The fat guy and I had a brief discussion just prior to Christmas regarding gifts. It was decided betwixt us, that I would take care of my own. And did. It has finally arrived and I am now in a semi-permanent state of arou… er, euphoria! I have to thank Will for this.
I started a discussion awhile back concerning the worth of a Strad violin vs my fiddle, which is quite modest. Will had offered up the usual gem he often does. That being, most often, a modest fiddle is accompanied with a modest bow. For a beginner, Will indicated that these bows require a lot more work. This turned the light bulb on(a rare occurrence).
After much homework, here as well as talking to various other persons of the musical persuasion, I decided to purchase a new bow and it has finally arrived! Holy Jesu, what a difference! The bow (Coda Conservatory) merely looks at the strings and they sing(euphoria or delusion?).
As a beginner, it is quite often discouraging when progress is slow and it’s not as fun as it is meant to be. I figured it was simply going to take more time to achieve a reasonable level of skill(that probably won’t change). What is interesting is that I discussed the fiddle with my instructor. It wasn’t setup properly when I got it. After that was taken care of, Maria played the fiddle with her bow. The fiddle sounded great. We never discussed the bow. I concluded my difficulties were all due to my inexperience etc. Bowing is now more comfortable and the sound is great(for a beginner). After 2 nights of playing, the fun returns.
Hooray! Good for you, Deb. Hope it sounds great, hope you feel great, and hope it marks as much a turning point for you as getting a good bow for the first time did for me. Isn't Will MAH-velous!?
Awww, gee. *blush, blush* Bear in mind that I was just repeating what others have told me, what I've learned from my own struggles, and what others have said on this site as well.
Somehow I didn't even see this thread for a while. At least now I *know* I have a blind spot....
Great news, Deb! I'm glad the Coda is working for you. These Coda bows really are a treat--so stable, and once you get used to them, very good at transmitting feedback from the strings to your hand. A great value, and far more predictable than buying a wooden bow sight unseen. Plus you can rap on an empty pint as hard as you want, with no fear of harming the stick (be careful of the glass though), to quiet the punters when Mairead or Padraig start clearing their throats for a song.
Some day we can all start saving up for our own Neil Burke bows--I hear they're superb players. I'd like to try one sometime.
I might just save my old bow to rap on the empty pint. Or, I can now rap with both!
I should have said thanks to all. That was somewhat careless of me. As I said, I did my homework and searched through the archives here. Indeed, many here have offered up advice and shared experiences. Without all of the help here, I'd still be struggling. It really has made a difference in the "feel" of playing as well as enjoyment.
Save your bows, of course. I carry both mine in my case, Deb. Saved my bacon a couple of times, although once a cheapie out of my case got stolen while I was onstage at a grammar school. Luckily it was a terrible bow (cost $25 on e-bay, I got it as a lark), so talk about instant karma.
Zina, I do plan on saving both. But I have to admit, I can't imagine using the old one. There just simply is no comparison.. at all!
When I come in to a windfall and get a third, the old might make an interesting piece for hanging or a good weapon in the case of the unenthusiastic to trad music.
That reminds me--at our last slow session, one of the fiddlers was sitting with his fiddle in one hand and the bow pointing toward the sky in the other, listening to a windy explanation of some fine point on a tune, and he said, "Can I insert something here." And we all looked at him and his bow, and burst out laughing....
LOL -- nice, Your Majesty. Well, Deb, keep the old one around because when you need to play in some desperate weather or someone's hair on their bow has all broken off and you would never trust them with your good bow, etc., you'll be very happy you did!
No plans to get rid of it. If I didn't have bad luck etc...
Interestingly, I told my Dad about the new one(re: carbon fibre). He mentiond that if I decide to give up playing, he'd consider using it as a fishing rod, albeit a short one!
...Coda violin bow and ice fishing rod. We should alert the company to include a bobber and a lure with every sale. This could be BIG in the French-Canadian provinces....
Thanks Will
Thanks Will
The fat guy and I had a brief discussion just prior to Christmas regarding gifts. It was decided betwixt us, that I would take care of my own. And did. It has finally arrived and I am now in a semi-permanent state of arou… er, euphoria! I have to thank Will for this.
I started a discussion awhile back concerning the worth of a Strad violin vs my fiddle, which is quite modest. Will had offered up the usual gem he often does. That being, most often, a modest fiddle is accompanied with a modest bow. For a beginner, Will indicated that these bows require a lot more work. This turned the light bulb on(a rare occurrence).
