Dr John Turner demonstrating a Kit

At the Jink and Diddle School of Scottish Fiddling we are routinely exposed to the rich history of traditional Scottish Music. This includes the Dance Masters who traveled to events with Kits.

The kit violin, or kit (Tanzmeistergeige in German), is a stringed musical instrument. It is essentially a very small violin, designed to fit in a pocket — hence its other common name, the pochette fiddle. It was used by dance masters in royal courts and other places of nobility, as well as by street musicians up until around the 18th century. The word "kit" likely arose from an abbreviation of the word "pocket" to "-cket" and consequentially "kit."[citation needed] Trichet is said to have described the leather carrying case of the kit as a poche, hence, "The Pocket Violin". Mersenne likewise wrote that the kit violin was often contained within the pockets of the musicians who played it, often travelling minstrels or dance teachers. The term "kit" is believed to first have been used in the first quarter of the 16th century, in England where it was mentioned in Interlude of the Four Elements, c. 1517. The body of the instrument is very small, but it has a relatively long fingerboard in order to accommodate the player's hand.
On Staff at Jink and Diddle is Michael Thompson who has produced a number of these pochette fiddles. He also does workshops on the care and maintenance of instruments at the Summer Jink and Diddle School of Scottish Fiddle.
www.JINKDIDDLE.COM

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[Max0Inq]

I was searchng so long for video of the original dance master fiddle! Thanks for uploading this.

[isabellanakahara]

Cool video. That is really a neat one to post.