MusicMan13760 - Posted - 10/20/2015:  11:30:26

I was recently at an open mic where there was a second fiddler. I'm interested in suggestions for pieces we might play together. I'm a classical violinist learning fiddle so, I could arrange a classical piece I have in mind but would prefer something authentic this other person may already know.

Craig

DeamhanFola - Posted - 10/20/2015:  11:42:25

Lots of examples from the Irish tradition, past & present:

Conway & DeMarco: Denis Murphy & Julia Clifford:

Dick Hauser - Posted - 10/20/2015:  13:09:09

Mel Bay Publications has a book with notation for twin fiddles.

Bob Wills band often played tunes with two fiddlers playing. You might check out the tunes his band played. Tunes like "Faded Love", "Maidens Prayer". It takes a good fiddler to play these tunes well. You could get the melodies in lots of fiddle repertoire books and arrange the notation for the person playing harmony.

BTW, the website "Fiddlers Companion" has an extensive database with information about specific fiddle tunes. You should become familiar with. Good place to find sources for recordings and musical notation.

ChickenMan - Posted - 10/20/2015:  13:48:45

Snow Deer, Golden Slippers, Ashokan Farewell lends itself to twin fiddling.

UsuallyPickin - Posted - 10/20/2015:  14:32:55

Take a listen to the recording Darkness on the Delta with Kenny Baker and Bobby Hicks. Another recording to listen to is Indian Springs with Blaine Sprouse and Kenny Baker. If you are interested more in jazz Stephen Grappelli sp? and Joe Venuti recorded an album and I just found a recording on Ebay of Stephan Grappelli and Vasser Clements ......... R/

NuMexFrank - Posted - 10/20/2015:  15:53:39

In terms of old-time, the new Spencer & Rains record "The Old Texas Fiddle Vol II" is all twin fiddling, I believe. Great bunch of tunes as well.

abinigia - Posted - 10/20/2015:  16:48:03

In bluegrass you could try Dead March (Kenny Baker), Tallahassee, Wheel Hoss, Roanoke...

carlb - Posted - 10/21/2015:  05:46:13

Two great twin fiddle albums; one from bluegrass and one from old time.



High Country - Kenny Baker & Joe Greene, County 714 (vinyl); sadly County has not reissued this; I can't find it on their web site. However, if you search the following terms, you'll find many sites that reference or have cuts from this album.

"high country" "kenny baker" "joe greene"

Side By Side - J.P. Fraley & Betty Vornbrock, Burning Wolf-002

reedisland.com/RIR/SbS.htm

MikeyBoy - Posted - 10/21/2015:  08:15:31

Brad Leftwich and Dan Gellert - A Moment in Time 

Snow Hill Strings - Babes in the Woods

Barbara Lamb and Vivian Williams - Twin Sisters

Each of these albums has numerous traditional (and relatively common) tunes played with twin fiddles. 

Edited by - MikeyBoy on 10/21/2015 08:18:20

wooliver - Posted - 10/21/2015:  09:08:09

The Time Jumpers have three fiddles: Kenny Sears, Joe Spivey, and Larry Franklin, respectively. They try their best to include that feature in many of their tunes/songs. I mean, c'mon, where you gonna hear triple fiddles, these days?

youtube.com/watch?v=IKYwdZrs1GE

DeamhanFola - Posted - 10/21/2015:  09:53:11

quote:

---

Originally posted by wooliver

 

The Time Jumpers have three fiddles: Kenny Sears, Joe Spivey, and Larry Franklin, respectively. They try their best to include that feature in many of their tunes/songs. I mean, c'mon, where you gonna hear triple fiddles, these days?

youtube.com/watch?v=IKYwdZrs1GE

 

---

The Irish group called Fidil, for one...

wooliver - Posted - 10/21/2015:  11:38:58

I call and raise you: Quebe Sisters

youtube.com/watch?v=QANZnAKDvc8

youtube.com/watch?v=GcRgdHASYz8

youtube.com/watch?v=6I0wuf7ZXPg

Edited by - wooliver on 10/21/2015 11:45:16

DeamhanFola - Posted - 10/21/2015:  21:39:37

quote:

---

Originally posted by wooliver

 

I call and raise you: Quebe Sisters

 

youtube.com/watch?v=QANZnAKDvc8

youtube.com/watch?v=GcRgdHASYz8

youtube.com/watch?v=6I0wuf7ZXPg

 

 

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Four of a kind: Donegal greats Ciaran Tourish, Dermot McLaughlin, Seamus & Kevin Glackin

youtu.be/-7mp8UVbcbo

fiddlepogo - Posted - 10/22/2015:  08:39:53

It's pretty common in Swedish fiddling traditions, and they often have sheet music for a second part.

