]

I think you're awesome. Is there music for fiddling? I'm totally into the old time Appalchian and folk music. I recently got a mandolin, but am having the hardest time learning on my own. I love the mouth harp, but am interested in fiddling since I have some violin experience. Unfortunately research over the internet sometimes sucks. All the music is in TABS and it gets confusing. Anyway, keep the music coming. Thanks.

[ooziemac10]

not a beginner, its a style of violin playing.

[ointment]

Certainly not a beginner, nice stuff.

[mesitampabay]

He is kind of a beginner.

[beautyofsilence]

thats great! good job

[iamthepinkylifter]

i've never heard 'old joe clark' played old-time. I almost didn't recognize it, but it sounds great.

[blackrose78]

awesome

[Fulumirani]

That was lovely! Keep playing for the love of it--I wish I had you around on my front porch come summertime!