Does anyone have any information on Brass / Tin Fiddles?
I met a great guy a few weeks ago in Ireland who was a studying metal smith. Seems that he made a functional set of Uilleann pipes with only metal, no wood. Evidently, he gave them to Piper who, with appropriate work, was able to coax a respectable Uilleann sound from them. (Piper questions: Reeds were regular reeds, beyond that I don’t know.)
This got me to thinking. I know there are tin and brass fiddles around, but I’ve never heard them played.
Does anyone know why someone would make a metal fiddle? Is/was there a functional purpose or was it just because the smith though, “hmm, wonder how that’d get on.”
Does anyone still make them commercially? Tin whistles have moved on to bigger and better material, do you think that a “modern” tin fiddle would be made from titanium? (smile)
Sean Maguire once told us a tale about a set of brass pipes with "brass reeds" he had either owned or played. He said they were the only set of pipes you could play underwater! Personally, I think he was extracting the urine, but you never know with Séan. He plays the pipes, but not very often these days.
There was a TV program a year or so ago about music in N Ireland, and tin fiddles were mentioned, and an original one, now rusty, was shown (but not played). The travelling tinkers, as well as many of them being great musicians in their own right, were skilled craftsmen in metalwork and were able to make a tin fiddle in a day or so. Apparently, such instruments were intended mainly for beginners because the traditional fiddle made of wood was expensive to get hold of.
Tin fiddles were once very popular in Donegal. I saw some old photos once (wish I could remember where) showing some Donegal fiddlers- many of then holding tin fiddles that were rectangular in shape, or fiddles of pine in a rectangular shape. Love to hear a tin fiddle just to know....
The "tin" (sheet steel) fiddles played in Donegal and neighbouring areas were made by tinsmiths aka tinkers - why? Probably because they could, and probably because there was a shortage of fiddles in a county where a fiddle hung above the fireplace in almost every house in many areas.
About 20 years ago I got the chance to play on one for a few minutes. It was made by John Doherty's father and is in the possession of an elderly fiddler in SW Donegal - one of the few surviving examples not in a museum I think. The neck, pegbox and bridge were of wood but the body was all sheet metal. It sounded remarkably good - quite sweet but rather quiet as I recall.
Adam Sutherland (cool young fiddler from Inverness)plays a silver metal fiddle - don't know what kind of metal though... It is very strong and pretty much bomb proof, but I am not so sure about the sound it makes. I think it is an electric one also, but can sound a wee bit tinny at times.
Apparently Desi the flutemaker just on the south edge of Dublin (can't think of his last name) made a couple of stainless steel uilleann chanters just for fun. He said they worked well and sounded great, but they were hell on the lathe.
I briefly played one made by Hugh Charles, (described in FiddleOn #9 as Tarrantella says)
it was very heavy, as you might expect, but sounded okay, just very heavily muted.
I once worked on a museum exhibition on sailors' folk art that included a tin fiddle. Aparently tin fiddles were popular with sailors in the 19th century because they could stand up to the atrocious climatic conditions on board ship, particularly in the quarters provided ordinary seamen and particularly on sailing ships.
Carbon fibre cellos are being made now, for serious use, - I wonder how they sound and play, and whether they need playing in like the traditional wood ones do. Apparently, cf is being used because it is difficult to obtain at an economic price the amount of good wood needed to make a cello. Fiddles aren't such a problem in this respect because the amount of wood needed is comparatively small.
Trevor
If I remember right there's a glass fiddle on display in the Waterford Crystal factory. Whether it is playable is another matter, still less what the sound would be like.
MY FATHER WAS FROM CASTLECALDWELL , BELLEEK , Co. FERMANAGH - HE TOLD ME THAT TIN FIDDLES WERE NOT UNCOMMON IN FERMANAGH / DONEGAL IN THE 30s AND 40s . THEY WERE MADE BY TINKERS AND STAINED DARK TO LOOK LIKE WOOD.
Brass/Tin Fiddles
Brass/Tin Fiddles
Does anyone have any information on Brass / Tin Fiddles?
I met a great guy a few weeks ago in Ireland who was a studying metal smith. Seems that he made a functional set of Uilleann pipes with only metal, no wood. Evidently, he gave them to Piper who, with appropriate work, was able to coax a respectable Uilleann sound from them. (Piper questions: Reeds were regular reeds, beyond that I don’t know.)
This got me to thinking. I know there are tin and brass fiddles around, but I’ve never heard them played.
Does anyone know why someone would make a metal fiddle? Is/was there a functional purpose or was it just because the smith though, “hmm, wonder how that’d get on.”
Does anyone still make them commercially? Tin whistles have moved on to bigger and better material, do you think that a “modern” tin fiddle would be made from titanium? (smile)
Scott
# Posted on August 3rd 2004 by scottcantrell
Re: Brass/Tin Fiddles
"a functional set of Uilleann pipes with only metal, no wood" - did the bag make a sort of crinkling noise?
