Messages posted by: fiddlinang

Howdy fellow fiddlers! Is it just me or is the low second finger (G natural on the E string / C natural on the A string) really awkward? When I'm on the E string and need to hit the G natural, I always feel more comfortable if the side of my hand / side of my index finger is away from the fingerboard, but then floating around like that I feel a bit lost so that can't be right. Actually, it's only super awkward when I need to go from a G natural to an F# - those two fingers just don't like sitting together on the E string. I know the violin is a very personal instrument and everyone has to adjust to suit themselves, but I'd be interested to know if anyone else has encountered this and what they've done about it! Thanks in advance, fiddlers...

Oh lordy, where do I begin? I've not been playing very long myself but I've picked up a lot of good tips over the last few years. Here's my number 1 tip for how to start your practices:

I like to start by just playing long bows on open strings, just to remind myself that there is actually an entire bow there at my disposal and not just the middle bit. I try and listen to the tone and make it as even as possible. Then I pick a scale and play it slowly and carefully, especially in regards to intonation, like this: Take a C scale, for example. Play C - D, slurred, then C - D slurred again (using the whole bow), listening to the interval, and keep doing this until you're sure it's in tune. Then do the same for D - E. Do this all the way up and down the scale. This really "opens up" your ear and makes you better at hearing and correcting your intonation. Then do the scale normally, with single bows or whatever, but never letting yourself carry on if you play a note wrong; always do it again and again until it's right. Excruciating sometimes (especially for cohabitees/roommates) but worth the effort! Whenever I've failed to do this at the beginning of a practice, the entire practice has been sloppy. But maybe that's just me.

I've got loads of other good tips and excercises I've found useful so if you're still in need of more just ask! I'm new to this forum and look forward to exchanging useful ideas with other bluegrassers!

Howdy! I am a relative beginner also (been playing for four years) but I have two things to say about your chord problem. For tuning, my teacher made me practice double stops in this way to begin with: Keep playing the low note until you're absolutely sure it's in tune, then do the same with the top one. Then and only then attempt to play them together. Keep adjusting, either individually or together, no matter how long it takes, until they ring true. Regarding the scratchiness, I still have this sometimes but find it is almost entirely down to tension somewhere in the right side of the body - the shoulder, wrist, whatever. As one teacher told me recently, don't think of bow PRESSURE; think only of WEIGHT.

I agree with you - the fiddle is the best thing that could happen to anybody! I love it and can't wait 'til I'm retired and can play fiddle all day long!