Mastering the different styles of fiddling requires the same deep immersion as language fluency, according to Alasdair Fraser. It’s not about simply learning sheet music, but speaking in a regional dialect on your violin.
By Patrick Sullivan Exact numbers aren’t really Darol Anger’s thing. But over some four decades as a musician and educator, the incredibly versatile fiddler has surely helped hundreds of young string players take the plunge into bluegrass. He tries to…
By Karen Peterson Jazz violinist and educator Christian Howes grew up middle class in the Ohio heartland, a child prodigy schooled in the Suzuki method, by his teens the recipient of a full college scholarship that leaned heavily toward academics.…
By Pat Moran Wendy MacIsaac was 12 years old when she found the fiddle. It was under her grandmother’s bed and had not been played for years. “My grandmother’s brother sold ice in Boston, and he took two fiddles as…
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By Cristina Schreil Call it the ultimate birthday gift. Astute listeners might have noticed that Regina Carter is a big Ella Fitzgerald fan. The First Lady of Song’s classics are sprinkled throughout Carter’s repertoire. For example, she performed “A-Tisket, A-Tasket”…
One of the most common problems encountered by string players in virtuoso pieces is the coordination between the bow strokes and the left-hand fingers in fast running-note passages
By Patrick Sullivan If you ask Ralph Ashmead what he’s learned in 33 years of making historic bows, he’s liable to laugh and give you a self-effacing reply. “I’ve learned they can always break,” he says. “Just had one snap…
Unravelling the mystery behind this simple, but essential, bow part—and what to do when issues arise By Heather K. Scott Abow’s tip plate performs a variety of important functions. In addition to protecting the head of the bow, it also…