Help: Tinplate Tinkers Fiddle

To Thread - Forum Home

The Mudcat Café ^TM
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=45046
12 messages

Help: Tinplate Tinkers Fiddle

07 Mar 02 - 01:32 PM (#664326)
Subject: TINPLATE TINKERS FIDDLE
From: GUEST,IVOR BIGGIN

CAN ANYONE HELP WITH SUCCESSES/ FAILURES THEY HAVE HAD MAKING A FIDDLE FROM TIN PLATE. i HAVE IT FROM VERY GOOD AUTHORITY THAT IRISH TINKERS MADE FIDDLES THIS WAY.

ANY HELP WOULD BE MOST APRECIATED

07 Mar 02 - 07:08 PM (#664654)
Subject: RE: Help: TINPLATE TINKERS FIDDLE
From: GUEST,Al

Wow! I bet the tone is kind of, well, you know, sort of tinny.

08 Mar 02 - 02:27 PM (#665229)
Subject: RE: Help: TINPLATE TINKERS FIDDLE
From: weepiper

I have seen a metal fiddle, don't know what kind of metal though; there's a lad plays in sessions in Edinburgh and Glasgow uses one. It sounded fine to me - not like a really nice wooden fiddle, but certainly no worse than the average one.

08 Mar 02 - 06:49 PM (#665434)
Subject: RE: Help: TINPLATE TINKERS FIDDLE
From: JohnInKansas

There are a couple of "stainless steel" double basses that show up occasionally in campground picking sessions around her.

(I'd guess that they're more likely chrome plated brass.)

I've never heard one "bowed" but for plucking and slap techniques they sound almost as good as my washtub double bass.

John

08 Mar 02 - 07:59 PM (#665464)
Subject: RE: Help: TINPLATE TINKERS FIDDLE
From: Uncle Jaque

<pre> </pre> Now that you mention it, I have seen just such a fiddle! It was about five years ago in the shop of a Tinker from WESTON, Vermont. He had it hanging on the wall, and upon my inquiry (I had never seen one before) he explained that it was probably made for a wedding or "Tin" Anniversary celebration rather than to be played seriously. He was not a Musician, but allowed how as it would "play", but was not particularly impressed with the "music" which came out of it.

It seems that he was selling it more for "decoration" than as an instrument.

Oh!; Look!: I've still got the chap's card here:

"Artistry in Tin" Early American Reproductions Chandeliers ~ Lanterns ~ Sconces ~ Folk Art DAVID L. CLAGGETT Tin Shop Located in the Old Mill Museum P.O. Box 41 ~ Weston, Vermont 05161 (802) 824~3194

The fiddle has probably been sold by now, but he might be able to shed some furthur light on it's history. As I recall, he made some pretty nifty stuff as well!

08 Mar 02 - 08:06 PM (#665468)
Subject: RE: Help: TINPLATE TINKERS FIDDLE
From: Uncle Jaque

Hmmm... That last posting was done with the aid of a new text editing program, "Extreme Pad" V.2.01 which is supposed to put all the HTML stuff in there automaticly so it comes out all nicely formatted in a forum like this.

I'd say that it's not working all that well...

08 Mar 02 - 10:06 PM (#665511)
Subject: RE: Help: TINPLATE TINKERS FIDDLE
From: greg stephens

Didn't the Donegal fiddler Johnny Docherty make tinn fiddles? Or use one? I've heard some such story. There's a fabulous tin cello in Hanley Museum(Stoke-on-Trent,UK)

09 Mar 02 - 07:54 AM (#665653)
Subject: RE: Help: TINPLATE TINKERS FIDDLE
From: GUEST,Russ

You might try asking the question on Fiddle-L.

http://listserv.brown.edu/archives/fiddle-l.html

09 Mar 02 - 09:24 AM (#665676)
Subject: RE: Help: TINPLATE TINKERS FIDDLE
From: Malcolm Douglas

Tin Fiddle photos at Frets.com

Apparantly, Sears & Roebuck used to sell tin fiddles; quite a few Old Time players learnt on them.

09 Mar 02 - 04:32 PM (#665892)
Subject: RE: Help: TINPLATE TINKERS FIDDLE
From: The Pooka

Remarkable. Always things to learn on Mudcat. / Wait! Let's have a jam with tin fiddles and wood whistles. (Maybe a polymer electric bodhrain)

10 Mar 02 - 10:34 AM (#666251)
Subject: RE: Help: TINPLATE TINKERS FIDDLE
From: GUEST,Philippa

Caoimhin MacAoidh in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal might help you with this. He runs fiddle workshops so might have a website. founder of Cairde na bFidleoirí. There's a recording of Donegal music called "The Brass Fiddle"
In a musical instrument museum in Norway (Trondheim??)I saw a fiddle made from matchsticks, but I didn't hear it played.

10 Mar 02 - 10:58 AM (#666271)
Subject: RE: Help: TINPLATE TINKERS FIDDLE
From: GUEST,Moleskin Joe

The ones made in Donegal were made from brass and there is an excellent picture of one on the cover of the LP referred to above.