I got myself a new large (16.75 inch) viola three years ago and it spent most of that time lent to my son, who replaced the tailpiece (original ebony with added fine tuners looking rather crude) with a modern metal tuner-equipped one and strung it with good quality Thomastiks.
Anyway, it's come back to me, and I've spent a few hours experimenting (having never played fiddle) to see how these things work. I have lowered the bridge by 1/4 inch as the action was ridiculously high, but after checking with fiddle players, I find many just use the bridge as supplied and put up with a high action. Lowering the bridge has made it much easier to finger, including ornaments, but harder to bow; it's also made what was a really quite harsh and strident tone more mellow (moved the bridge back a touch to be better placed over the soundpost as well).
Question: anyone think that the original ebony tailpiece would further mellow the sound, compared to the modern cast metal item?
I'm beginning to be able to hit notes reliably and avoid too many harmonics from the bowing, but bluegrass double-stop sawing and Seth Lakeman style rythm are much easier than 'proper' tune playing. In fact I find it easiest to use mandola chords and play it like an accompaniment instrument. The other relatively easy thing is to use the lower strings for a single bass line. One thing I'm fairly sure of is that it's not something for joining in unison Scottish/Irish session tunes, but it might be suitable for doing some kind of second part.
Not that anyone is ever likely to hear me with this in public for a long time as it is so loud I must be 100 per cent certain of what I'm doing and that is a long way off.
Any thoughts as to the use of viola? I really prefer the finger spacing and the overall pitch/register to violin. It's a bit big to handle but no way as cramped. I've never seen one in use outside an orchestra or quartet etc. Why don't more players use them?
In message <yomdnSz7uOV6me_VnZ2dnUVZ8gidn...@bt.com>, David Kilpatrick <iconma...@btconnect.com> writes
>Does anyone ever play viola in a folk context?
>I got myself a new large (16.75 inch) viola three years ago and it >spent most of that time lent to my son, who replaced the tailpiece >(original ebony with added fine tuners looking rather crude) with a >modern metal tuner-equipped one and strung it with good quality >Thomastiks.
>Anyway, it's come back to me, and I've spent a few hours experimenting >(having never played fiddle) to see how these things work.
snip much other good stuff...........
>Any thoughts as to the use of viola? I really prefer the finger spacing >and the overall pitch/register to violin. It's a bit big to handle but >no way as cramped. I've never seen one in use outside an orchestra or >quartet etc. Why don't more players use them?
There was indeed a lady called Beth on this summer's Guildford Folkestra course who played viola for some of it. There was, mind you, the moment when she mentioned that she was actually playing fiddle in that particular session towards the end. Not unique to yourself, anyway.
> Steve wrote: >> "David Kilpatrick" <iconma...@btconnect.com> wrote in message >>> Does anyone ever play viola in a folk context?
>> I'm sure Swarb played viola sometimes when he was with Fairport, and I >> imagine there are plenty of others too.
> I was wondering - because of the very deep stuff in some Swarb > recordings with others as well - sounds more like viola bass strings > than like violin.
I knew a fiddleplayer, once, who borrowed one for a few months. It made a gorgeous noise, but he tended to complain that there were too many tunes he couldn't play on it owing to the missing top string.
-- Richard Robinson "The whole plan hinged upon the natural curiosity of potatoes" - S. Lem
The message <487233bf$0$78073$bed64...@news.gradwell.net> from Richard Robinson <richa...@privacy.net> contains these words:
> David Kilpatrick said: > > Steve wrote: > >> "David Kilpatrick" <iconma...@btconnect.com> wrote in message > >>> Does anyone ever play viola in a folk context?
> >> I'm sure Swarb played viola sometimes when he was with Fairport, and I > >> imagine there are plenty of others too.
> > I was wondering - because of the very deep stuff in some Swarb > > recordings with others as well - sounds more like viola bass strings > > than like violin. > I knew a fiddleplayer, once, who borrowed one for a few months. It made a > gorgeous noise, but he tended to complain that there were too many tunes he > couldn't play on it owing to the missing top string.
A lot of fiddlers now use five string fiddles and get the best of both worlds. Of course, if you tune the bottom end as normal and put a high B at the top you could make bats fall out of the rafters...
> from Richard Robinson <richa...@privacy.net> contains these words: >> David Kilpatrick said: >> > Steve wrote: >> >> "David Kilpatrick" <iconma...@btconnect.com> wrote in message >> >>> Does anyone ever play viola in a folk context?
>> >> I'm sure Swarb played viola sometimes when he was with Fairport, and I >> >> imagine there are plenty of others too.
>> > I was wondering - because of the very deep stuff in some Swarb >> > recordings with others as well - sounds more like viola bass strings >> > than like violin.
>> I knew a fiddleplayer, once, who borrowed one for a few months. It made a >> gorgeous noise, but he tended to complain that there were too many tunes he >> couldn't play on it owing to the missing top string.
> A lot of fiddlers now use five string fiddles and get the best of both > worlds. Of course, if you tune the bottom end as normal and put a high B > at the top you could make bats fall out of the rafters...
And everyone knows that nothing helps a session along like being unexpectedly draped in bats.
-- Richard Robinson "The whole plan hinged upon the natural curiosity of potatoes" - S. Lem
> Arthur Marshall said: > > Of course, if you tune the bottom end as normal and put a high B > > at the top you could make bats fall out of the rafters...
> And everyone knows that nothing helps a session along like being > unexpectedly draped in bats.
On 7 Jul, 12:58, David Kilpatrick <iconma...@btconnect.com> wrote:
> Does anyone ever play viola in a folk context?
Jackie Oates plays 5-string viola, often as a voice accompaniment. More info here, and also a number of other places if you Google around: http://www.spiralearth.co.uk/reviews/oates.htm
On 7 Jul, 12:58, David Kilpatrick <iconma...@btconnect.com> wrote:
> Does anyone ever play viola in a folk context?
(Just tried posting this a minute ago, without success - apologies if it appears twice)
Jackie Oates plays a 5-string viola, often as a voice accompaniment. More info here, as well as a number of other places if you Google around: http://www.spiralearth.co.uk/reviews/oates.htm
[Is anyone else having trouble posting to this group using Firefox 3? Have tried twice, but each time after I hit Send... zilch. Trying again in Safari. Anyway:]
Jackie Oates plays a 5-string viola, often as a voice accompaniment. More info here, as well as a number of other places if you Google around:
