I am a guitarist who tried Irish fiddle before. I noted my last submissions here were in 2002. I recently took up the mandolin. This is an easy instrument for a guitarist. Anyway, I noted the fingerings are the same as the fiddle. I now play a tune on the mandolin first, get very familiar with it, and then try it on the fiddle. I am still pretty pathetic, but having the tune solidly in my head from the mandolin really helps with intonation on the fiddle. Just a thought for the transitioning guitarists.
Much as I champion the mandolin as a valid instrument in its own right (I played almost nothing else for about 10 years), I applaud you for taking the plunge and going straight for the fiddle. The mandolin can undoubtedly be a useful tool to ease the transition. For most of my years as a mandolin player, I have been a frustrated fiddler. I finally plucked up the courage to try the fiddle 3 years ago (almost to the day), when someone, out of the sheer goodness of his heart, gave me a fiddle. I'm still *trying* and I think, slowly, my efforts are paying off.
After my post I started thinking whether it was my earlier attempts at fiddle made the mandolin easier. When I first took up fiddle, I managed to go from God awful to really, really awful. But it seems easier since I took up mandolin, and laid off the fiddle for a few years. So maybe this is a chicken and egg thing, since I found it very easy to play all those Irish fiddle tunes that I used to scratch out on the mandolin. I also use garage band to play the mandolin melody first, then play the fiddle along with the mandolin track. If you're off you really notice. Plus with the right software on garageband you can cheat and add pipes and tin whistle through the keyboard. Not authentic, but fun never the less.
WELL ...HELLO TO YOU ALL... IM A FIDDLE PLAYER MIDDLIN I SUPPOSE BUT MAD IN THE HEAD ABOUT THE MUSIC ... THE TUNES DANCE AROUND MY HEAD FROM DAWN TO DUSK..... AND I CAN PLAY THEM ... BUT I NEED A WELL TUNED... RYTHMITHIAL MUSICIAN TO SHARE THEM WITH ME TO MAKE MY MUSIC THE WAY IT SHOULD BE..... WELL THIS IS A START FOR 2007...... SO LETS SEE HOW IT GOES..... MAY MY GOOD FRIEND ..JOHN LANE ... THE BANJO PLAYER FROM DUBLIN REST IN PEACE HE DIED THIS DECEMBER.... MY HEART IS BROKEN...IF YOU HAVE KNOWN HIM AND HIS MUSIC YOU MAY BE ... MY MUSICAL FRIEND... HAPPY NEW YEAR..... EMMET
I am a fiddle player but also enjoy a quick strum on my guitar.
I recently obtained a mandolinas a christmas present. I find my guitar influence eases the picking and my fiddleing past means i can read notes for mandolin and also play most of the tunes i know for fiddle on mandolin straight away,however i find it confusing to shift possitions on mandolin as on the fiddle in folk music you generaly stayin 1st possition.
i think fiddle is better as a solo instrument for irish tunes and is a respectable if not brave choice to attempt to learn fiddle.
You should be fine -but if you are serious about picking up fiddle- PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE
Neal - there shouldn't be any need to change position on the mandolin if you can play a tune in first position on the fiddle. Most mandolins have a somewhat longer scale length than a fiddle, so you may find you have to stretch a little to reach B on the E-string. But it will be to your advantage to get used to bigger stretches, especially since you are young and your hands are probably still growing. For playing notes above high B, however, I tend to prefer changing position to sliding up or stretching. Playing in higher positions is, of course, a very useful tool to add to your kit, making your playing more transferrable to other genres of music, should these capture your interest at any time in the future.
Guitarist to fiddle transition
Guitarist to fiddle transition
I am a guitarist who tried Irish fiddle before. I noted my last submissions here were in 2002. I recently took up the mandolin. This is an easy instrument for a guitarist. Anyway, I noted the fingerings are the same as the fiddle. I now play a tune on the mandolin first, get very familiar with it, and then try it on the fiddle. I am still pretty pathetic, but having the tune solidly in my head from the mandolin really helps with intonation on the fiddle. Just a thought for the transitioning guitarists.
