fiddle - playing semiquavers - any tips?

Subject: fiddle - playing semiquavers - any tips?
From: Andy7
Date: 24 Apr 19 - 04:34 PM

After many years of playing, I know I can coax a decent sound from my fiddle.

But the playing of very fast semiquavers still often defeats me; whether in a folk tune, a classical piece or any other genre.

I'd be very grateful for any tips on improving this; from other fiddle players, or from anyone else!

Subject: RE: fiddle - playing semiquavers - any tips?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 24 Apr 19 - 06:38 PM

Play the tune very much slower, over and over again. Once you've got every note right at quarter speed, every time you play it, taking it up to full speed will be a doddle.

Subject: RE: fiddle - playing semiquavers - any tips?
From: meself
Date: 24 Apr 19 - 06:52 PM

Yup - play slow until you can play fast. Walk before you run. Ain't no short cut I know. Oh - and isolate the bits that you muddle, and work on them by themselves - go over and over them - slowly.

Subject: RE: fiddle - playing semiquavers - any tips?
From: Andy7
Date: 24 Apr 19 - 06:52 PM

That's a very helpful suggestion, thank you, I'll give it a try!

My fingers do tend to get tangled up, when the tune doesn't follow an expected scale or arpeggio; for example, a 3-1-4-2 sequence.

Subject: RE: fiddle - playing semiquavers - any tips?
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Apr 19 - 07:02 PM

Put at least an hour of work into it per day as well; you want to be consistent, especially if you're doing an event. Practice is immeasurably important.

Subject: RE: fiddle - playing semiquavers - any tips?
From: meself
Date: 24 Apr 19 - 09:31 PM

Also: choose a small number of tunes to work on. Play them every day. If you get feeling discouraged, go back to a few of your 'beginner' tunes - scales, if necessary.

Subject: RE: fiddle - playing semiquavers - any tips?
From: GUEST,FloraG
Date: 25 Apr 19 - 02:57 AM

Only lift off fingers you have to
eg 3142 - no need to lift 1 at all - use an open for 4 - you could even shift up the neck into 2nd position for the last 2 notes.
Miss out intermediate notes - some tunes work quite well without all the twiddles-especially if your in a situation where someone is speeding up the tune and it becomes a bit of a race.
Practise runs up to a starter note ( or down)- a bit like grace notes - and everyone will think you can play fast.
Vary the bow tightness a bit - see what works best.
Learn a tune well enough to play without music - reading tends to slow you down
Join a barn dance band where you play the same tune many times - it a nicer way to practice.
Other than that - its the P word.
FloraG.

Subject: RE: fiddle - playing semiquavers - any tips?
From: GUEST,Robert M.
Date: 25 Apr 19 - 01:13 PM

Also, are you trying to play one note per bow stroke?
At hyper speed that can be tricky. All in one bowing might help.

Subject: RE: fiddle - playing semiquavers - any tips?
From: meself
Date: 25 Apr 19 - 01:54 PM

"Only lift off fingers you have to"

I've often heard this, but I find trying to do it more of a distraction than anything else.

Subject: RE: fiddle - playing semiquavers - any tips?
From: GUEST,Surreyfiddler
Date: 25 Apr 19 - 04:17 PM

An old joke I first heard from Dave Swarbrick that he had been practicing his demi-semi quavers and would I like to hear one!

Subject: RE: fiddle - playing semiquavers - any tips?
From: Andy7
Date: 25 Apr 19 - 07:13 PM

Thanks again for all the helpful suggestions - and the great joke!

Subject: RE: fiddle - playing semiquavers - any tips?
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 26 Apr 19 - 02:28 AM

Is the answer not slurring? A flick of the finger during the same bow stroke, or am I missing something here?