Fiddle playing techniques to add bounce to tunes

Tonight we spent some time working on fiddle playing techniques to introduce a controlled ‘bounce’ in our bowing action. This helps us to start to play notes more cleanly, which in turn helps with keeping a very steady pulse to the tunes we play. We started off by playing single notes. As we started the bow stroke, we used our index finger to apply a bit of pressure to the back of the bow’s stick. This has the effect of pushing the bow in towards the fiddle strings. Further into the bow stroke, we released the pressure on the bow. This allows the bow to almost bounce out of the note, creating a small space between one note and the next. It’s a useful technique for helping to play the start and end of individual notes with complete control.

Double stopping

After this we learnt ‘Fionn’s’, a tune written by Charlie McKerron.  We looked at options for double stopping in the tune. We developed the chords by creating some different rhythms, placing our chords on either the onbeat or the upbeat.

There will be no class for the next 2 weeks. We’ll be coming back to Fionn’s and Inverkeithing Bay (the march we learnt last week). The class resumes on Tuesday 12th June. There are 3 more classes left this term.