starting to learn the fiddle

[eric.hood]

hi dave,
first of all i've been a massive fan of yours for years and its great to see that your back in action. i've been playing guitar for the last 20 years, but always loved the tone of the violin. i decided recently to have a crack at it. i know the best way is to get proper lessons, but as i cant afford to go down that road i decided to try playing along to cds. i found it hard to rest he violin under my chin so i play it down low like a guitar, is this wrong? i try jamming along to your swarb album and also bellowhead. how did you start off on the violin and what suggestions could you give me. i have found that 1 or 2 glasses of good french red wine helps, but after a bottle things start to go wrong. thanks for being one of the corner stones of english folk music.
ps. i have a recording of the naughty sailors alphabet, the rude version of the babacome lee song. is that really you singing on it?

[Nick]

Hi Eric,

I'm afraid the Talkawhile session with Swarb has finished now. Swarb gave us nearly two months of his time and answered a lot of our questions but now he is back on tour and doing the day job.

He might come by again and post on Talkawhile (he has in the past) but there are no guarantees or certainties of if or when he might come by. I'm afraid this question is likely to go unanswered.

Cheers

Nick

[ColinB]

As someone who has started playing the fiddle again after many years of neglect I can say that Swarb's recommendation of playing a little every day is certainly good advice but may not help if you're a complete beginner.

If you're short on cash I'd have a look round charity shops for any beginners violin tuition books\cds\dvds. Alternatively if you've got a swapshop-type email list in your area try and find someone offering lessons which you pay for in kind.

Fretless instruments like the violin or cello are much more difficult to learn (and play) than fretted ones like the guitar so I'd really try and find someone to give you some lessons.

As for how you hold it, having it lower down against your body is one way of playing it and if that's comfortable then go for it. I had lessons when I was a kid and it was 90% classical music so I've always held it under my chin.

Hope that helps.

[Sam]

Also check youtube ( pokes  shirl )

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=violin+lesson&search_type=

lots of beginners lessons on there