English fiddle style, a few thoughts
Paul Roberts
Here's what I think about English fiddle style. The first point I should make is that fiddlers divide on the
issue, sometimes quite sharply: certainly, my point of view (which I'll explain) has attracted some pretty
sharp criticism, basically because some have thought it a betrayal of the instrument. They have a point,
but I find my approach works for me, so I intend to stay with it...

Viewpoint 1 says that fiddles are fiddles. They're capable of decorations of various kinds, and that these
decorations should be used - they're part of the tradition of the instrument.

Fiddler Paul Roberts gave a great lecture on the topic some years ago that's well worth reading, not least
because it includes the memorable line ' Geminiani and Corelli sounded more like Jinky Wells or Jake
Hutton than Vanessa Mae'. http://www.village-music-project.org.uk/roberts.htm

Read it for yourself, but Paul R argues, I think, that English fiddle styles used to include decoration and
bowing that had more in common with modern American and Irish playing.

He also says things changed after ther 1840s, and I think that's where I find myself. Paul R doesn't really
seem to like fiddle playing that is largely one-bow-stroke-per-note but I think it is a useful approach
precisely because it blends well with the melodeon and anglo, which, whether we like it or not, have
been dominant instruments in many areas for a very long time - perhaps as much as a century or a
century and a half.

I'd also argue that it's an effective way to play, and doesn't rule out at least some variation and
decoration. So I go with the party that says it's good to work closely with the melodeons... Players I've
worked with such as Malcolm Woods may have their own views, but that's what I go with most of the
time. (The exception, for me is Northumbrian music... )

You may also have read John Boden's piece on the same sort of
topic:http://www.thestrad.com/.../what-does-the-future-hold.../

In terms of technique, I find that it's all in the phrasing and timing, with the spaces mattering nearly as
much as the notes themselves. Leave spaces, I'd say, and the notes will seem all the more clear, bright
and loud.

In general, in this music, I'd say we play some notes short and hard, and with a lot of point. Others are
longer as the phrasing allows.

Where you have a note that works well short and hard, how do you stop it to make the silence? I do it
by leaving my bow on the string - for if you take it off, it naturally rings on. But stopping the bow on the
string cuts it dead and gives you lots of control...

The other 'melodeonist' playing mannerism I adopt is in imitation of the melodeon player's 'brrrp'. You'll
have heard English melodeonists hammering on a handful of notes together in such a way that they
start with the lower notes in a chord and finally the top note is the one that belongs in the tune, often
on a downbeat. John Kirkpatrick is a great exponent of this 'brrrp' technique.
Fiddlers can approximate this by playing short and sharp, and with a slight upward slide. If the note's a D
on the A string play short and sharp and slide with your on a downbeat. John Kirkpatrick is a great exponent of this 'brrrp' technique.
Fiddlers can approximate this by playing short and sharp, and with a slight upward slide. If the note's a D
on the A string play short and sharp and slide with your third finger from a C# to a D.

This stuff works with any tune, but perhaps especially nicely in tunes that call for space, including
waltzes and mazurkas, hornpipes and schottisches.

More of my notes about playing English music (including dividing notes etc) are at the bottom of this
page: http://www.singdanceandplay.net/free-traditional-music.../

Finally, here's a bit of playing that I hope illustrates some of these points: http://youtu.be/Ykvkj_R6Dog
PS, I do also admire several other fiddle players, and they are not necessarily in quite the same playing
camp in which I find myself: Gina Le Faux http://youtu.be/aa5rlsbegvE Chris Partington (here with Paul Roberts) http://youtu.be/j2KnbtSbzrs Colin Ross (here with the High Level Ranters) http://youtu.be/yzm_UlxrNt
English fiddle style, a few thoughts - Sing, dance and play
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Read it for yourself, but Paul R argues, I think, that English fiddle styles used to include decoration and bowing that had more in common with modern