My violin teacher would have killed me for holding a bow in any way other than the way expected for my exams. It wasn't long before I appreciated the control this gives, although it was a learning curve.

There are many differences between fiddle playing and playing a violin. In many ways, a fiddle player is sitting in the Formula 1 car in the garage going "Brum Brum." Although this doesn't take away the nice music you can get playing a fiddle. You just never exploit the range of the instrument.