strathspey@strathspey.org:1323

Hugh Goldie

Fiddle Technique and SCD Music

March 16, 1995, 7:02 p.m. (Message 1323)

I have a couple of books (_A Guide to Bowing_ by J. Scott Skinner and 
_The Calidonian Companion_ by Alastair J. Hardie) which stress the 
importance of bowing technique in Scottish Fiddle music.  Special bowing 
produces the Scottish snap or the unique Scottish character of the music,
according to these sources.

Bowing is very important in classical violin playing.  For example, 
students of the Suzuki method start learning it in Book I while they are
just beginning to play.  In the Bach minuets, which have a waltz-like
rhythm, the bow moves  down-up-up, not down-up-down.

Skinner and Hardie use hooked bowing a lot, particularly in strathspeys.
This appears to have a lot to do with the wonderful Scottish rhythms of 
these dances.  For example, a series of dotted eighth notes (longer notes)
alternating with sixteenth notes (shorter notes) would often be bowed:

down-down  up-up  down-down  up-up

This tends to make the long notes a fraction longer and the short notes
a fraction shorter (I think), giving the music more snap (a more pronounced
rhythm).

However, at a couple of music workshops, I have heard that bowing is not 
too important.  I would like to hear from the Scottish Country Dance 
musicians out there about how important technique is on the fiddle.  Is this
part of the reason scottish music is so unique?

I hope the dancers out there are not bored with this.  There is no list 
server for SCD _music_ yet, so I'm trying this one.  As a beginner fiddler,
I'd really like to hear from Barbera and Elke and from others.  If the 
discussion is too narrow for this dance list server, please send e-mail.

Hugh Goldie
xxxxxx@xxxxxx.xxxxx.xx