I understand that they are the same wooden string box. But how would you describe the difference between the styles?
Since i don't play in the style of Violin, it's very difficult to explain and show people the difference(and people ask A LOT). I usually do a pretty good job, but not a good enough job to make the distinctive differences clear.
Whenever anybody asks me, I always say there's no difference whatsoever. As far as I'm concerned, there isn't.
Not being unhelpful here - quite the opposite, I hope. Whatever music I'm playing on fiddle, it's still a fiddle to me. That applies whether I happen to be playing Bach, jazz, pop, rock or Gusty's Frolics. Obviously there are different styles. I've played just a little bit of Indian music on it too, a long time ago - that's different again.
So, of the above different styles, which are 'violin' and which are 'fiddle' styles? To me, as I say, they're all 'fiddle'.
It's a clarse fing, innit? Any old geezer or geezerette can play the fiddle, but you'd better 'ave done all your ixams, gawn to the RCM and studied in a conservatory (not a green'ouse, mind you, and deferently not yer old man's allotment shed) before you can join an orkis- ... awkist ... orchids... aw, posh band in suits and frocks with some bloke waving a biro at the front.
To the great unwashed, folk music is played on a fiddle and all other types of music is played on a violin, unless of course the violinist is playing folk music and then he or she becomes a fiddler and the instrument becomes a fiddle.
Also a violin is mostly carried in a leather case whereas a fiddle can sometimes be carried without a case under one's arm.
Then again Beethoven's Fiddle Concerto in d major hasn't got the same ring about it as Violin Concerto, and you can't really say "There is many a good tune played on an old violin" It just hasn't got the same sexual connotation as 'played on an old fiddle, and who ever heard of somebody cheating the tax man by 'Violining the Books'
All a load of 'Violin Sticks' to me I'm afraid....Sorry, that should be 'Fiddlesticks'
Violinists tend to have more teeth, have more zeros on their paycheck at the end of the gig, move their bows in the same way at the same time as those around them, dress better, are less likely to live in houses that have wheels under them; but in the end, I think fiddlers have more fun!
A fiddle has soul.
It has character.
It has "style".
It has panache.
It has magic.
It has power, waiting to be summoned.
Were a fiddle a bike, it should have a kick-start, nitrous, street slicks and ape-hangers.
Violins sits in pawn-shop windows, hoping to be liberated by fiddlers.
All the frivolity aside, it all depends upon what music you are playing.
When hear see Perlman calling his Strad a fiddle, it puts things in perspective.
That also under the bridge, "fiddles" that I see in repair usually have two common problems.. Guitar flat bridges and tons of rosin covering the whole top for "tonal improvement".
It is the same instrument and I
understand the question.
A fiddle has a flat bridge etc.
Most classical players doing
fiddle don't. Some do. My playing
is self taught and mostly butchery
of either classical or fiddling.
But then there is the guitar player
who saves the day. ...
I guess my answer is fiddling
emphasizes rhythmic accents
and violin emphasizes singing
and attenuated nuances.
We do that in fiddling only when
we feel sentimental.
The English name for the instrument is 'fiddle'. The Italian name for the same instrument is 'violin'.
So if you play the sort of music that thinks it's clever to use Italian terminology - if your sheet music says 'allegro' instead of 'fast', and 'forte' instead of 'loud', then you can call it a violin and sound terribly sophisticated.
But if you play the sort of music that speaks plain English, then you call it a fiddle.
One of the musicians who plays with the local old time folk music group and the local symphony as well jokingly said that he has a button on the back of his instrument so he can switch it back and forth from violin to fiddle--depending on which group he is playing with. Besides playing the fiddle/violin, he also plays mandolin and bass fiddle as well as singing. His wife also sings and plays the button accordion.
Fiddle vs. Violin
Fiddle vs. Violin
I understand that they are the same wooden string box. But how would you describe the difference between the styles?
Since i don't play in the style of Violin, it's very difficult to explain and show people the difference(and people ask A LOT). I usually do a pretty good job, but not a good enough job to make the distinctive differences clear.
# Posted on November 19th 2011 by fiddlelearner
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
Whenever anybody asks me, I always say there's no difference whatsoever. As far as I'm concerned, there isn't.
Not being unhelpful here - quite the opposite, I hope. Whatever music I'm playing on fiddle, it's still a fiddle to me. That applies whether I happen to be playing Bach, jazz, pop, rock or Gusty's Frolics. Obviously there are different styles. I've played just a little bit of Indian music on it too, a long time ago - that's different again.
So, of the above different styles, which are 'violin' and which are 'fiddle' styles? To me, as I say, they're all 'fiddle'.
# Posted on November 19th 2011 by ethical blend
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
Of course, it's possible that I've misunderstood the question ...
# Posted on November 19th 2011 by ethical blend
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
You have to put on nice shiney dudes to play the violin and waggle your fingers a lot??
# Posted on November 19th 2011 by the wounded hussar
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
Well, mate,
It's a clarse fing, innit? Any old geezer or geezerette can play the fiddle, but you'd better 'ave done all your ixams, gawn to the RCM and studied in a conservatory (not a green'ouse, mind you, and deferently not yer old man's allotment shed) before you can join an orkis- ... awkist ... orchids... aw, posh band in suits and frocks with some bloke waving a biro at the front.
# Posted on November 19th 2011 by MacCruiskeen
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
These are interchangable terms.
# Posted on November 19th 2011 by Batgirl has left the GPL ;)
interchangeable
# Posted on November 19th 2011 by Batgirl has left the GPL ;)
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
To the great unwashed, folk music is played on a fiddle and all other types of music is played on a violin, unless of course the violinist is playing folk music and then he or she becomes a fiddler and the instrument becomes a fiddle.
