|
Sassafrassa |
I got my fiddle instruction book on Tuesday. I really like the way Wayne Erbson wrote this how-to. It's casual, friendly, and quite clear. I think the selection of tunes are great! Most of them I know, but some I am not so familiar with. The CD will come in handy learning those. I am trying to figure out the keys and the TAB...I don't read music well, but can read a little bit so the musical notation I'm sure will be helpful as I progress through the lessons.
The bow is tough, but I made some very pretty sounds on my fiddle with open strings. After that, things got trickier! I made (as expected) some really horrible sounds...off pitch squalling notes. **shudder** My poor dogs. They looked at me quite sadly as I fiddled away trying to note a D-scale. "Mom? Are you okay? " I think the pups thought I was howling. However, with a bit of perserverance, I was able to note a servicible scale. For fun, I played a barely recognizable "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", and "Joy to the World" (the Christmas carol). Not bad for my first "official" session!!
My one question is how to keep my bow hand from cramping. I try to keep it properly placed and relaxed, but my ring finger keeps locking up on me. I tend to have problems I guess I'm still gripping too hard. My shoulders are getting too tight, too. Oh, and I have sore fingers from pressing down the strings. These are much heavier than my banjo strings!! I need to keep reminding myself to relax!! I'm supposed to be doing this for fun! Ah well...I know things will get easier as I progess. At least, I hope so!!
My next "lesson" is tonight. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm not sure my dogs are!
10 commentsTerms of Use | Privacy Policy | Privacy Consent (EU/GDPR Only)
Copyright 2026 Fiddle Hangout. All Rights Reserved.
