@@andylewis6831 that's a good one! I love analogies, so think of bow placement like balancing on a paddleboard. You want to feel really centered with your contact point when the bow hits the string, then come back to that centered point as often as possible without running out of bow on either side and losing the rhythm. :)
When I play with the classical bow hold to play fast requires less motion of the bow always this does 2 things. 1) differentiate long and short nites 2) provides a feeling of the sound from the bow moving faster than the bow speed illusion
Hey Hannah! I'm on step 3...Phrasing. My bow hand is done for ..I've been in Irish session groups and performance bands for going on 18 years...and was a bodhran player. I'm not able to do that anymore as of last year. - carpal tunnel. 22 years of playing professionally. So, year, that sucks. Also, I broke my left wrist in a motorcycle accident 10 years ago...9 screws in it, and 4 in my index finger. 🤪🙄😬🤕 ....I've recovered though, and playing guitar now, which doesn't seem to bother my strumming hand! (?) WIERD... I know! I played on the deck today from 10 am to 6pm ...no issues. My bowing isn't as fluid, but I can still do triplets, spicatto, etc. My LEFT wrist has 85% twist, so I have to compensate...Natalie is safe- for now 🤣... I just subbed. I'll be watching your videos! I also play Irish Flute and whistle, strumstick, Mando, Native flute, Appalachian Dulcimer...banjo still sitting on the wall...lol.
Hey James! So nice to meet you -- you've certainly got quite the collection of instruments :D. Thanks for following along, and let me know what questions come up about phrasing as you go!
To your Question, Hannah ... some of the tone, timing, and phrasing I maybe have down but -- being honest to my sound, to that "fluid groove" of Irish trance and captivation with no beaks in the "hypnotic" ... that - I have not yet captured. Having traveled a little down the road that you have now so well traveled, I can truly say ... you have really captured that true Irish sound and groove in your playing. Awesome, Hannah, well earned!
Hannah this finding your voice expressing wat you want to express is beguilingl. Recently, I find it more so , I just attained 67 years an if I don’t t find my musical personality soon I’m screwed 😀I’m watching your videos on ff
I don't know how I missed this comment before, Doug! I'm sure some of your musical personality is already in your playing -- it's just a matter of drawing what's there out into the open! :)
@@HannahHarrisCeol yes , I see that ff means fast forward :-) that artist from New Mexico said she found she was able to express stuff in visual arts that she could not express in any other way - that’s where I’d like to go :)
Thank you so much, John! I've got a full module of rhythm exercises in my Find Your Lilt course over on my studio site (learn.hannahharrisceol.com) and I think I may have a couple more in the Free Fiddle Tip Vault there as well. Glad you're enjoying these!
Thanks for this very helpful lesson. I'm definitely on step 2 - wrist flexibility. I trained classically decades ago but have only recently picked up my fiddle again. Left hand technique comes flooding back, but the bowing hand is way behind the game! My 4th finger has to unlearn it's importance!😅 I play guitar and Clawhammer banjo as well and even at 72 I'm fortunate to have no issues with joints and arthritis.
You are very welcome, Iain! I'm so happy to hear this lesson was helpful to you -- thank you for sharing which step you're working on! I love using general wrist flexibility + finger strengthening exercises to help with this, even if they're not specifically designed for an Irish fiddler, let alone a musician! I'm curious about your comment on the 4th finger, as I think it's still an important one in fiddling! Always good to be able to use 4th finger in some cases unless you're looking for the more open string sound. Keep up the amazing work, and let me know if there's anything I can support you with as you get back into the fiddle!
I’m an adult beginner and Ive tried this after seeing folks holding it that way at the sessions, I love it! A question, from your experience, will there be any gotchas in terms of technique down the line in terms of all the Irish dance rhythms and ornamentation?
Hi Leo! So glad to hear that you're loving this bow hold! I'd say the bow hold itself was definitely a gotcha moment for rhythm, but another would be using less bow overall (specifically for fast tunes). There are a bunch of mnemonic devices for keeping track of the different rhythms too (I talk about a few in this email: hannah-harris-ceol.ck.page/posts/this-week-s-fiddle-tip-may-make-you-hungry).
@@HannahHarrisCeol this is the link to the video if you could learn it and play it as a request whenever you can would be great ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-56TJcN72kik.html
Your bowing tips are helpful.. Im a classical violist turned 🎻 since September 2020 and now taking private lessons. Where did you take workshops in Cork? I'd love to spend some time there.
Hi Julia! Thank you so much, I'm glad you're enjoying the bowing tips! Are there any I haven't covered that you'd like to see? I got my masters degree from University College Cork, so most of the workshops were hosted by the school, but there were a few out in West Cork that I found by chance!
@@HannahHarrisCeol Thank you. I’ve checked out the remote learning from UOC, which led me to local workshops that I was not aware of. As for bowing, I find that holding my bow further up on bow helps me to play the notes faster. I need to work on loosening my grip to allow for the notes to flow better and grit the strings better too. I may take you up on a few lessons. I’m currently taking private, but sounds like you may better understand my predicament with respect to being trained classically. Also, your Stephanie’s Waltz is beautiful. Love the piano accompaniment!
@@juliagracerichards9057 thank you so much! Piano accompaniment is from Stephanie herself. I'm going to be offering one-off complimentary lessons from late November through mid December, and will announce the sign ups for that next week -- let's get you in there and we can chat about how to use your classical background to your advantage with fiddling!
