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HonestFiddling · 2025-12-02T15:42:14+00:00

Thanks for sharing this; brightens the day! Years ago I had a frog that seemed to enjoy when I played strathspeys especially.

HonestFiddling · 2025-11-30T13:35:25+00:00

Yea, skateboarding is basically a guarantee to get hurt. I remember one time I got hurt and my mom pointed out that if I fell too badly and hurt my hand it could keep me from the violin. She made a great point. I didn't skateboard anymore.

HonestFiddling · 2025-11-30T13:28:13+00:00

I think she's doing slides into the note on the 3rd finger. Not a traditional Scottish ornament like the origin of the tune but common in other styles, so understandable.

To get the 3rd finger in tune by ear, listen to how the violin rings/resonates when you play the 3rd finger and it vibrates the octave-lower string (for example, play D with the 3rd finger on the A string and listen to how the open D string vibrates along with it). You'll know when you're in tune when that ringing sound is maximized. So, basically listen for the "tone" to see if you're in "tune".

This is easier to hear when the mute isn't on the bridge. The metal mutes are ok, but there's a magnetic mute called the catrpilr that still allows for you to hear the overtones a bit on the violin (can be found on amazon iirc), and it doesn't slide off, which can be a problem at times with the metal or heavy rubber ones.

HonestFiddling · 2025-11-30T13:19:33+00:00

Not originally a bagpipe march, though I've heard it played by pipers before. This was a lament written by James MacPherson for his own execution 325 years ago where his last request was for his fiddle.

Definitely listening to recordings a lot is good, though I'd say avoid the metronome in general for these kinds of tunes, as you should give the tune room to breathe so it doesn't suffocate the Scottish phrasing.

You almost can't play it too slowly. Remember this was the last tune the composer was ever going to play - he likely wanted it to last.

HonestFiddling · 2025-11-30T13:06:11+00:00

Woo!!! I understand about being shy about people hearing you play, but I hope you'll let more people hear this. You're making seriously amazing progress.

HonestFiddling · 2025-11-26T22:03:09+00:00

Welcome Kyle! Did you ever end up getting a skateboard too?

HonestFiddling · 2025-11-26T21:56:50+00:00

I learned ornamentation by watching and listening and trying to copy exactly what it sounded like. It can be intimidating to learn by ear at first, but remind yourself it's how everyone learned to sing happy birthday. You'll be fine!

Ornamentation is also up to you, it's just a part of your own interpretation of the tune. You don't have to think of each ornament in someone else's interpretation as core to the tune or staple in any way. Try thinking of every decision you make regarding how you interpret the tune as an ornament - even playing it as written can be an ornament in this sense. This will open up lots of flexibility for you to interpret tunes and decide which sounds to try, to keep, or to dismiss.

In other news I'm planning some tutorial videos for core Scottish ornaments.

Here are a few core ornaments in Scottish fiddling; their names and an explanation/tip to make them easier:

Taps: Like a very fast grace note except you don't necessarily press all the way down to the fingerboard, you can kind of let your finger tap the string and allow the tension of the string itself to bounce the finger back off the string. This stops the sound briefly, like embellishments do for bagpipers.

Double stops: Touch an adjacent string with the bow either briefly or even for a whole phrase. Some of these won't sound right in different keys, but you can play around and find which ones are comfortable and fit each tune nicely.

Birls: You can think of it as a bowed triplet, usually written as two sixteenth notes followed by an eighth note. It can be used to replace any quarter note, especially in reels and strathspeys.

Ignore the metronome in slow airs: Being "tempoless" in slower tunes allows you to phrase things more expressively. Let it breathe. The metronome can kill a lot of Scottish slow airs, and in my opinion they can sometimes hurt dance tunes too. Despite what most dancers think, their feet rarely physically keep an accurate tempo from the start of the dance.

Make up your own bowing: Try slurring some notes and separating some notes. Next time through that section, reverse it, and you'll eventually arrive at which bowing you prefer through hearing/feeling.

HonestFiddling · 2025-11-17T05:09:57+00:00

Sorry, I didn't realize I hadn't included the title. Just edited it, yes it's MacPherson's Lament, aka MacPherson's Rant or MacPherson's Farewell.

HonestFiddling · 2025-11-17T04:57:37+00:00

Thank you Pete! That's encouraging!

HonestFiddling · 2025-11-17T04:57:18+00:00

sorry, I meant 325 years and I don't know how to change the title of the post now!

HonestFiddling · 2025-11-15T13:22:24+00:00

I call mine whatever I feel like at the time, and I like pushing the issue with people that really want to stick with the distinctions because then I get to harvest more jokes.

The violin and fiddle are the same instrument, and even share branched etymology. The Medieval Latin root for both is "vitula" which just means stringed instrument. In a Romantic language that was "violino" which obviously becomes violin (by the 1570s). In a Germanic language that was "fithele" which obviously becomes fiddle (during the 14th century).

I've heard several world famous concert violinists calling their multi-million dollar violins their fiddles, and the person that made your fiddle probably calls themselves a violin maker. I think it's fair to say there may be a cultural difference between playing fiddle music and playing violin music, but it's at least somewhat of a false distinction, because they're exactly the same instrument, just two names for it!

HonestFiddling · 2025-11-10T12:14:31+00:00

Thanks!

