On a lighter note ...the French Fiddle V The FIddle
On a lighter note ...the French Fiddle V The FIddle
In Ireland I once heard the claim that you blow and suck on the French Fiddle but you bow and still suck on the FIddle.
Well ok there is some point to this, with one you can only get at one note at a time, like playing the Accordion with one finger, and the other the Bow can play only one note at a time. But thats where the similarity ends.
So how true is this claim given that the French Fiddle is the old Tremolo Harmonicas so popular after WW2 in Ireland.
Re: On a lighter note ...the French Fiddle V The FIddle
"In some parts of Ireland, around Dundalk, the mouth organ was called the French Fiddle, French in this case not being Gallic, but rather strange and foreign. The same idea applies even to poultry: if you check the Gaelic title for Turkey in the Straw in O'Neill's, the big bronzer is called a Cearc Francach."
Re: On a lighter note ...the French Fiddle V The FIddle
Here's an interesting bit of history about the harmonica. It seems that when Napoleon was digging up those old tunes in Egypt he also uncovered the instruments used to play the tunes. A mouth organ fitted with reeds, from the Reed Sea. He also discovered that many of the tomb paintings are actually illustrations of the dance steps used to accompany the music. Napoleon loved the instrument and the music and wished to share it with the rest of Europe, so he called it the Hamtrombonium, in honor of Ham, the biblical founder of Egypt, and began on his quest of spreading the joy to the rest of the world. But folks got the name confused with the Harmonica invented by Ben Franklin a few years before, and anyway Napoleon had a hard time pronouncing the hard consonants in the word Hamtrombonium. The French have what is known as a lazy tongue and try to avoid consonants, replacing them with vowels. Probably from eating snails. This is illustrated by the fact that the word Fiddle, when spoken by a Frenchman, sounds something like Violin, from which we get that word. In France snails are thought of as a venison. The dance that accompanies the music came to be known as Hambone, as depicted in the tomb paintings. Along with the music we Americans acquired these treasures from Egypt in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase. And that is why the Harmonica is known as the French Harp. Or it could be because you use your tongue to play it.
Re: On a lighter note ...the French Fiddle V The FIddle
Like getting off of an addiction, admitting there is a problem is the first step on the road to recovery and that means one day you will be as good as Paganini or is it Coleman?
On a lighter note ...the French Fiddle V The FIddle
On a lighter note ...the French Fiddle V The FIddle
In Ireland I once heard the claim that you blow and suck on the French Fiddle but you bow and still suck on the FIddle.
Well ok there is some point to this, with one you can only get at one note at a time, like playing the Accordion with one finger, and the other the Bow can play only one note at a time. But thats where the similarity ends.
So how true is this claim given that the French Fiddle is the old Tremolo Harmonicas so popular after WW2 in Ireland.
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by Schlongbow
Re: On a lighter note ...the French Fiddle V The FIddle
"In some parts of Ireland, around Dundalk, the mouth organ was called the French Fiddle, French in this case not being Gallic, but rather strange and foreign. The same idea applies even to poultry: if you check the Gaelic title for Turkey in the Straw in O'Neill's, the big bronzer is called a Cearc Francach."
http://www.celticguitarmusic.com/harmreview.htm
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by dafydd
Re: On a lighter note ...the French Fiddle V The FIddle
And in the southern states of the USA the mouth organ was sometimes called the French harp.
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by dafydd
Re: On a lighter note ...the French Fiddle V The FIddle
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/7463
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by dafydd
Re: On a lighter note ...the French Fiddle V The FIddle
Here's an interesting bit of history about the harmonica. It seems that when Napoleon was digging up those old tunes in Egypt he also uncovered the instruments used to play the tunes. A mouth organ fitted with reeds, from the Reed Sea. He also discovered that many of the tomb paintings are actually illustrations of the dance steps used to accompany the music. Napoleon loved the instrument and the music and wished to share it with the rest of Europe, so he called it the Hamtrombonium, in honor of Ham, the biblical founder of Egypt, and began on his quest of spreading the joy to the rest of the world. But folks got the name confused with the Harmonica invented by Ben Franklin a few years before, and anyway Napoleon had a hard time pronouncing the hard consonants in the word Hamtrombonium. The French have what is known as a lazy tongue and try to avoid consonants, replacing them with vowels. Probably from eating snails. This is illustrated by the fact that the word Fiddle, when spoken by a Frenchman, sounds something like Violin, from which we get that word. In France snails are thought of as a venison. The dance that accompanies the music came to be known as Hambone, as depicted in the tomb paintings. Along with the music we Americans acquired these treasures from Egypt in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase. And that is why the Harmonica is known as the French Harp. Or it could be because you use your tongue to play it.
.
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by dafydd
Re: On a lighter note ...the French Fiddle V The FIddle
Stop, dafydd, please stop! Can't breathe! Rolling on the floor holding my ribs!
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by oldstrings
Re: On a lighter note ...the French Fiddle V The FIddle
very nice, dafydd
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by Dont
Re: On a lighter note ...the French Fiddle V The FIddle
I've heard the Scottish Bagpipes called the Scottish Banjo.
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by sbhikes
Re: On a lighter note ...the French Fiddle V The FIddle
It's not mine,I came across it on the web and couldn't resist sharing it.
http://www.hucktunes.com/Harmonica.htm
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by dafydd
Re: On a lighter note ...the French Fiddle V The FIddle
But I should have also said you can be a better musician, no! , a better person if you had a sense of humor to augment sucking on the fiddle.
So go suck that thang!
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by Schlongbow
Re: On a lighter note ...the French Fiddle V The FIddle
you guys are a hoot. but you make me feel better that i suck on the fiddle...
# Posted on November 4th 2007 by full measure
Re: On a lighter note ...the French Fiddle V The FIddle
Like getting off of an addiction, admitting there is a problem is the first step on the road to recovery and that means one day you will be as good as Paganini or is it Coleman?
Shucks I am so old I have forgotten.
# Posted on November 4th 2007 by Schlongbow