I think people are recommending a good shoulder rest, which straps on to the underside of the fiddle. Ive been using one for years and it really helps to support the fiddle without using your left hand. The major problem with a lot of beginners is that they have a tendency to hold the fiddle up with their left hand (palm) thereby limiting the reach of the fingers on the fingerboard. Although a lot of fiddle players do this and you can play like this, it makes higher positions practically impossible. I played for about 9yrs growing up and when I went back to it 4yrs ago I already had the basics. I got a few music books which came with either cds or tapes so that I could hear what that style of playing sounded like. I also got together with a number of friends (beginners as well) and jammed with them. The first book I got was one of Robin Williamsons (Fiddle Music of Scotland Ireland and Wales which came with a little floppy mini record (the book was from the 70's). I really enjoyed it and learned a lot from it although I later found out that Robins versions were (often) in different keys and sometimes completely different b-parts that anyone else played. Another useful one was a Mel Bay book (the Complete Irish Fiddle player) by Pete Cooper. Which came with a double cd and had about 75 tunes on it and played the tunes slow and fast. It was a bit pricey about 65$ (Canadian) Just play and enjoy, it really does get better. Petr.