This workshop is FREE!...even the materials we supply, such as practice tailpieces and various weights of fishing line to simulate gut strings for practicing the different string knots and loops we will be teaching you. This will be even more fun than a workshop on fly-tying! Now how about that for a bargain? :-)
By arrangement with the Hoppin' John management team, we will be offering the workshop described below by the Adventurous Muse Store / Don Rickert Lutherie vendor tent, times TBA.
The workshop, with a significant hands-on component, will cover how to install the right strings and accessories, as well as proper bridge adjustment, on fiddles for various periods and genres going back to the 1700s. We will save you a lot of time and money on broken gut strings by showing you how to install them the right way...can't do much about keeping them in tune--fiddlers prior to the mid-20th Century spent almost as much time tuning as they did playing.
In addition to covering the basics of historically authentic fiddle setup, we will be demonstrating the playing styles of each period. Several guest fiddlers, all masters of the period fiddling styles they will demonstrating, will be assisting. Don Rickert will be demonstrating the late 18th Century fiddling styles of Neil Gow and Thomas Jefferson.
The primary periods we will cover:
Late 1700s to mid-1800s
Civil War/Minstrel Era
Late 19th and Early 20th Century (about 1920)
1930s - 1950s
1960s - Present Day
To reiterate, we will be discussing and demonstrating fiddle setup, as well as demonstrating the playing styles of each historic period.
If you intend to have us set up your own fiddle to earlier period specs, you might give us a "heads up", so that we are sure to bring a sufficient supply of the right bridges, tuning pegs, tailpieces and strings. Just to set your expectations, older period pure gut strings cost about $60 and good (the kind we use) modern gut strings are about $150.
This workshop is FREE!...even the materials we supply, such as practice tailpieces and various weights of fishing line to simulate gut strings for practicing the different string knots and loops we will be teaching you. This will be even more fun than a workshop on fly-tying! Now how about that for a bargain? :-)
By arrangement with the Hoppin' John management team, we will be offering the workshop described below by the Adventurous Muse Store / Don Rickert Lutherie vendor tent, times TBA.
The workshop, with a significant hands-on component, will cover how to install the right strings and accessories, as well as proper bridge adjustment, on fiddles for various periods and genres going back to the 1700s. We will save you a lot of time and money on broken gut strings by showing you how to install them the right way...can't do much about keeping them in tune--fiddlers prior to the mid-20th Century spent almost as much time tuning as they did playing.
In addition to covering the basics of historically authentic fiddle setup, we will be demonstrating the playing styles of each period. Several guest fiddlers, all masters of the period fiddling styles they will demonstrating, will be assisting. Don Rickert will be demonstrating the late 18th Century fiddling styles of Neil Gow and Thomas Jefferson.
The primary periods we will cover:
Late 1700s to mid-1800s
Civil War/Minstrel Era
Late 19th and Early 20th Century (about 1920)
1930s - 1950s
1960s - Present Day
To reiterate, we will be discussing and demonstrating fiddle setup, as well as demonstrating the playing styles of each historic period.
If you intend to have us set up your own fiddle to earlier period specs, you might give us a "heads up", so that we are sure to bring a sufficient supply of the right bridges, tuning pegs, tailpieces and strings. Just to set your expectations, older period pure gut strings cost about $60 and good (the kind we use) modern gut strings are about $150.
Late 1700s to mid-1800s: Fiddles during this period had pure gut strings. After 1790, copper-wound gut g-strings began to appear. Neither the shoulder rest nor the chin rest had yet been invented. The fiddling of the day was highly-influenced by Scottish and Scots-Irish (i.e. Ulster) fiddling.
The popular playing styles, both with chin to the RIGHT of the tail piece AND fiddle resting on the shoulder will be demonstrated.
Special emphasis on the 1780s period during which Neil Gow (the father of Scottish fiddling) and President Thomas Jefferson were fiddling (note: Tom Jefferson is known as a violinist; however, he broke his wrist, which limited his playing to first position. With the help of his younger brother, he became a pretty respectable fiddler).
Civil War/Minstrel Era:Pure gut strings with a copper-wound gut g-string were common (no steel e" strings yet); however, the unwound g-string continued to be used by many fiddlers. Even though the chin rest had been invented (by Louis Spohr), its use was uncommon, especially among fiddlers. The shoulder rest was not yet invented. We will show you a mid-19th Century replica Spohr Chin Rest and how it was installed.
The playing style, by the 1860s, had evolved to something like a classical hold (chin on the fiddle to the left of the tailpiece), but the bow was held on the shaft rather than at the frog.
A well-known Master of the fiddling of this period will demonstrate the predominant playing style applied to the genuine Civil War Era tunes.
