Thanks for this video Joe and for helping keep this style alive for us new fiddlers to learn. You are a really skilled musician and I have improved a lot with your advice. I'm gonna try this posture asap.
Give it a try! let me know how it goes. I’ve seen all sorts of holds, even seen some people rig up a strap. If ya just can’t get comfy holding it just keep experimenting.
Ed Haley was probably the finest exponent of that rocking fiddle method. I swear the guy was an alien or something. See also Marcus Martin, Clyde Davenport and - more recently - Bruce Greene. I’ve had some snobby looks from violinists for playing this way over the years, but once you’ve gotten accustomed to it it makes so much sense. The only real advantage to playing with the fiddle clamped under your chin is that you can play in the ‘second position’ more easily, but with the exception of the dude in Weems String Band I can’t think of a single old timer who actually did that for anything other than the odd note, and 99.9% of old time fiddle tunes don’t call for it. All of which is a long-winded way of saying keep doing what you’re doing.
I'm relatively new to fiddle and learned later in life too. By the time I'm a couple hours into a play session I feel like the fiddle finds its way exactly where you're holding it. The advantage of holding it under my chin is my hand doesn't cramp as much, though I reckon that'll subside as I build strength. Other than that I think it just feels more comfortable a little lower.
When you're not supporting the fiddle on the heel of your left hand as you play off-the-shoulder, how do you prevent your hand from sliding up towards your body as the fiddle rests between your thumb and the bottom joint of your forefinger? As my hand slides up, my fingers are no longer in the correct position on the fingerboard to play the right notes. Great instructional video, BTW.
Mmm I don’t have a left hand sliding issue. My wrist (the inside part when you’re looking at the palm of your hand) blocks it from sliding against the where the neck joins the fiddle body. I have a little callus there.
When you play is your palm resting on the top of the body? I’m having a hard time figuring out how to position my left hand without holding the neck up with my hand and uncomfortably gripping really hard
@@tessh4871 kinda wedge the fiddle against my chest. The fiddle neck is in my palm and the the part where the fiddle neck meets the fiddle’s body is pressed against my wrist
Hey Joe how long have you been playing? I'm 36 and playing for 1 year now. I shure wished my parents gave me the violin i wanted instead of the cornet i got when i was young. But beter late than never. Greetings from belgium.
