OK to play fiddle in light rain?

Subject: OK to play fiddle in light rain?
From: Marion
Date: 17 Jun 03 - 12:50 PM

Is it bad to play fiddle outdoors when it's only raining very lightly? I tried this recently, and found that the strings were slightly slippery to finger but the bowing didn't feel any different. But does it do any damage?

Thanks, Marion

Subject: RE: OK to play fiddle in light rain?
From: GUEST,Les B.
Date: 17 Jun 03 - 01:25 PM

Makes those notes much cleaner :)

Subject: RE: OK to play fiddle in light rain?
From: Sorcha
Date: 17 Jun 03 - 01:28 PM

Under a canopy, OK, but you are going to go flat very quickly. In the rain proper, NO! You will RUIN the finish. Besides,the bow hair won't stay tight.

Subject: RE: OK to play fiddle in light rain?
From: NicoleC
Date: 17 Jun 03 - 02:04 PM

If you must play in the rain, I suggest finding a beater import fiddle with so much varnish it's practically got a raincoat on. In other words, something you won't mind messing up, and leave your baby at home.

Subject: RE: OK to play fiddle in light rain?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 17 Jun 03 - 02:06 PM

Sometimes goes limp

~Susan

Subject: RE: OK to play fiddle in light rain?
From: GUEST,James H. Silver
Date: 17 Jun 03 - 04:07 PM

It is never OK to play any instrument in the rain or high humid conditions. Take it from a repairman.

Subject: RE: OK to play fiddle in light rain?
From: Willie-O
Date: 17 Jun 03 - 04:11 PM

Get a Bently mandolin. Weatherproof, smashproof, and cheap. Hard to find though.

Better yet, get a melodica.

As for your fiddle, what are you thinking, girl? I'm with Sorcha.

Where are ya now anyway? Still To?

Bill

Subject: RE: OK to play fiddle in light rain?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 17 Jun 03 - 04:22 PM

.... cheap plastic student fiddle? Nonononononono....

~S~

Subject: RE: OK to play fiddle in light rain?
From: greg stephens
Date: 17 Jun 03 - 04:22 PM

If economic conditions demand that you busk and the weather's not too conducive, get a very large hat. Or do what my pal Kate does, and double on fiddle and trombone.

Subject: RE: OK to play fiddle in light rain?
From: catspaw49
Date: 17 Jun 03 - 04:51 PM

By all means play fiddle in the rain. As a matter of fact, get together with a bagpiper and an accordionist and all of you play under a large tree at the top of a hill and just so the sound carries well and above any thunder, be sure you surround yourselves with electrical amps and speakers with large magnets. You will probably not only enjoy it, but get a real charge out of the experience.

Spaw

Subject: RE: OK to play fiddle in light rain?
From: Sorcha
Date: 17 Jun 03 - 06:20 PM

Well, I guess you could get a Yamaha electric fiddle.......send you to the Pearly Gates along with the fiddle. I wouldn't even do it to a pawn shop cheapie for several reasons......
1)They sound like crap and ruin your ability to play
2)They would thereby ruin your reputation as a fiddler
3)I have too much respect for any instrument to abuse it like that.

Subject: RE: OK to play fiddle in light rain?
From: greg stephens
Date: 17 Jun 03 - 06:28 PM

I've played most of my instruments in rain, when circumstances dictated. But not heavy heavy rain. Just dry them well afterwards. A well-made instrument can cope with a fair amount of abuse.

Subject: RE: OK to play fiddle in light rain?
From: GUEST,Sarah
Date: 18 Jun 03 - 09:23 AM

Would absolutely never do this! No event is worth trashing my fiddle for.

Cheers
Sarah

Subject: RE: OK to play fiddle in light rain?
From: Maryrrf
Date: 18 Jun 03 - 10:24 AM

I would suggest, as others have, getting a cheaper second fiddle you wouldn't be too upset about damaging. I have a Martin guitar and also an Ovation - which isn't even made of wood and is practically indestructable. But when you plug the Ovation in to a sound system it sounds pretty good and doesn't sound too bad on its own. In situations where I know circumstances will be beyond my control as far as weather, where the guitar will be, how long I will be outside, etc. I bring the Ovation. I got it second hand and even if something did happen to it (which is unlikely - it seems pretty unbreakable) it wouldn't be a disaster. As a matter of fact if I did any busking I think I would use the Ovation under all circumstances.

