'Sawmill' style. Fiddling - What is it?

Subject: RE: 'Sawmill' style. Fiddling - What is it?
From: wilco
Date: 20 Nov 02 - 10:00 AM

Thanks!!!!

Subject: RE: 'Sawmill' style. Fiddling - What is it?
From: greg stephens
Date: 19 Nov 02 - 03:29 PM

Sawmill is bowing each note with a separate stroke of the bow(sawing backwards and forwards, hence the name). Very common in trad cajun and English playing, more often just used for special effect by most fiddlers nowadays. The distinctive sound when a band starts "chugging" is caused by the fiddler changing from a standard shuffle bowing to sawmill. The famous lick that defines Orange Blossom Special is a special kind of sawmill bowing with syncopations.

Subject: 'Sawmil' style. Fiidling - What is it?
From: wilco
Date: 19 Nov 02 - 01:26 PM

I was reading the current issue of "Old Time Herald," and one of the obituaries (Joe Birchfield of Tennessee) mentioned that Joe had been one of the last "sawmill style" fiddlers. What is "sawmill style?"

Thanks!!!!