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Rough-house_Rosie |
Playing Since: 2006
Experience Level: Novice
Interests:
[Jamming] [Socializing]
Gender: Female
Age: 49
My Instruments:
My fiddle is very interesting as it has a face of a man instead of a scroll. It was my grandmother's before me and her grandfather's before her. We think it came from germany but it was'nt a quality violin. They say the face may be the face of the violin maker and he watches you as you play - this still gives me goosebumps. He has two little scrolls, one is each ear and my friends tease me that they are his earplugs and they will fall out when I get better at playing - ha!
Favorite Bands/Musicians:
Hard Drive Bluegrass Band
Headbelly Buzzard
The Davidson Brothers
Classified Rating: (0)
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Profile Info:
Visible to: Public
Created 1/12/2008
Last Visit 9/12/2009
Fell in love with the fiddle during a trip to Ireland in 2001 - came across a trad session playing in a little pub in West of Ireland. I sat there for hours mesmerised by the fiddle players and walked away with tears in my eyes saying to myself I have to learn how to play. A few years later my grandmother passed away and the family came across her violin, which had sat in the top cupboard for the past 50 years - my mother had forgotten about it as she was never allowed to touch it as a child and never saw granny play (mum remembers granny hated the violin as she was forced to learn as a child), which is such a shame as it could have been passed down for years. It was passed to me as I was the only one in the family with any musical interest. I was so touched by this unusual violin that was my grandmother’s and her grandfather's before that and felt I was staring down the barrel of fate. Time to stop procrastinating and get on with it. The violin was in bad shape - the original strings (cat guts I think) were brittle and broken and bits were missing. There were strange things in the case I had never seen before - original tuning fork, and (at the time) a strange amber rock substance with a magical smell like sap from a tree, which turned out to be rosin (has to be over 100 years old), spare strings still in their packet and spare parts. I had the violin restored by Brenton Fields at the Violinery (in Richmond, Victoria) and found myself an Irish fiddle teacher in Sean Kenan. Once a fortnight I drive 2 hours to my lesson and home again. 1.5 years into playing and I still get frustrated with the instrument as I’m sure it does with me. I set myself a goal to learn 10 tunes by 2008, which I have done. I look back at how far I've come and how much I am enjoying learning and all the frustration is worth it! I find I am leaning towards Old Timey and Bluegrass styles, which Sean doesn’t teach, so I feel a new and exciting chapter is opening in my fiddle life….R-h R
Newest Posts
'Fiddle Lesson - Jenny Lynn' 18 hrs
'Chin rest' 3 days
'The Nightingale' 4 days
'The Nightingale.' 4 days