Subject: RE: OK to play fiddle in light rain?
From: SeanM
Date: 18 Jun 03 - 01:26 PM

I'll also back the "beater" instruments. There are good sources of instruments out there that while not "top quality" will still sound decent, and there may just be times when "It's raining and I can't play my fiddle/bazouki/noseflute" won't cut it.

Case in point - I work the Renaissance Pleasure Faire, Southern CA. This year, first weekend, we rained out on Saturday, but not until the faire had opened and the first act at our stage was playing.

The musicians just grabbed the "spares" and went on. The bodhran was nearly inaudible (yeah, yeah - "what an improvement"), but the mando and bazouki sounded decent enough, what you could hear over the rain and thunder. The spares in this case were bought off a Hungarian luthier's site for this purpose - they're inexpensive, good enough for spares in ANY situation, but they also hold up during inclement conditions.

Of course, you will have to tune every ten seconds. And if you play in heavy enough rain you may have to empty out your instrument occasionally, or start stocking trout in it for fishing. But if you have no choice but to play in bad weather (contract, whatever), spares definitely help.

M

Subject: RE: OK to play fiddle in light rain?
From: Don Firth
Date: 18 Jun 03 - 03:32 PM

No flippin' way!

Any halfway decent instrument of this sort, violin, guitar, whatever, is made from wood that some luthier has stashed away for years in a humidity controlled room to cure. You can blow it all in a matter of minutes. If a drop of rain hits an unfinished surface, say inside through the sound hole or an F-hole, you can practically hear the wood go "SLURP!!!" Not good!

Don Firth

Subject: RE: OK to play fiddle in light rain?
From: open mike
Date: 19 Jun 03 - 01:52 AM

i got a nasty spot on my guitar from moisture
which had accumulated on the outside o9f the
surface from dew....i would advise against
moisture or heat or cold if possible to avoid.
(how wbout one of those hats that has an
umbrella built in??)

Subject: RE: OK to play fiddle in light rain?
From: Marion
Date: 19 Jun 03 - 04:11 PM

Thanks gang.

I wish I was that guy in Douglas Adams who had hundreds of classifications for types of rain. What I was talking about was that kind of rain where you feel small drops on your skin only sporadically instead of rhythmically - and you don't feel them at all through your clothes or hair. And where you wouldn't dream of opening an umbrella or going inside.

And I was thinking primarily of busking (when I did this last week, I decided to go ahead and do it because it was a great spot and great time). But SeanM makes a good point too - you'd certainly come across as a prima donna if you refused to play a gig in rain type #89 or whatever it is.

Melodica, eh? Well I do have a plastic recorder - don't know if it would be worthwhile to busk on it, though.

Willie-O, I'm in TO for two more weeks, then I'll be in Perth for a monthish, then I set out on tour. I'll want to see you, of course.

Marion

Subject: RE: OK to play fiddle in light rain?
From: GUEST,Melani
Date: 19 Jun 03 - 06:00 PM

Plastic recorder or pennywhistle--you could play either one of those under water without harming them.

Subject: RE: OK to play fiddle in light rain?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 19 Jun 03 - 06:58 PM

That's not rain, it's mist.

A brolly might be a good idea. I remember at Hatfield Dance Festival one year it was pelting, and there was a fiddler playing under one brolly, and a dancer doing a solo jig under another.

Subject: RE: OK to play fiddle in light rain?
From: greg stephens
Date: 19 Jun 03 - 07:37 PM

Interesting culture clash expressed in the many posts on this subject, Respect for your instrument, versus respect for the music/the occcasion. Show biz tradition/folk culture/your bread and butter say "The show must go on". Worry about your fiddle says"stop". Its your decision.
   My feelings are, my guitar's taken me a lot of places, its pleased a lot of people,its made me a lot of friends. So its got a bit wet now and then. Its old and tired and a bit frayed round the edges: well so am I.