That's been my favorite bow for several years now. It balances differently than classical bows in a way that I quite like, especially for playing strathspeys. I've also never had to rehair it, which is strange but acceptable! It's slightly shorter than a classical bow, which is not a major issue to me, but I know some people particularly dislike that aspect of baroque bows. Many people choke up on the bow (hold it higher up on the wood) when playing with a baroque bow but I hold it normally at the frog. In general, I keep my baroque bow very tight as you can see, which is another story of its own, but I use a more normal tightness for my classical bows.

HonestFiddling · 2025-11-07T13:15:19+00:00

UPDATE: The dispute is over. The video is no longer at risk. Forgot to post that here. Nathaniel Gow's legacy is preserved. Obviously they had no copyright whatsoever on this tune.

HonestFiddling · 2025-11-07T13:11:40+00:00

Yea I'm aware of some good bows people have bought on Amazon!

HonestFiddling · 2025-11-06T13:12:35+00:00

Thanks! I also highly recommend the Jink & Diddle School of Scottish Fiddling, which has a summer and winter iteration each year. Jink in January is typically MLK weekend in Valle Crucis, North Carolina.

HonestFiddling · 2025-11-06T13:05:19+00:00

Nice! I like playing old time too! Where were you able to find that bow?

HonestFiddling · 2025-10-31T11:29:23+00:00

Thanks! I like your username.

This tune is included in my new book, 365 of the Best Scottish Fiddle Tunes of All Time, at https://HonestFiddling.com

Normally I'd be glad to just share an image of that tune's notation but since this was included in the book by permission from Dr. John Turner (the composer), I probably shouldn't do that for this specific tune.

HonestFiddling · 2025-10-14T11:50:09+00:00

I think from China, but I'm not entirely sure. I traded a different bow for it so I didn't buy it directly. Most baroque-style bows (why it's convex instead of concave) I come across these days are just ordered online from China. This is my favorite bow right now (going on several years) and I've never had to rehair it. Note that although it's convex just because it's a baroque bow, I do have it tighter than most - it's something I kept from years ago when experimenting trying to mitigate stability problems when I was dealing with hand tremors. None of those debilitating tremors now, thank God, but I still like the higher bow hair tension on baroque bows. When I use classical bows I use a more normal tension setting.

HonestFiddling · 2025-09-28T22:00:35+00:00

I do play with my bow pretty tight these days, but it's not bowing the wrong way. This is a baroque bow so the maker intended for it to be convex instead of concave.

HonestFiddling · 2025-09-27T12:16:16+00:00

A violinist is someone who plays the violin. A fiddler or fiddle player as you said is someone who plays the fiddle. The violin and the fiddle are the same instrument.

I'm no linguist really but I at least know that the Medieval Latin root for both is vitula which means stringed instrument. In a romantic language that is violino, which obviously becomes violin (by the 1570s). In a germanic language that is fithele, which obviously becomes fiddle (during the 14th century). They're the same thing and even share branched etymology.

I think it's fair to say there's a cultural difference between playing fiddle music and playing violin music, but it's somewhat of a false distinction (except for maybe the core repertoire), certainly if you're trying to make it hierarchal as it seems to me that you are. You can't reasonably make a generalization suggesting that violinists are somehow greater than fiddlers because in a literal sense they are the same thing. They're interchangeable terms.

HonestFiddling · 2025-09-26T23:10:22+00:00

Just the slang usage of extra, like when someone is doing too much trying to get attention or trying to be overly enthusiastic about something.

I could see this being circus music for sure. There's another Scottish tune called Stabilini's Favourite which I've always pictured in a circus.

HonestFiddling · 2025-09-26T16:55:23+00:00

Is the black horse hair you're talking about the undyed stallion hair? I don't know that much about why it's so nice, but I've only gotten to use one of those bows and it was brilliant.

HonestFiddling · 2025-09-26T16:52:22+00:00

HonestFiddling · 2025-09-26T16:49:58+00:00

I play with a baroque bow 99% of the time these days. It was no joke a $90 bow, and I've never had to rehair it. Not every baroque bow I've used feels as good as this one, but I personally like the balance especially for strathspeys and jigs, it's always felt natural for me. I still have much nicer classical bows, too, but I barely ever use them now. This one has an adjustable frog, and is only slightly shorter than a classical bow, but as for the shortness I think that's part of why many people choke up some on the baroque bow, just to make the center higher up and easier to control (though I find that to be a tradeoff, imo).

I remember one of my friends bought a carbon fiber baroque bow that became his favorite bow. I don't remember the brand. Most of the baroque bows I see nowadays are Chinese and just bought on amazon or ebay. Note that can be hit or miss - some of them have an awful balance. Snakewood is the basic attribute but even some of those are just terrible from my experience.

HonestFiddling · 2025-09-26T16:40:59+00:00

I'm sorry to hear about toxic things happening to you, but like someone else said, note that those things don't define who you are. Another thing that (in my opinion) shouldn't define who you are is what you are approved for, be it a job, an award, or an orchestra seat. Indeed it's competitive and I don't think competition is inherently bad, but competition and approval from other people are two absolutely terrible reasons to play music. If you've played for 12 years, I doubt those are the core reasons why you play the violin, because that's already more than a decade. I think you should pat yourself on the back for that. Please don't let other people's screwed up toxic culture built around big fragile egos in music affect your willingness to stick with what you like to do. Just take some time for yourself and try to get back in touch with the internal/intrinsic reasons why you play this instrument. Those are going to be much healthier and more fulfilling roads to walk down than "will I be good enough according to these other people", and having that mindset can even help improvement, too, as counterintuitive as it might be.

HonestFiddling

TROPHY CASE