Can anybody recommend how I would go about making a fiddle louder? I'm playing with a highland piper and djembe player, and can just barely be heard (unless I switch to the irish tenor banjo---but it's fun playing the fiddle on at least some of the tunes...) Would it be possible to use a heavier steel string for more volume (I'm using D'addario Helicore heavy now), or is it a matter of raising the bridge a bit? Or perhaps getting a new fiddle altogether? (I hear that some German fiddles, like the Hopf, can be quite loud). I really don't want to resort to using a pick-up, as we're playing at an acoustic festival this summer. Has anyone actually heard a Stroh fiddle played---I hear that they actually are not very loud either, but were developed solely for the purpose of directing the sound for the earliest phonograph recordings. I have 3 fiddles at the moment---a rich-sounding 100 yr. old French fiddle, a Strad copy that I take on camping trips, and a lovely 5 string fiddle made by a luthier in Cape Breton. If I was to start making major adjustments, I'd probably use the camping fiddle as a guinea pig. Any suggestions or ideas would be much appreciated .....
why dont you persuade the piper to switch to a set of small or chamber pipes. these instruments were designed to be played with other musicians whereas the big pipes were designed to scare the ?@*& out of enemies. they really are a solo instrument (imo).
i have been to sessions (not many) where the piper (highland) drowned out the rest of the musicians.
You're NEVER going to be able to keep up to the highland pipes without mechanical assistance. Period. Donnchad's right -- have him switch to chamber pipes if you must stay acoustic. But no one could blame you at all for assisting with electronics, acoustic festival or no.
AFAIK, the highland pipes are a solo instrument, or else they play with other pipes, marching. But these days people are using to hearing recordings of highland pipes playing duets with pennywhistles and they don't realize that the only way the pipes can play a duet is in a studio recording.
I don't think you will be able to compete with the highland pipes...volume wise. To raise the strings might add a little more volume but of course creates its own problems with action.
You should investigate all available pickups and I'm sure you will find one that reflects the true sound of your instrument. purchase one that requires least modification to your fiddle so that when the piper has all the air blown from his lungs you can sit down in the corner of the pub and have a tune with a flute or box player !
Try thomastik spirocord strings. They are tinny and loud but I still agree with the others that you are battling against a much louder instrument and what's the fun of that? The violin should be played in its right environment. I have played with many accordion players and it is just so difficult to be heard. You could try a decent pick-up like a Baggs. These give terrific acoustic quality with lots of welly.
Thanks for your suggestions----I guess it's time to look into getting a half-decent (discreet) pick-up for the fiddle (I already tried laying the piper outside the pub, wrapped in several layers of cloth, but he was back in no time, louder than ever..) The problem is, I don't think I've heard an amplified fiddle whose sound I liked, with the exception of some miked fiddles.
There's a pickup with the bit that counts going in a strip that lays underneath your bridge feet. I've heard that it's a lovely, natural sound. I'll see if I can find out more info for you about it, I've been meaning to look into it myself.
I've also heard good things about the pickups that are implanted into a soundpost, but that takes lots of moving round to get it right, so unless you're used to setting your soundpost or have a spouse/SO who's a luthier or something, that might not be the best idea.
Thanks Zina. I'd be quite interested to hear what you find out about that pick-up (and maybe my fiddle won't end up sounding like an accordion...)
Aoife
A fiddle sounding like an accordion - interesting concept!! So why does the world have the need to put down us lowly accordion players? All that aside ,:.
Our experience has been that violins come in " various degrees of loudness". Some will never, ever, ever have the volume no matter what you do. The violins in our household have been picked for brightness and volume and then we 'fiddled' with string types. My accordions are the 5 reed (the kind that you see on the Welk Show on PBS) and was chosen because those smaller and I might add lighter in weight would never be able to be heard. As it is have quite the job TRYING to drown out only one of our fiddles (never quite succeeding) and would never be able to do all 3 ever. Hope this helps.
The Yamaha SIlent Violin (originally meant as a practice instrument) sounds good when run through an amplifier, but it looks very non-traditional. I have one and I love it.
