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15 Sep 98 - 07:27 PM (#38236) Subject: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: Dave T My daughter's interested in learning Celtic fiddle. She's taken a few years of old time fiddle but wants a change. Unfortunately, she left it kind of late to tell me so I may not be able to get her into any of the local schools. I was wondering if anyone out there knows of any good instructional videos, CD's, web sites, etc.? I'd really appreciate any advice. Thanks, Dave T |
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15 Sep 98 - 08:38 PM (#38244) Subject: RE: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: Dale Rose Oh, my, here you are talking about one of my passions! May I recommend Natalie MacMaster of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, for starters? She has an instructional video for sale, but I don't know where you are likely to find it in the United States. I bought a copy from her, but gave it to a fiddler friend, so I don't even have the address anymore. I would suggest that if all else fails, send an email to natalie@ns.sympatico.ca . That address will reach her mother, Minnie MacMaster, who will be more than glad to tell you where you may purchase it, I am sure.
You can find info on her first three albums, which have been released in the states by Rounder at: http://www.rounder.com/rounder/catalog/byartist/m/macmaster_natalie/
I looked at all the major online CD sellers, but only tunes.com has sound clips of everything from her first three albums. CDnow and CDuniverse have none, and Music Boulevard has only a few. I checked Elderly, and they have all her albums, including her newest, My Roots Are Showing, which has not yet been released in the U S, but which is due to be released here this fall, I understand. A note about her first album, Compilation~~it is a recent CD release taken from her first two cassettes recorded when she was 16 and 18 years old, but don't let that put you off. It is still remarkably enjoyable stuff!
There are complete real audio versions of several of her tunes from No Boundaries (scratchy 8kbps, though) at: http://www.warnermusic.ca/macmaster/nobounds.html
In Canada, her music is on Warner Canada, and overseas on Greentrax.
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15 Sep 98 - 09:33 PM (#38254) Subject: RE: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: Dave T Dale You know, I should have thought of Natalie McMaster myself, being a fellow Canadian. I'll check at the Ottawa Folklore Centre. Thanks Dave |
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15 Sep 98 - 09:35 PM (#38255) Subject: RE: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: kevin ryan David T-- Natalie MacMaster's video can be obtained from Homespun Tapes and Videos out of New York. Can't recall the address or anything right now, but you should be able to find their website on the internet. Elderly and Lark In The Morning (out of California) can also provide you with info. You might also check for a website for The House Of Musical Traditions. |
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16 Sep 98 - 06:11 AM (#38297) Subject: RE: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: Tim Jaques tjaques@netcom.ca In Canada, it can be ordered from Breton Books and Music, Wreck Cove, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. They have a free catalogue of books, videos, tapes and CD's. I think though that I have seen it in larger CD shops in the cities. If your daughter is old enough, she might consider joining one of the e-mail lists. The Kitchen Ceilidh list is made up of many people knowledgable in Cape Breton and other forms of "celtic" fiddling (and other instruments and song) and is more focused than the Cape Breton Music List. Some have recorded, and one has written a book on Cape Breton fiddling.(The last discussion on the list was on the role of pump organs used to accompany early Cape Breton fiddling, and where one might find a good pump organ these days.) Most of the fiddlers on that list are also very well versed in Irish and modern Scottish styles too. They could probably easily direct you to a teacher , whether your daughter's preferred style is Irish, modern Scottish, or Cape Breton. It actually is a pretty friendly list so it doesn't matter if she is only a young teenager. In fact, she'd be welcomed if she had a genuine interest in the music. Some of the other music mail lists can get a little intemperate from time to time, though. |
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19 Sep 98 - 01:55 PM (#38620) Subject: RE: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: Dale Rose Sometimes you run across things even when you are not looking for them. Just found this on Bill Elliott's web site. After copying and pasting, the setup looks a little odd. Hope it comes through OK.
Hello Bill: Thought I would drop you a line and look for a little favour from you again. Natalie has a new instructional video for sale and I am wondering if you could post this on your web site in your area. The video is called, "A Fiddle Lesson with Natalie MacMaster" and is 69.25 minutes long featuring: * on-screen musical notation of grace notes and bowing * close-up views of the fingerboard * personal instruction of five tunes: a march, strathspey, reel, jig, clog * performance of tunes at slow and regular tempos * 8-page booklet includes musical notation for grace notes, bowing and eight traditional tunes. This video sells for $45.00 Canadian which includes all taxes and shipping costs. It sells in the US for $35.00 US funds and includes shipping. If anyone is interested, they could contact myself at natalie@ns.sympatico.ca phone 902-625-1344 fax 902-625-0561. They could also write to: Natalie MacMaster R.R. #1, Port Hastings Cape Breton, Nova Scotia Canada BOE-2TO Thanks so much for your help on this one. Cheers, Minnie MacMaster. |
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19 Sep 98 - 04:44 PM (#38639) Subject: RE: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: Tim Jaques tjaques@netcom.ca Minnie is Natalie's mom. |
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19 Sep 98 - 06:05 PM (#38648) Subject: RE: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: Bruce O. The House of Musical Traditions does have a website, but does not have an up-to-date catalog on it at present. You can find them easily on a web search engine. You can e-mail them for a copy of their printed catalog. The e-mail address is on their website. They do have several books of Irish fiddle tunes, and probably tutors, too. I was there yesterday and got the recent (July 1998) two volume 'Sources of Irish Traditional Music'. |
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20 Sep 98 - 12:34 PM (#38720) Subject: RE: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: Bruce O. I should have added that the man in charge of books at The House of Musical Traditions, Philippe Varlet, is also a graduate student in ethnomusicology and a Celtic fiddler. |
