Here you go Doug;

"A violin player who only plays classical music, sticking strictly to what is written on the score and not daring to experiment with unorthodox techniques, is like a driver who only uses main roads and motorways. They will never know the fun of going off-road."

I might be thick, and I'm sure I am, but saying classical means strictly following something that doesn't give any direction other than tempo range and assuming we daren't experiment is rather silly in retrospect eh?

I may have come over as saying fiddle players sit in a formula 1 car going Brum Brum but I said they sit in a formula 1 car going Brum Brum compared with what a violin has to offer. Many at the top of their tree in fiddle playing such as the late Swarb or Phil Beer could / can hold it properly if required but as impressive as their folk style is, it isn't technically challenging so it is easy to assume holding bows correctly isn't important. It isn't natural skill by the way that holds things back because as with anything else, the more you practice the more natural skill you seem to get. But holding it correctly can and will widen your scope of any form of music.

I agree that the style we associate with folk can be achieved with lazy posture but the fact remains that to play to full potential, a few hundred years of evolution has gone into perfecting posture and hold to get the most out of this wonderful instrument.

Me? I like what Tom McConville said when accused of playing too fast. "Because I fucking can."

Quite.