Fiddlers3---I actually love the sound of an accordion---probably should have chosen another way of describing a non-fiddle like sound....If I did sound like an accordion, it probably wouldn't be so bad, come to think of it. But do you know what I mean--sometimes I listen to great fiddlers who are using a pick-up that distorts the natural, rich tone of their fiddle so much to make it unrecognizable as a violin....that's what I want to avoid....Anyway---you're right, some fiddles are loud, and some just aren't, but a good pick-up is what I probably need.
instead of using piezo pick ups you can use a mini microphone (I take an AudioTechnica and put its holder/clamp on the edge of the chin rest - there is as well an AKG and a Shure available). the sound is real natural fiddle sound even when you play extremly loud. you may have some feed back problems first but you find out the does&dont
As I'm not a fiddler, this thread didn't interest me so much, but now that I find it's mainly about amplifying instruments and the question of what kind of microphones to use...now I'm getting interested. And when Glauber starts to write about what mic to use for a flute I think it's time to start a new thread about amplifying instruments. So I'll start one right now!
Lars
Crannog---this loud fiddle of yours----what make of instrument is it? (if you know...) Thanks for the information on natural-sounding amplification----sounds interesting.
I bought it from Chris at the House of Music in Skibbereen (West Cork) in Summer 2000 and payed 900 Irish Pounds for it. Chris told me, it is an old english fiddle made in the 1890s ... but he didn
Loud fiddle strings
Loud fiddle strings
Can anybody recommend how I would go about making a fiddle louder? I'm playing with a highland piper and djembe player, and can just barely be heard (unless I switch to the irish tenor banjo---but it's fun playing the fiddle on at least some of the tunes...) Would it be possible to use a heavier steel string for more volume (I'm using D'addario Helicore heavy now), or is it a matter of raising the bridge a bit? Or perhaps getting a new fiddle altogether? (I hear that some German fiddles, like the Hopf, can be quite loud). I really don't want to resort to using a pick-up, as we're playing at an acoustic festival this summer. Has anyone actually heard a Stroh fiddle played---I hear that they actually are not very loud either, but were developed solely for the purpose of directing the sound for the earliest phonograph recordings. I have 3 fiddles at the moment---a rich-sounding 100 yr. old French fiddle, a Strad copy that I take on camping trips, and a lovely 5 string fiddle made by a luthier in Cape Breton. If I was to start making major adjustments, I'd probably use the camping fiddle as a guinea pig. Any suggestions or ideas would be much appreciated .....
# Posted on April 20th 2002 by aoife
Re: Loud fiddle strings
why dont you persuade the piper to switch to a set of small or chamber pipes. these instruments were designed to be played with other musicians whereas the big pipes were designed to scare the ?@*& out of enemies. they really are a solo instrument (imo).
i have been to sessions (not many) where the piper (highland) drowned out the rest of the musicians.
# Posted on April 20th 2002 by donnchad
Re: Loud fiddle strings
Try an electric fiddle?
Drape the piper in a few layers of cloth?
Have the piper play outside the pub?
# Posted on April 20th 2002 by glauber
Re: Loud fiddle strings
You're NEVER going to be able to keep up to the highland pipes without mechanical assistance. Period. Donnchad's right -- have him switch to chamber pipes if you must stay acoustic. But no one could blame you at all for assisting with electronics, acoustic festival or no.
Zina
# Posted on April 20th 2002 by Zina Lee
Re: Loud fiddle strings
AFAIK, the highland pipes are a solo instrument, or else they play with other pipes, marching. But these days people are using to hearing recordings of highland pipes playing duets with pennywhistles and they don't realize that the only way the pipes can play a duet is in a studio recording.
# Posted on April 20th 2002 by glauber
Re: Loud fiddle strings
I don't think you will be able to compete with the highland pipes...volume wise. To raise the strings might add a little more volume but of course creates its own problems with action.
You should investigate all available pickups and I'm sure you will find one that reflects the true sound of your instrument. purchase one that requires least modification to your fiddle so that when the piper has all the air blown from his lungs you can sit down in the corner of the pub and have a tune with a flute or box player !
# Posted on April 20th 2002 by The Fiddler
Re: Loud fiddle strings
Try thomastik spirocord strings. They are tinny and loud but I still agree with the others that you are battling against a much louder instrument and what's the fun of that? The violin should be played in its right environment. I have played with many accordion players and it is just so difficult to be heard. You could try a decent pick-up like a Baggs. These give terrific acoustic quality with lots of welly.