Late 19th and Early 20th Century (about 1920): This period was the dawn of what we now call Old-Time fiddling. The typical stringing was still a wound-gut g-string, with the rest of the strings being pure gut. The steel e"-string was invented about 1880 and was slowly adopted by fiddlers. It was during this period that a distinct "fiddle setup", with a low action and flat-arched bridge, appeared.
Curiously, during this period, the classical chin to the left of the tailpiece instrument "hold" devolved into playing on the arm in a manner similar to the early Baroque period (1600s), in part, no doubt, so that fiddlers could sing while they were playing.
The main reason, however, for the "Baroque hold" probably had more to do with the fact that early recording artists were pictured holding their fiddles in such a manner!
We will demonstrate playing the fiddle in this manner, which pretty much limits one's playing exclusively to first position.
1930s - 1950s:By this time, modern wound-gut strings with a steel e"-string were common. The Bluegrass style came on the scene and many fiddlers began to play "fancy", many using a chin rest to keep the fiddle stable for playing in 2nd through 7th positions (high on the neck, with little use of open strings) just like an orchestral violinist.
A correct (at least close to correct, from a classical violin perspective) bow hold (at the frog) became common.
Old-Time fiddling, except in rural mountain areas, diminished in popularity. Even though the same tunes were often played, they were "jazzed up" versions, often in keys not normally used in the older style of playing.
We will demonstrate some "fancy fiddling" from this era.
1960s - Present Day: By this time, most fiddlers were using all steel strings. Beginning in the late 1950s, thanks to musicians like Pete Seeger and groups like the "New Lost City Ramblers" (fun fact: Jerry Garcia played banjo and occasionally, the fiddle. in this group).
Interestingly, the "Holy Modal Rounders", loved by many and vilified by the "Folk Establishment" appeared on the scene with their warped versions of Old-Time and older tunes.
It has been said that if the Holy Modal Rounders had learned to sing and play in tune with something even close to good timing, they could have been one of the greatest Old-Time bands ever...they didn't, so they became perhaps the first "Punk Old-Time" band. With all their flaws of musicianship, the Holy Modal Rounders were the inspiration to many of us!
What we have today in Old-Time fiddling is a return to many of the techniques used a century ago, combined with attention to really good musicianship, no doubt inspired in large part by the great Bluegrass fiddlers.
In addition to showing you how to set up your fiddle for contemporary Old-Time playing, we will demonstrate some really good Old-Time fiddling as it is played today.
We thought that it would be good to post on what is generally the ONLY Old-Time fiddlers' convention that the Adventurous Muse Store, the main sales channel for Don Rickert Lutherie and Don Rickert Design, bothers to attend as a vendor. This year is no different. Because Hoppin' John Old-Time & Bluegrass Fidders' Convention is so near and dear to our hearts, we refer to it in a number of our other posts.
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The upcoming 5th Annual Hoppin' John Old-Time & Bluegrass Fidders' Convention is at Shakori Hills in Silk Hope, North Carolina (Sept. 15th - 17th, 2011).
There are many good and great Fidders' Conventions, but the Hoppin' John Old-Time & Bluegrass Fiddlers' Convention is usually the ONLY one we attend as vendors. Hoppin' John is in the "GREAT" category. Besides being really fun for us, people actually buy stuff from vendors at Hoppin' John. This year we are pleased to tell you that we will be co-located with our friends, SG Music Company, owned by Shay Garriock and Leslie Staggs (online: SG Fiddles), this year.
While there is a lot of Bluegrass music at Hoppin' John, it is primarily an OLD-TIME fiddlers' convention that actually welcomes (rather than merely tolerates), "Regressive Old-Time" (19th and early 20th Century style, played raw!), as well as so called "Neo-Old-Time" (aka, "Alternative Old-Time", "Old-Time Punk", etc.) contestants.
The overall vibe is mellow, tolerant and "family-friendly" with a significant all-night partying element (once the kids have gone to bed). The ultimate party is the Saturday midnight to the wee hours free form performance/dance. This year the "Freight Hoppers" will be playing at that event...if you like the REAL Old-Time/Roots music, you will love these guys! You can check out some of thier music by visiting their home page.
At the same time, many authentic Civil War Era musical reenactors attend...we are "tight" with the 1st North Carolina Volunteers reenactors and an associated musical aggregation known as the Huckleberry Brothers, for example.
This week is going to be all about getting our unintentially complex web of social network accounts into some kind of order, publishing a lot of new MP3s (mostly Old Time), a whole lot of commentary and even videos about bands doing various permutations of 1970s Punk with 19th and early 20th Century Old Time/Roots music.