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29 Aug 02 - 01:53 PM (#773753) Subject: RE: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: Orac What on earth is a "Celtic fiddle" they are all violins. The fiddle is actually an earlier bowed instrument used mainly for dance music. When the violin became popular the fiddle went out but they are not the same instrument. |
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29 Aug 02 - 04:07 PM (#773810) Subject: RE: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: GUEST,andi Tim, I tried to join the Kitchen Ceilidh list with an address that I found on google groups but it bounced back. Do you by chance have the correct address to subscribe thanks andi |
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29 Aug 02 - 04:20 PM (#773822) Subject: RE: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: RichM Well, in this century, they ARE the same instrument. The reference was, as you likely already know, to styles of music. |
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29 Aug 02 - 04:25 PM (#773825) Subject: RE: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: Peter K (Fionn) Andi and anyone else raising queries in this thread: don't hold your breath! It was only when I saw Bruce posting that I realised it's four years old. God knows why Orac decided to refresh it. |
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29 Aug 02 - 04:48 PM (#773836) Subject: RE: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: Dicho (Frank Staplin) Bringing it up to date, Natalie's Fiddle Video is still available for $27 Canadian dollars (MC and Visa). Go to Fiddle for her online store. |
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29 Aug 02 - 05:28 PM (#773861) Subject: RE: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: Sorcha Well, there is a medieval instrument called a feidle which is slightly different from a violin, but that is where the name came from. |
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29 Aug 02 - 05:30 PM (#773863) Subject: RE: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: George Seto - af221@chebucto.ns.ca Andi. You can go to http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html and subscribe from there. There is also the related list, Scots-L about Scottish music in general. Fionn, it's fine to ressurect a thread like this here. Someone probably can answer it. |
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29 Aug 02 - 05:52 PM (#773881) Subject: RE: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: Dicho (Frank Staplin) OED- "The ultimate origin is obscure." The supposition spelled out is that the germanic groups were trying to say the Roman word vidula, hence germanic fiedel and similar words. Sorcha, you should know that I comes before E except----- when it doesn't. 1377- In England, to fiddle was fythelen (or similar). Orac, the violin IS a fiddle! There is the verb, to violin, which means to fiddle, "now only in familiar or contemptous use." (Taking liberties with the OED) |
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29 Aug 02 - 06:04 PM (#773888) Subject: RE: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: Sorcha oh well. i before e except when it doesn't. |
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29 Aug 02 - 06:18 PM (#773898) Subject: RE: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: GUEST I before E except after C. As in Celtic. Even though we have it on good authority from posters in another current thread, that there is no such thing. We have now also been informed there is no such thing as a fiddle either. Isn't this great forward progress in the realm of musical knowledge in a single day? :) |
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30 Aug 02 - 01:22 PM (#774337) Subject: RE: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: GUEST,andi thanks George! you just made my day! andi |
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30 Aug 02 - 02:29 PM (#774376) Subject: RE: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: GUEST,sorefingers Somewhere I have a copy of How to Play Fiddle by The Armagh Pipers Club. It contains simple tunes advancing through the book to hardest at the last; and hard these are. It says nothing about Bowing assuming the student already has a teacher, I hasty add one could never get them without one. I found liberal doses of Metronome while practicing as well as a teacher yeilds a good return on time invested, IOW one could soldier on for years without these and master about one months guided progress! Hornpipes most ignored yield the greatest rewards since they are meant to be played slowly - try telling this to a bar full of semi intoxicated sessioneers and feel real pain! - but they often end up - in Piping meets - at double time! Slow reelish type tunes such as Castle Kelly should be on the early tunes lists but isn't can be gotten of any good Tune website. 90 BPM a nice hike! Others I like are Munster Cloak - Raggle Taggle Gypsies - song and some Kerry Slides. Look our for CCE, on the internet, which provides instruction by a QUALIFIED instrutor exclusively in Irish Traditional Dance Music. That said I always found these folks very nice if a bit nerdish.
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30 Aug 02 - 11:57 PM (#774666) Subject: RE: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: NicoleC On the subject of metronomes, don't get too discouraged if it just drives you nuts at first. I had to really get the fingering and bowing down before I could even deal with a metronome -- about a year, for me. BUT I bought a metronome with tone generator -- not just the "A" for tuning, but the whole 5 steps, and that really helped me get my intonation down. It's easy to play in tune with yourself; much harder to be in tune with everyone else, too, and 30 minutes with the instructor once a week wasn't really enough to give me a good sense of where I needed to be. The cheapest metronome I found with the tone generator was the Wittner MT-600. About $70, I think. And the metronome part practically does backflips for you. |
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31 Aug 02 - 12:07 AM (#774676) Subject: RE: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: GUEST,sorefingers Basic Metronomes at Musiciansfriend.com 10 bucks. Getting used to them is not that hard if one begins with simple Drills like - half D-tick half U-tock then double the bowing D and U each beat. |
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31 Aug 02 - 11:01 AM (#774814) Subject: RE: Celtic Fiddle Instruction From: dermod in salisbury As your daughter already has some ability on the fiddle,the best way to sample another style is to play along with others. The BBC has a 'virtual session' on its web site which flashes up the music so you can play along. You can select from a good number of popular reels, jigs, hornpipes, slides, waltzes, etc. You can also print out the sheet music for preparatory practice. It's a great help. I discovered it from another recent mudcat thread. It's also free. It doesn't stop you buying an instructional video. The Natalie McMaster one sounds good. But this site will help your daughter come along and provide a lot of fun. Hit this link (which should appear is a blue clicky (but somehow won't) http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/folk/acoustic_club/launch.shtml?survey |