strathspey@strathspey.org:1342

McOwen

Re: Fiddle Technique and SCD Music

March 17, 1995, 10:11 a.m. (Message 1342, in reply to message 1323)

I think I'm on record in quite a few places for thinking that the bowing is
very important, both for the dancing's sake, and for making the music sound
"Scottish."  I wish I had more time to discuss it now, but I have to prepare
for a music workshop in New York where I will probably discuss bowing a lot.

Non fiddlers/violinists  are often amazed that we can play without frets
(little bars across the fingerboard a la guitars & mandolins).  However, the
left-hand technique (fingering on the fretless fingerboards) is nothing in
complexity and difficulty and interest compared to the right-hand (bowing)
technique.  That is one of the first things my old violin teacher told me
when I was first taking up the violin.  He was talking classical music, but
it's primarily the bowing that defines classical from Scottish from Irish
from Swedish from Bulgarian.

There is a national Scottish fiddle organization called Scottish FIRE (stands
for FIddle REvival--get it?--I wish they'd change their name!) which just
mentioned this Strathspey network in their last issue.  They suggested
setting up our own Scottish fiddle bulletin board.  I'll forward some of
these messages to the requisite people (John Ward is already on this
network).  Should Scottish FIRE be encouraged to combine with this one?

Sincerely,
Barbara McOwen
Arlington, Mass.