Dear Pelrad,

Congratualations and welcome to the brotherhood and sisterhood of fiddlers. We all started out brand new at one time or another---I always feel like I'm learning every time I pick up my fiddle which is one reason that I never get bored playing it.

A couple weeks ago, a fellow posted, saying that he'd just purchased a viola, and asking for some tips on getting started. That thread was around March 5, this year. I wrote a lengthy response on suggestions that I found helpful about learning to play the fiddle, since the instruments are similar...I think the thread was just "advice needed..." All of what I wrote and what others wrote would be helpful to you. I'm going to see if I can find it, and add a posting to make it come up in the current threads.

One suggestion I left out was that it pays to have fine tuners for all four strings, especially if you are playing with a group of people---since it is a lot easier to tune that way than dealing with the pegs that can be difficult to adjust so minutely for small variations in the pitch.

Congratualtions...Stick with it...don't get discouraged, and if you want, feel free to contact me on my personal page if there are any other questions I can answer.

Personally, I started out playing hymns and easy songs that I already knew, so I would have an idea if I was approximating anything close to what the fiddle was supposed to sound like.

Good luck, Hardiman