Also a violin is mostly carried in a leather case whereas a fiddle can sometimes be carried without a case under one's arm.
Then again Beethoven's Fiddle Concerto in d major hasn't got the same ring about it as Violin Concerto, and you can't really say "There is many a good tune played on an old violin" It just hasn't got the same sexual connotation as 'played on an old fiddle, and who ever heard of somebody cheating the tax man by 'Violining the Books'
All a load of 'Violin Sticks' to me I'm afraid....Sorry, that should be 'Fiddlesticks'
# Posted on November 19th 2011 by Free Reed
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
Violinists tend to have more teeth, have more zeros on their paycheck at the end of the gig, move their bows in the same way at the same time as those around them, dress better, are less likely to live in houses that have wheels under them; but in the end, I think fiddlers have more fun!
# Posted on November 19th 2011 by AlBrown
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
Nobody cares if you get beer on a fiddle.( I know that's an old but I couldn't resist.)
# Posted on November 19th 2011 by Boots MacAllen
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
"Well, mate, It's a clarse fing, innit?"
Yes Nigel.
# Posted on November 19th 2011 by Just a person
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
"The violin sings, but the fiddle dances."
# Posted on November 19th 2011 by Jerry O'Donnell
Violin Gigs
# Posted on November 19th 2011 by Batgirl has left the GPL ;)
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
Hey I already make all those zeros its the number in front I can't seem to find
# Posted on November 19th 2011 by Boots MacAllen
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
Jerone
Howzit! I found a good article on this subject a few years ago
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/11874/comments
but the link seems to be no more. I'll dig around to see if I can get Donna Hebert's original article - I (and a few others) found it useful
Cheers
D
# Posted on November 19th 2011 by domhnall.
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
The Reel Deal
Excerpted from Strings magazine, May/June 2002, No. 102
12 questions violinists ask about fiddling by Donna Hébert
http://web.archive.org/web/20100428090259/http://www.stringsmagazine.com/issues/Strings102/masterclass_102.html
# Posted on November 19th 2011 by Batgirl has left the GPL ;)
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
All this - plus, it's rather difficult to violin your tax expenses.
# Posted on November 20th 2011 by Weejie
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
"All this - plus"? that jole was already done further up
# Posted on November 20th 2011 by ...
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
joke
# Posted on November 20th 2011 by ...
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
A fiddle has soul.
It has character.
It has "style".
It has panache.
It has magic.
It has power, waiting to be summoned.
Were a fiddle a bike, it should have a kick-start, nitrous, street slicks and ape-hangers.
Violins sits in pawn-shop windows, hoping to be liberated by fiddlers.
# Posted on November 20th 2011 by Piece
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
""All this - plus"? that jole was already done further up"
Glad to see you are at least paying attention (your fingers weren't though) I missed it. Must have been the excitement.
# Posted on November 20th 2011 by Weejie
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
Llig, your moved discussion has moved in with the 1st one. Like that makes sense.
# Posted on November 20th 2011 by Batgirl has left the GPL ;)
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
Turn it over. If beer pours out, it's a fiddle.
# Posted on November 20th 2011 by John Galt
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
Thanks BG for finding that article
D
# Posted on November 20th 2011 by domhnall.
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
Cheers domnull
# Posted on November 20th 2011 by Batgirl has left the GPL ;)
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
All the frivolity aside, it all depends upon what music you are playing.
When hear see Perlman calling his Strad a fiddle, it puts things in perspective.
That also under the bridge, "fiddles" that I see in repair usually have two common problems.. Guitar flat bridges and tons of rosin covering the whole top for "tonal improvement".
# Posted on November 25th 2011 by Fiddleshed
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
it's not "fiddle vs. violin"
but rather
"fiddle = violin"
# Posted on November 28th 2011 by dogmageek
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
I used "verses" because it implies two things against each other, since i wanted contrast instead of comparison.
# Posted on November 28th 2011 by fiddlelearner
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
It is the same instrument and I
understand the question.
A fiddle has a flat bridge etc.
Most classical players doing
fiddle don't. Some do. My playing
is self taught and mostly butchery
of either classical or fiddling.
But then there is the guitar player
who saves the day. ...
I guess my answer is fiddling
emphasizes rhythmic accents
and violin emphasizes singing
and attenuated nuances.
We do that in fiddling only when
we feel sentimental.
# Posted on November 29th 2011 by dogmageek
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
The English name for the instrument is 'fiddle'. The Italian name for the same instrument is 'violin'.
So if you play the sort of music that thinks it's clever to use Italian terminology - if your sheet music says 'allegro' instead of 'fast', and 'forte' instead of 'loud', then you can call it a violin and sound terribly sophisticated.
But if you play the sort of music that speaks plain English, then you call it a fiddle.
# Posted on November 29th 2011 by skreech
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
One of the musicians who plays with the local old time folk music group and the local symphony as well jokingly said that he has a button on the back of his instrument so he can switch it back and forth from violin to fiddle--depending on which group he is playing with. Besides playing the fiddle/violin, he also plays mandolin and bass fiddle as well as singing. His wife also sings and plays the button accordion.
Laurence
# Posted on December 2nd 2011 by fauxcelt
Re: Fiddle vs. Violin
One of the other members of this web site told me that he a 'violinectomy" done on his instrument many years ago so he could play it as a fiddle only.
Laurence
# Posted on December 2nd 2011 by fauxcelt