Lemuel
Site Admin
Joined: 12 Aug 2010
Posts: 515
Location: Mt. Elgin, Ontario
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 Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 7:54 pm Post subject: Re: Folk Fiddling |
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| SBritton wrote: | I play a bit of country and various Irish tunes. I had a few questions to do with the quality of my violin.
1. Should I use cat-gut instead of metal? The tone seems to be harsher, but I hear that some fiddlers prefer gut string. |
In your case, I would tend to stick with metal or synthetic strings. To exploit the advanced and unique acoustic properties of gut strings requires the right instrument, a good setup, the right bow, proper rosin, and finally the playing technique.
You might want to read this post: http://www.violins.ca/forums/viewtopic.php?p=8532&highlight=#8532
| SBritton wrote: |
2. Am I in the right forums? (Being a fiddler and not a violinist.) |
Yes and no.
Yes, that there are past posts on fiddle, country or Irish music.
No, that most members who have posted here in the past, have more than likely moved to www.violinist.com. So if you would like more interaction with other fiddlers, you should post there.
| SBritton wrote: |
3. My fiddle cost around $400 with the bow. Will I benefit any reasonable amount by purchasing a more expensive violin. Fiddling seems a bit rougher and I can not see the advantages of spending $2000(+) for a violin. |
What sort of roughness are you talking about? If it is the average way of fiddling, you will definitely see an advantage with a higher quality violin. However, you may not notice the difference, unless your playing technique can take advantage of it.
To give you an analogy, an average driver may not notice the difference between a regular family car and a racing car when driving on a public highway at about 100KM. However out on a race track at 200KM plus, the race car would definitely exceed in performance, and only a trained driver could do this.
If you ever decide to obtain a higher quality violin at $2000 or more, make sure you go to an established luthier. If you are still unsure about a violin you want to purchase, try to get the opinion of experienced violinists near you. You can check with an orchestra in your city or music department of your local university. Ask questions, get more than one opinion before you spend a cent.
Welcome to the forum and best wishes to you. |
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