TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

If you do, a certain fiddler of our acquaintance would like some advice .....  ;)

Didn't Chris drop his violin on stage once, and it baroque?

Sorry.

Yes , Congleton town hall
i was there


have you ever seen a grown man cry? ::)

It was in June 2000.. I saw him the next day at a festival and he was still crying!!

Oh very droll  ;D  Tee hee.

Aren't baroque violins played by Early Music types?  Gut strings and funny shape, if I remember. - the baroque violin that is not the early musicians.  Where's Soliloquise Sam when you need her?  

Watching football??  At a festie?

Baroque violins don't look that different (unlike baroque guitars, which Julian Bream once described as Rolls Royce versions of the Ukulele) - they are less robust (i.e. smaller bass bar, etc because the were chamber instruments then), have shorter fret boards and normally have more decorative flourishes.   After all, Antonio Stradivari was a baroque violin manufacturer.  The Early Music Shop is the best place to look for information on such instruments.  I have a lute from there, but I don't know anyone who plays baroque violin.

It ate my reply sorry.

I do not play baroque ( yet ) although I do have one ( a 120 yr old copy ) that I am doing up when I can be arsed. They use gut strings mainly so I couldn't play authentic baroque anyway.
more here:

http://www.themonteverdiviolins.org/baroque-violin.html

Not all of them look funny but they do have no chin rest

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque_violin

http://images.google.com/images?q=baroque%20violins&rls=com.microsoft:en-gb:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7GZFA&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi

Useful history site:

http://cnx.org/content/m13241/latest/

If you want early violins then Giles Lewin is yer man.

Among other things he plays in a duo called Alva, with Viv Ellis. They were on the Early Music Show on TV last week.

He's easily reachable and very approachable.

Cheers

Nick

I do know a concert level violinist who has an 18th century violin and won't play anything on it but gut strings.  Personally I think pure nickel strings give the best tone........................................................................................................................(on an electric guitar that it...)

I've lurked here for quite some time, but have finally been prompted to sign up and join in by encountering this question. Depending on what sort of advice is being sought, I might be able to help. Or rather, to be be much more precise, my dear wife might be able to help. She's a baroque musicologist. So what precisely does the fiddler in question want to know?

Hi Peter - thanks for joining, and welcome.

The fiddler in question is, of course, Swarb.  He hasn't told me his question, but I'll put you in touch.

Barry

Barry,

That's fine. Alternatively, he could be put directly in touch with her: her web page is here, along with email address:

http://www.arts.manchester.ac.uk/subjectareas/music/academicstaff/rebeccaherissone/

I'm sure that if she can't help directly, she'll know someone who can.

Thanks, Peter