This was my second attempt to play Wayfaring stranger, here I tried to play what is sung and I admit I do have the written notes also.
I also have a recording where I actually sing the lyrics to my own playing, but I would never ever post myself singing on a public forum. The sole reason I recorded myself singing along with my own playing was to show our singer that she can best hit low notes while singing to 'my' version of Wayfaring stranger .
I love my Codabow Joule <3 It is easier this way no doubt about it.
Great job, Anja! I often sing what I wish to play...I really think it makes a big difference in our fiddling! This one sounds really nice. Impressive.
I'm not one to add suggestions, but I think if you start sliding, just gently sliding up to or down from a few notes here and there you're gonna sound like some fiddler from the by gone days...just my opinion, but I do think you've done a wonderful job with this tune. Keep on fiddlin'...and keep singin' what you wanna play...I do think that's a very helpful way to get our fiddling going.
Hey Anja - REALLY nice job on that one. Your intonation has really improved. Have you ever thought of adding accompaniment with an app like Strum Machine? I find playing along with something like this really makes it so much easier to keep a good rhythm going. And so much more fun than a boring metronome. Anyhow I really like the way you did this tune Once you get it down and can sorta mindlessly play through it you might try adding some improvisation here and there. That's when fiddling really gets to be fun. Keep up the good work.
Very Nice!!! I should learn this next. Thanks for posting.
Thank you guys!
@groundhogpegy: although I was greatly encouraged to play with slides during my first year lessons, I never even bothered to give it more than a few tries. For some reason my brain rejects the idea of adding slides. Maybe I should test it out, I can only sound better than I once was.
Anja, I would disagree with Peggy about using "slides." Off the top of my head I can't think of any actual old timers who played that way.
However, many of the best players don't just plunk their fingers down, trying for an exact pitch. Instead their fingers sort of "dance" on the fingerboard, moving in and out of the notes very fluidly. That's the best I can describe it - you need to listen to some of the great ones to hear what I mean.
BTW, it sounds like your new bow is working well for you, and your timing seems much better to me. Good job.
Edited by - DougD on 03/29/2023 14:30:37
Slides might be the wrong word for what I mean...what I'm talkin' about is exactly what old fiddlers from past times that I've heard did...they do it with their singing too. They fiddle like they sing and they sing like they fiddle...so, if anybody thought I meant slide up the fingerboard...no...lol...I meant gently slide into a note instead of hitting it straight on...not always, just here and there...sing it first and see what seems natural. Or gently slide out of it...I'm looking at "notes" not as individual divisions of a scale...I see them as one big giant note, and infinitely divisible pieces of the big note...so...exact landings on a note, in that view, wouldn't be necessary...of course it's up to each of the individual fiddlers how they perceive, hear, experience, sing, and fiddle notes. That's why I'm not usually one to give suggestions...lol...might work for me...or at least I might THINK it works for me...might not work for somebody else. But whether it works or not...just wanted to clear up what I meant by "slide," which is probably not the best word...but for lack of a better word. And by all means, Anja...do what YOU feel works best for getting the sound you want from your fiddle.
Edited by - groundhogpeggy on 03/29/2023 16:01:50
groundhogpeggy : Do you mean slide as in 3:00-3:07 in this video? You mean slide but more subtle?
youtu.be/_9TLixLBVFg
Yes, something more like that. Slide might be a misleading term. I kinda hunted around on youtube for visible examples of what I mean...just real quick...and found this one close up example of John Cockman, fiddler and fiddle teacher from North Carolina, playing Over the Waterfall. If you watch and listen closely...maybe even slow down the youtube with the little wheel/gear thing at the bottom of the screen...he seems to habitually slide into/or away from notes. This is like what I was trying to say. Old fiddlers I saw, none famous or anything, just old ancient guys from the backwoods in the mountains, would do something like that just by habit, and singers did the same thing...fiddling and singing the same way...notes aren't punctual and exact, but stretched in one direction or another. I don't mean to say this is what a person HAS to do...it's just something that, in my opinion, gives it the old time feeling... youtu.be/x7M9SbH06oI
I love that guy! Great version, I still have an hour till it's 22:00, so going to try this.
Don't know if you've ever heard Henry Reed play this - I think the source for most, if not all, modern versions: loc.gov/item/afcreed000177/
He said he learned it about 1890 from "Teet's Show," a small regional circus. I found these photos of a huge poster and a railroad car.
I am currently in GDGD and before I knew it, I was searching for Wayfaring stranger, so I had to post about my discovery.
I find GDGD does right to this tune, but here I play not on the lyrics but more of a repeated intro I guess because when I play on the lyrics, my fingers cannot find one specific note in GDGD.
No metronome no strum machine I know I'd better but so far this is what it gives in GDGD and that's my point.
It came to my realisation that the soar throat effect I was looking for so long so desperately... has a lot to do with a decent amount of rosin hehe. Or maybe it's also me and the way I hold my bow and touch the strings (oh yes, I like to think that). But I hear it in my own playing now.
I also correct my squeaky mistake in the beginning here in order to continue the melody , these imperfections are becoming something that makes it all complete and I start to like these tiny-imperfections-that-can-still-be-corrected. If it sounded all clean clear and well polished I'd probably be a classical player repeating all over till it was 100% clean clear and polished and correct.
Rosin my bow each time before I play now hehe.
Even if you don't master the instrument you can put all your soul into it as long as you embrace your imperfections instead of letting them hold you back. It's something someone promised me a while ago that I too can play by heart. I am starting to believe this.
Edited by - Quincy on 05/03/2023 21:21:37
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