DougD - Posted - 10/22/2015:  09:11:32

Bobby Hicks and Charlie Cline:   youtube.com/watch?v=MTzhSbPNKfM

gapbob - Posted - 10/22/2015:  11:01:54

Bruce Sagan and Brad Battey, playing a Swedish tune.

youtube.com/watch?v=rYPbN3CQ5L4

Edited by - gapbob on 10/22/2015 11:02:29

DougD - Posted - 10/22/2015:  11:18:06

In American traditional music, although there are some tunes like "Golden Slippers" and "Midnight on the Water" that lend themselves to true twin fiddling in harmony, there are many more that can be played by two (or more) fiddles in less organized fashion. The Skillet Lickers were the masters of this:  youtube.com/watch?v=RpZ8umpz42c

pete_fiddle - Posted - 10/31/2015:  09:54:35

i thought folk just played their version and if it goes with somebody else's that's twin fiddling,or if they are too similar,change them a bit and try and keep it tidy

arranging too much sounds erm ....arranged, there are folk i have a tune with occasionally that i really enjoy playing with,and we have different versions, thats the craic IMO

DougD - Posted - 10/31/2015:  13:18:26

Well I don't know if these terms are very rigorously defined, but to me a group with two or more fiddles playing (more or less) the same thing would be called double or triple fiddles, etc. Some tunes have pretty well known harmony parts, like "Golden Slippers," and Bill Monroe recorded tunes like "Scotland" and "Rawhide" with two (or more) fiddles playing in prearranged harmony or counterpoint. That's what I think of as "twin" fiddling (although I guess if its three I'd call it "triple" fiddling too. Carlb recently mentioned this LP, and its a dandy. Kenny Baker and Joe Greene playing twin fiddle:  youtube.com/watch?v=HtRJhf34oH4

As some of you know, I played guitar in a band that featured two fiddlers whose styles went together well, as you describe. Hear the difference:  youtube.com/watch?v=-1Bf_I9mWp0

On the other hand, here's essentially that same version played by two young women in a "twin fiddle" category at our local fiddle contest:  youtube.com/watch?v=zZ6uxs8O-ts

And what it sounded like after it made to your side of the pond. I don't know what "category" this is exactly, but I like it:  youtube.com/watch?v=QKnDgIPh2N0

Edited by - DougD on 10/31/2015 13:28:21

alaskafiddler - Posted - 11/02/2015:  21:42:54

There are a few different ideas for two fiddles playing together.

Unison playing 

A. where it's essentially the same but... slight individual variation of articulations, bowing, timbre, ornamentation. Sometimes one is playing more of the front, lead the other playing more straight basic or simpler melodic. You can usually differentiate between players.



B. where it's very straight note for note, stroke for stroke. This is more like the idea of violin section playing (it requires good practice to get that).

Harmony

The easiest is playing an octave lower (or higher) than the other. Pretty much matching the melodic line of the other. Usually like above,  slight variation, rather than exact.



The more common idea of harmony is a matching harmony line, basically like close harmony singing. Generally starting on the next chord interval above or below; and working it out from there. This is the aspect  iMO what folks often think of as "twin fiddling"

Seconding or Chording.

This is where one fiddle is playing more accompaniment role; like drones, double stops/chords and backup rhythm texture. This sometimes can include riffs..

 

Some other examples - who needs a guitar?

youtu.be/qJ4fpb34SkY

youtube.com/watch?v=Q4hV_wbLtvE

youtube.com/watch?v=izZdh8Fd2xo

youtu.be/QAqe9iRjmbc?list=PLXu...fSnyU5Fb1

youtu.be/MVEcpGV2YAY

youtu.be/WfJAQGyy64s

youtube.com/watch?v=hqN5sfqL9Rs

youtu.be/IJJUFH0ZyNY?t=1940 at about 33 min in

4 fiddles at an hour and 4 minutes in.

As many examples point out  - probably the the most common in good ole folk fiddling world is the basic unison -  esp unrehearsed jams and sessions; with maybe occasionally employ the octave. Even when more seconding is used they often go to the unison or octave or other harmony for part. 

Edited by - alaskafiddler on 11/02/2015 21:44:21