" ... in plain ol' fiddling, we can get away with playing "wrong" notes, simply because fiddle tunes tend to have more than one "right" version ... "

AH, Kim -- thanks for clearing that up. I wasn't distinguishing between "fiddle" and "violin" in your original message, I see. My viola teacher (who was a classical violinist himself) used to call my instrument an "axe", and all violins were "fiddles"...

Having "more than one right version" is one definite advantage to playing a style of music that does not rely on the written score!

I sometimes regret that I stopped playing viola, especially when I remember the absolutely awesome version of the "Orange Blossom Special" I heard my teacher play, at a bluegrass festival the last time I heard him perform on stage. That blew me away -- and here I'd thought all he could play was concertos and such ....

daylia