Sorry - the voices told me to ask ;o)
# Posted on August 3rd 2004 by showaddydadito
Re: Brass/Tin Fiddles
There was an article in Issue 9 of Fiddle on Magazine about metal fiddles. I think the maker was Hugh Charles.
# Posted on August 3rd 2004 by Tarrantella
Re: Brass/Tin Fiddles
Sean Maguire once told us a tale about a set of brass pipes with "brass reeds" he had either owned or played. He said they were the only set of pipes you could play underwater! Personally, I think he was extracting the urine, but you never know with Séan. He plays the pipes, but not very often these days.
# Posted on August 3rd 2004 by Conán McDonnell
Re: Brass/Tin Fiddles
There was a TV program a year or so ago about music in N Ireland, and tin fiddles were mentioned, and an original one, now rusty, was shown (but not played). The travelling tinkers, as well as many of them being great musicians in their own right, were skilled craftsmen in metalwork and were able to make a tin fiddle in a day or so. Apparently, such instruments were intended mainly for beginners because the traditional fiddle made of wood was expensive to get hold of.
Trevor
# Posted on August 3rd 2004 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Brass/Tin Fiddles
Tin fiddles were once very popular in Donegal. I saw some old photos once (wish I could remember where) showing some Donegal fiddlers- many of then holding tin fiddles that were rectangular in shape, or fiddles of pine in a rectangular shape. Love to hear a tin fiddle just to know....
# Posted on August 3rd 2004 by richrua
Re: Brass/Tin Fiddles
The "tin" (sheet steel) fiddles played in Donegal and neighbouring areas were made by tinsmiths aka tinkers - why? Probably because they could, and probably because there was a shortage of fiddles in a county where a fiddle hung above the fireplace in almost every house in many areas.
About 20 years ago I got the chance to play on one for a few minutes. It was made by John Doherty's father and is in the possession of an elderly fiddler in SW Donegal - one of the few surviving examples not in a museum I think. The neck, pegbox and bridge were of wood but the body was all sheet metal. It sounded remarkably good - quite sweet but rather quiet as I recall.
# Posted on August 3rd 2004 by Jeeves Tones
Re: Brass/Tin Fiddles
Adam Sutherland (cool young fiddler from Inverness)plays a silver metal fiddle - don't know what kind of metal though... It is very strong and pretty much bomb proof, but I am not so sure about the sound it makes. I think it is an electric one also, but can sound a wee bit tinny at times.
# Posted on August 4th 2004 by Fionafiddler
Re: Brass/Tin Fiddles
Jascha Heifetz in his youth did a concert using an aluminium violin, presumably to show it could be done. He didn't make a career of it though
Trevor
# Posted on August 4th 2004 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Brass/Tin Fiddles
Apparently Desi the flutemaker just on the south edge of Dublin (can't think of his last name) made a couple of stainless steel uilleann chanters just for fun. He said they worked well and sounded great, but they were hell on the lathe.
# Posted on August 5th 2004 by Gzeg
Re: Brass/Tin Fiddles
Hi Fi - Is Adam's fiddle not made of Aluminium? And tho I've no recollection of what it sounds like on its own - it looks sooooh cool!
# Posted on August 7th 2004 by drizzt
Re: Brass/Tin Fiddles
I briefly played one made by Hugh Charles, (described in FiddleOn #9 as Tarrantella says)
it was very heavy, as you might expect, but sounded okay, just very heavily muted.
# Posted on August 8th 2004 by TomB-R
Re: Brass/Tin Fiddles
I once worked on a museum exhibition on sailors' folk art that included a tin fiddle. Aparently tin fiddles were popular with sailors in the 19th century because they could stand up to the atrocious climatic conditions on board ship, particularly in the quarters provided ordinary seamen and particularly on sailing ships.
# Posted on August 9th 2004 by KateG
Re: Brass/Tin Fiddles
Carbon fibre cellos are being made now, for serious use, - I wonder how they sound and play, and whether they need playing in like the traditional wood ones do. Apparently, cf is being used because it is difficult to obtain at an economic price the amount of good wood needed to make a cello. Fiddles aren't such a problem in this respect because the amount of wood needed is comparatively small.
Trevor
# Posted on August 10th 2004 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Brass/Tin Fiddles
If I remember right there's a glass fiddle on display in the Waterford Crystal factory. Whether it is playable is another matter, still less what the sound would be like.
Trevor
# Posted on August 11th 2004 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Brass/Tin Fiddles
MY FATHER WAS FROM CASTLECALDWELL , BELLEEK , Co. FERMANAGH - HE TOLD ME THAT TIN FIDDLES WERE NOT UNCOMMON IN FERMANAGH / DONEGAL IN THE 30s AND 40s . THEY WERE MADE BY TINKERS AND STAINED DARK TO LOOK LIKE WOOD.
# Posted on March 10th 2012 by TONNAGHGORM