We are also going to be sharing our experiences at another awesome Hoppin' John Fiddlers' Convention and a particular self-described "Bluegrass/Punk" band that performed there...We liked the band Hee Haw Nightmare a lot and have a lot to say about them, audience reaction, and so forth. We've got decent video of most of their Saturday midnight 'til... show. You will be seing and hearing a lot of that video once we clear it all with the band.
Correction: 20-22 Rocky Mountain Regional Fiddle Championships & Music Festival, Kelly Walsh High School cafeteria, 3500 E. 12th St., Casper, Wyoming; contact Ann Robinson, 1923 Grass Creek Rd., Casper, WY 82604, ph. 307-266-6347 or e-mail agrobinson@bresnan.net; web: www.casperwyofiddleclub.com
Our newest bowed string instrument, the Rickert Series 6 SX Electric Violin (learn more about the Rickert Series 6 SX Electric Violin) made it way around the Live Oak Music Festival last weekend. The Rickert Series 6 SX was in good hands, Dr. Dan Overholt, who was able, given time constraints, to install some of the necessary transducers, actuators and electronics (mostly invented or modified by Dan Overholt) to transform the Rickert Series 6 SX into a playable prototype of an “Overtone Fiddle”, a new kind of electronically-enhanced violin based on "active acoustics" (learn more about the Overtone Fiddle and its predecessor, the Overtone Violin).
All accounts on the sound and playability of the Series 6 XS (partially instrumented as an Overtone Fiddle) were really good...even when played acoustically. We got some excellent feedback on some needed improvements on the Rickert Adjustable Shoulder Rest that was installed on the instrument.
Bottom Line: This instrument has legs and you are going to be hearing much more about it (and hearing it as well), both as an electric violin and as an "active acoustics" Overtone Fiddle.
Actually, our newest bowed string instrument, the Rickert Series 6 SX Electric Violin (learn more about the Rickert Series 6 SX Electric Violin) is to make an appearance at the Live Oak Music Festival…wish we could be there! The Rickert Series 6 SX will be in good hands, Dr. Dan Overholt, who will be installing the necessary transducers, actuators and electronics (mostly invented or modified by Dan Overholt) to transform the Rickert Series 6 SX into a playable prototype of an “Overtone Fiddle” (learn more about the Overtone Fiddle and its predecessor, the Overtone Violin).
The Live Oak Music Festival (June 18-20 in Santa Barbara, CA) is a three day concert and camping event held every year on Father’s Day weekend in the hills above Santa Barbara, California. 100% of Live Oak proceeds go to support KCBX Public Radio!
Live Oak, as it has become affectionately known, is more than just a music festival — it is an experience rooted in music and community. These two elements together create a three-day journey into a timeless place that is far removed from ties and clocks, suits and schedules. The festival features an aural collage of live music ranging from traditional, folk, bluegrass and gospel, to blues, jazz, classical and world music. Nestled in the oak trees of the quiet Santa Ynez Valley, Live Oak comes alive as an outdoor music festival showcasing some of the finest musicians from around the world. The camping experience at Live Oak creates a community of several thousand friendly people that are all doing the same thing — relaxing and having fun in the warm sunshine of June.
The tour de force behind the Live Oak Music Festival, indeed the “Mayor of Live Oak”, is the musical eccentric genius, Joe Craven, whose name many of you might know through his collaborations with Jerry Garcia and David Grissman. You might have even seen Joe playing MANY instruments with Jerry and David in the movie, “Grateful Dawg.”
We have been inundated with emails asking when we were going to post another video of the Red Hots performance at the Hoppin' John Old-Time and Bluegrass Fiddlers Convention. These request have come from as far away as Australia. I have already reiterated several times my love of this great band. This video is a portion of The Red Hots performance of "Leather Britches", originally called "Britches Full o' Stitches" in Ireland. Supposedly the name comes from all of the string crossing, which makes the bowing look like stitched something, like, say, trews (i.e. britches or pants)...it is the tune that first peaked my interest in both Irish and Old-Time music. It is extremely difficult to play well fast, as is done flawlessly in the video.
Video recording and editing by Don Rickert Design (Adventurous Muse)
Yeah, I know, we promised video last night...running a bit behind as usual. Posting video of The Womperswinning performance in the band finals (Non-Traditional Category) at Hoppin' John Old-Time and Bluegrass Fiddlers' Convention 2009 and some more video of the Red Hots tonight.
We have been getting requests from as far away as Australia for MORE RED HOTS video...message received and crystal clear!
P.S. It would be really good if we sold some stuff today, so maybe go on over to the Adventurous Muse Online Store while you are waiting for that great video :-)
MP3s to Play or Download from this site We have given up on hosting our music files on Facebook and iLike, which seem to be perpetually broken, so we are moving files to this page.
NOTE: We still post MP3s to MySpace; however, there seems to be no way for you to download them.
