Swing Fiddle vision

3chords

Hi,
Swing fiddle beginners!

Get yourself a cheapest $ 25 fiddle + a fret sticker + a $ 25 mandolin( if you don't already own one).
Get some Django's free Play-Along Rhythm Tracks by Wrembel and start playing immediately!
That's it - by ear .
No tabs, no scores - de nada...
Switchin between the instruments.
Record yourself playing and speed it up by some soft to establish a goal, use a metronome.
Become stupid - just physically DO IT.
Play whatever comes to your mind.
1000 hours and you'll get it.
Same applies to all instruments out there.
It's all about creating a priority.
1 hour a day - in 3 years you'll shine!
That's how the gypsies do it.
And the rest of real musicians.
Booze and sex are helpful!
It is NOT A SPORT!
Smash the idols, be free.
Gypsies are (were?) the ONLY free ppl on this planet.
They just didn't get all this BS about nations, borders, religions etc.
They were illiterate, they were simply human no more.
It's all about your feelings.
The real ones it is.
Stop thinking about impressing your girlfriends\boyfriends, community, producer.
Stop admiring the Teachers - they might be technically correct, but after all they're just making money on your slavery.
No teachers in the modern meaning are needed.
You don't have to prove yourself to anybody, but yourself.
Be your own Django and Grapelli.
And praise the Lord whenever you feel good about yourself, 'cause it simply means you're GOOD.

3chords

The post above is an inspirational one.
I would like to share some practical ideas and links as well.

1.Fiddle holding position.
Fiddles\violins are descendants of the guitar.
The chin holding pose is a relatively new invention.
Older know positions are:
- cello-like
- guitar-like
- forearm holding
The last one seems to survive in parallel with the chin holding.
It gives you:
- a more natural posture
- freedom of movement
- full view of the fingerboard
- optically undistorted view of the bow position
- more guitar-like movements of the hand
Actually, the only disadvantage is limited ability of a quick fingering
position shift, which is in most cases unnecessary anyway and\or can be mastered in this approach too!
I would recommend , of course, the Gypsy approach, which usually required a some sort of holding aid , usually in a form of a strip, belt or bandanna to hang your fiddle on your neck or across the chest.
Few different products are commercially available today.
Check Google for FIDDLE-EZY Support System or just use any nylon-based scarf as in the old school.
2.Bow holding.
Try different ways to hold your bow!
Shorten it's length by holding it above the frog.
Try a shorter bow from a smaller-sized instruments.
You don't really need all the modern bow length for effective playing!

3.Playing approach.
Start with playing chords.
It is essential! Study all 2-finger chords for your accompaniment in first
position. Those a really easy to remember.
Try playing chords with different bowing techniques in order to create a constant and interesting background fiddling.
More tips to come.....

clausci

Hi! First of all thanks for your partecipation 3chords, and for your suggestions. Thats al very interesting but i am scared that it can confuse us a little bit.
I wont seem polemical but i have to precise that it's true that the gypsyes are free etc...but this doesn't mean that they didn't have a teacher.
In most of the cases they learn it (music...any kind...)a bit in a different way from the traditional approach but in the same time they are some of the most finest "guards" of the tradition, that they learn in the country where they live and do it in their own way...and in other cases they are also thought by music academies and so on... so, there is a lot of tipe of "teaching", but the fact is in conclusion that it's important to have a teacher, in a way or another, it doesn't means that you have just to pay(...but if you can why not?) it helps also just to see how can do it (imitation, in most of the cases its the main teaching, also for gypsyes).

Violin is not guitar, i don't exagerate, but i have to say the reality.

Playng good is difficult in both of these two instruments in the same manner, but violin has for sure a more difficult approach, for the beginners.
So...for us in a lot of cases a GOOD (and i underline this...) teacher can be very helpful.
Starting alone it's possible , i dont know, maybe you are self taught and you play like god very relaxed and fluid. There are a lot of exceptions.

But, the risk is that the beginner who starts completely alone takes wrong positions wich can cause serious disturbs...and wich is difficult to stop in some cases.


So, i think u know all this things and i dont want to be boring, you said a lot of correct things, and very ispiring, just i remarked this aspect, that's important IMHO.

Best,

Cla.

3chords

Have no doubts about the GOOD teachers!
Those are rare though.
If you lucky to study with one - it is great.
But most of the teachers I've met in my experience, are there just for the money, and longer they "have" you - more they make, just like the dentists and some wives :twisted:

I wrote here just to remind beginner fiddlers, that if someone's able to do it - you can do it as well. It will be different, but it will be good!
About "good" and "not so good" playing - that's all irrelevant, because subjective.And there're NO "wrong positions" as long as they enable you to play as you like.
Gypsy ppl have their systems of teaching and those are guarded from strangers exactly as all other traditional musicians guard their "know-how".
Once I was asked for a Miami-Stockholm ticket, 5 stars hotel and $ 5000 in cash for a 2-day session with one of the not-really-that-kinda-veterans of Delta blues.
Love the guy! Never met him though.

Cheers