After much homework, here as well as talking to various other persons of the musical persuasion, I decided to purchase a new bow and it has finally arrived! Holy Jesu, what a difference! The bow (Coda Conservatory) merely looks at the strings and they sing(euphoria or delusion?).
As a beginner, it is quite often discouraging when progress is slow and it’s not as fun as it is meant to be. I figured it was simply going to take more time to achieve a reasonable level of skill(that probably won’t change). What is interesting is that I discussed the fiddle with my instructor. It wasn’t setup properly when I got it. After that was taken care of, Maria played the fiddle with her bow. The fiddle sounded great. We never discussed the bow. I concluded my difficulties were all due to my inexperience etc. Bowing is now more comfortable and the sound is great(for a beginner). After 2 nights of playing, the fun returns.
Thank you, Will!
Now to remember, keep the bow hair down!
# Posted on January 16th 2004 by Agnes Nutter
Re: Thanks Will
Hooray! Good for you, Deb. Hope it sounds great, hope you feel great, and hope it marks as much a turning point for you as getting a good bow for the first time did for me. Isn't Will MAH-velous!?
Zina
# Posted on January 16th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: Thanks Will
Life is good! Yeah, Will is great. Besides being gifted w/ the pen, gifted with teaching.
I hate to quote him, but Norm Abrams is right, "The right tool for the job".
D.
# Posted on January 16th 2004 by Agnes Nutter
Re: Thanks Will
Awww, gee. *blush, blush* Bear in mind that I was just repeating what others have told me, what I've learned from my own struggles, and what others have said on this site as well.
Somehow I didn't even see this thread for a while. At least now I *know* I have a blind spot....
Great news, Deb! I'm glad the Coda is working for you. These Coda bows really are a treat--so stable, and once you get used to them, very good at transmitting feedback from the strings to your hand. A great value, and far more predictable than buying a wooden bow sight unseen. Plus you can rap on an empty pint as hard as you want, with no fear of harming the stick (be careful of the glass though), to quiet the punters when Mairead or Padraig start clearing their throats for a song.
Some day we can all start saving up for our own Neil Burke bows--I hear they're superb players. I'd like to try one sometime.
# Posted on January 16th 2004 by Will Harmon
Re: Thanks Will
I might just save my old bow to rap on the empty pint. Or, I can now rap with both!
I should have said thanks to all. That was somewhat careless of me. As I said, I did my homework and searched through the archives here. Indeed, many here have offered up advice and shared experiences. Without all of the help here, I'd still be struggling. It really has made a difference in the "feel" of playing as well as enjoyment.
So, Thanks to all.
Deb.
# Posted on January 16th 2004 by Agnes Nutter
Re: Thanks Will
Save your bows, of course. I carry both mine in my case, Deb. Saved my bacon a couple of times, although once a cheapie out of my case got stolen while I was onstage at a grammar school. Luckily it was a terrible bow (cost $25 on e-bay, I got it as a lark), so talk about instant karma.
# Posted on January 16th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: Thanks Will
Zina, I do plan on saving both. But I have to admit, I can't imagine using the old one. There just simply is no comparison.. at all!
When I come in to a windfall and get a third, the old might make an interesting piece for hanging or a good weapon in the case of the unenthusiastic to trad music.
# Posted on January 16th 2004 by Agnes Nutter
Re: Thanks Will
That reminds me--at our last slow session, one of the fiddlers was sitting with his fiddle in one hand and the bow pointing toward the sky in the other, listening to a windy explanation of some fine point on a tune, and he said, "Can I insert something here." And we all looked at him and his bow, and burst out laughing....
# Posted on January 16th 2004 by Will Harmon
Re: Thanks Will
LOL -- nice, Your Majesty. Well, Deb, keep the old one around because when you need to play in some desperate weather or someone's hair on their bow has all broken off and you would never trust them with your good bow, etc., you'll be very happy you did!
# Posted on January 16th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: Thanks Will
No plans to get rid of it. If I didn't have bad luck etc...
Interestingly, I told my Dad about the new one(re: carbon fibre). He mentiond that if I decide to give up playing, he'd consider using it as a fishing rod, albeit a short one!
# Posted on January 16th 2004 by Agnes Nutter
Re: Thanks Will
...Coda violin bow and ice fishing rod. We should alert the company to include a bobber and a lure with every sale. This could be BIG in the French-Canadian provinces....
# Posted on January 16th 2004 by Will Harmon
Re: Thanks Will
As long as me da gets partial credit! He's pretty clever, always finds away to get fishing in.
# Posted on January 16th 2004 by Agnes Nutter