Good luck.
# Posted on April 20th 2002 by boo
Re: Loud fiddle strings
Thanks for your suggestions----I guess it's time to look into getting a half-decent (discreet) pick-up for the fiddle (I already tried laying the piper outside the pub, wrapped in several layers of cloth, but he was back in no time, louder than ever..) The problem is, I don't think I've heard an amplified fiddle whose sound I liked, with the exception of some miked fiddles.
# Posted on April 20th 2002 by aoife
Re: Loud fiddle strings
There's a pickup with the bit that counts going in a strip that lays underneath your bridge feet. I've heard that it's a lovely, natural sound. I'll see if I can find out more info for you about it, I've been meaning to look into it myself.
I've also heard good things about the pickups that are implanted into a soundpost, but that takes lots of moving round to get it right, so unless you're used to setting your soundpost or have a spouse/SO who's a luthier or something, that might not be the best idea.
Zina
# Posted on April 21st 2002 by Zina Lee
Re: Loud fiddle strings
Thanks Zina. I'd be quite interested to hear what you find out about that pick-up (and maybe my fiddle won't end up sounding like an accordion...)
Aoife
# Posted on April 21st 2002 by aoife
Re: Loud fiddle strings
A fiddle sounding like an accordion - interesting concept!! So why does the world have the need to put down us lowly accordion players? All that aside ,:.
Our experience has been that violins come in " various degrees of loudness". Some will never, ever, ever have the volume no matter what you do. The violins in our household have been picked for brightness and volume and then we 'fiddled' with string types. My accordions are the 5 reed (the kind that you see on the Welk Show on PBS) and was chosen because those smaller and I might add lighter in weight would never be able to be heard. As it is have quite the job TRYING to drown out only one of our fiddles (never quite succeeding) and would never be able to do all 3 ever. Hope this helps.
# Posted on April 22nd 2002 by fiddlers3
Re: Loud fiddle strings
The Yamaha SIlent Violin (originally meant as a practice instrument) sounds good when run through an amplifier, but it looks very non-traditional. I have one and I love it.
JeffK
# Posted on April 22nd 2002 by JeffK627
Re: Loud fiddle strings
Fiddlers3---I actually love the sound of an accordion---probably should have chosen another way of describing a non-fiddle like sound....If I did sound like an accordion, it probably wouldn't be so bad, come to think of it. But do you know what I mean--sometimes I listen to great fiddlers who are using a pick-up that distorts the natural, rich tone of their fiddle so much to make it unrecognizable as a violin....that's what I want to avoid....Anyway---you're right, some fiddles are loud, and some just aren't, but a good pick-up is what I probably need.
# Posted on April 22nd 2002 by aoife
Loud & Natural
instead of using piezo pick ups you can use a mini microphone (I take an AudioTechnica and put its holder/clamp on the edge of the chin rest - there is as well an AKG and a Shure available). the sound is real natural fiddle sound even when you play extremly loud. you may have some feed back problems first but you find out the does&dont
# Posted on April 22nd 2002 by crannog
Small microphones
I have a Shure SM98 that i use occasionally for the flute, and i love it. Great sound in a very small package.
# Posted on April 23rd 2002 by glauber
Re: Loud fiddle strings
As I'm not a fiddler, this thread didn't interest me so much, but now that I find it's mainly about amplifying instruments and the question of what kind of microphones to use...now I'm getting interested. And when Glauber starts to write about what mic to use for a flute I think it's time to start a new thread about amplifying instruments. So I'll start one right now!
Lars
# Posted on April 23rd 2002 by lars
Re: Loud fiddle strings
Crannog---this loud fiddle of yours----what make of instrument is it? (if you know...) Thanks for the information on natural-sounding amplification----sounds interesting.
# Posted on April 23rd 2002 by aoife
Re: Loud fiddle strings
I bought it from Chris at the House of Music in Skibbereen (West Cork) in Summer 2000 and payed 900 Irish Pounds for it. Chris told me, it is an old english fiddle made in the 1890s ... but he didn
# Posted on April 23rd 2002 by crannog
Buying fiddle strings
I've been using D'Addario Helicore medium fiddle strings for some time now. I've just put a new set on which cost me
# Posted on January 29th 2004 by Daver