# Posted on December 31st 2006 by pearse
Re: Guitarist to fiddle transition
Much as I champion the mandolin as a valid instrument in its own right (I played almost nothing else for about 10 years), I applaud you for taking the plunge and going straight for the fiddle. The mandolin can undoubtedly be a useful tool to ease the transition. For most of my years as a mandolin player, I have been a frustrated fiddler. I finally plucked up the courage to try the fiddle 3 years ago (almost to the day), when someone, out of the sheer goodness of his heart, gave me a fiddle. I'm still *trying* and I think, slowly, my efforts are paying off.
# Posted on December 31st 2006 by ragaman
Re: Guitarist to fiddle transition
After my post I started thinking whether it was my earlier attempts at fiddle made the mandolin easier. When I first took up fiddle, I managed to go from God awful to really, really awful. But it seems easier since I took up mandolin, and laid off the fiddle for a few years. So maybe this is a chicken and egg thing, since I found it very easy to play all those Irish fiddle tunes that I used to scratch out on the mandolin. I also use garage band to play the mandolin melody first, then play the fiddle along with the mandolin track. If you're off you really notice. Plus with the right software on garageband you can cheat and add pipes and tin whistle through the keyboard. Not authentic, but fun never the less.
# Posted on December 31st 2006 by pearse
Re: Guitarist to fiddle transition
WELL ...HELLO TO YOU ALL... IM A FIDDLE PLAYER MIDDLIN I SUPPOSE BUT MAD IN THE HEAD ABOUT THE MUSIC ... THE TUNES DANCE AROUND MY HEAD FROM DAWN TO DUSK..... AND I CAN PLAY THEM ... BUT I NEED A WELL TUNED... RYTHMITHIAL MUSICIAN TO SHARE THEM WITH ME TO MAKE MY MUSIC THE WAY IT SHOULD BE..... WELL THIS IS A START FOR 2007...... SO LETS SEE HOW IT GOES..... MAY MY GOOD FRIEND ..JOHN LANE ... THE BANJO PLAYER FROM DUBLIN REST IN PEACE HE DIED THIS DECEMBER.... MY HEART IS BROKEN...IF YOU HAVE KNOWN HIM AND HIS MUSIC YOU MAY BE ... MY MUSICAL FRIEND... HAPPY NEW YEAR..... EMMET
# Posted on January 1st 2007 by camlough
Re: Guitarist to fiddle transition
I am a fiddle player but also enjoy a quick strum on my guitar.
I recently obtained a mandolinas a christmas present. I find my guitar influence eases the picking and my fiddleing past means i can read notes for mandolin and also play most of the tunes i know for fiddle on mandolin straight away,however i find it confusing to shift possitions on mandolin as on the fiddle in folk music you generaly stayin 1st possition.
i think fiddle is better as a solo instrument for irish tunes and is a respectable if not brave choice to attempt to learn fiddle.
You should be fine -but if you are serious about picking up fiddle- PRACTISE PRACTISE PRACTISE
# Posted on January 1st 2007 by N.P.
Re: Guitarist to fiddle transition
I am practicing a lot. And for the sake of my family, I bought a practice mute. I find that it keeps my dogs from moaning too much.
# Posted on January 1st 2007 by pearse
Re: Guitarist to fiddle transition
Neal - there shouldn't be any need to change position on the mandolin if you can play a tune in first position on the fiddle. Most mandolins have a somewhat longer scale length than a fiddle, so you may find you have to stretch a little to reach B on the E-string. But it will be to your advantage to get used to bigger stretches, especially since you are young and your hands are probably still growing. For playing notes above high B, however, I tend to prefer changing position to sliding up or stretching. Playing in higher positions is, of course, a very useful tool to add to your kit, making your playing more transferrable to other genres of music, should these capture your interest at any time in the future.
# Posted on January 1st 2007 by ragaman