Fiddly bits

Now, I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before but I fiddle. That is to say, I play the fiddle. Not the violin, please note – the fiddle. Over the years, I had enough of playing instruments by written scores (piano, trumpet, even guitar) and I eventually gave up because it was too much like work and not enough like fun. A few years ago, though, I decided to take up the fiddle. Folk music isn’t all “stick your finger in your ear and wail” stuff – there’s some very good music out there. And, for me, it was ideal because the usual way to learn folk music is by ear: listen, then play, then listen some more, then play some more.

Having small children steals your time, though, and my fiddling lapsed somewhat. But I’m back into it again now, and I’ve got my eyes set on some lovely new kit. I’ve already got some new strings thanks to StringMail, who delivered within 2 days! I’ve also laid my hands on a new Incredibow (from Dance of Delight). These are odd things – instead of the usual concave shape of a violin bow, they are convex, almost like a Baroque bow. There’s no tension adjuster because you never need to loosen off the bow. Made of carbon fibre and with synthetic hair rather than horsehair, it nonetheless plays rather nicely. The bow only arrived today so I’ve not had much chance to test it yet, but first impressions are quite good. It’s more stable than my old wooden/horsehair bow and less prone to wolf notes, but does seem to bounce a trifle more. I might try out the featherweight Incredibow – the one I’ve got is their standard weight and it’s actually a little heavier than my wooden bow was! Fortunately, Dance of Delight has a generous 60-day return policy :-)

Anyhow, there’s a little pic above of the new bow (top) in my fiddle case – also, on the left, there’s the little container of Tartini rosin that I got for the new bow. You can (obviously) also see my fiddle. It’s a 19th-century French one, allegedly, but was extensively rebuilt by the local luthier I bought it off after it got badly damaged – he buys broken violins and rebuilds them, then sells them on. Despite this instrument’s checkered past, it has a good tone and is very loud. But I still lust after a Bridge electric fiddle. One day, perhaps, I’ll get one, and couple it with a Black Box. Mmmmmm…

pax et bonum

Article posted at 10:35pm on 17 March 2006
Category: Life, Music, Struggling, General