Paul McNevin | Irish Fiddle Lessons, Irish Traditional Music

Every week in fiddle class I write reminders(bullet points) for the pupil to watch out for, sometimes I have to write these everyday ! Some are subtle and don’t translate to written description too well so I have omitted them. They are really to give a give direction to approach and further development.Although technique is not a major factor in traditional fiddling(but needs to be adequate). I believe good technique will certainly help and speed up progress. Pupils who already have good grounding in classical music, often benefit from good technique. This is because of difficulties with technique have been ironed out and they are in effect learning at a higher level. Incorrect technique in some cases can limit – and could ultimately restrict the level of playing. Having said that, not all traditional fiddlers ascribe to these aspects of technique/approach. They are points that will hopefully set you on the right track.

Long Bows : This is very important, esp. for beginners. When playing the fiddle the right wrist is at an unnatural angle. A secure and comfortable grip at this angle needs to be developed through long bowing (3/4 or full length bows). Bowing in practice should always be longer than in playing. This will also develop strength and the correct positioning in the forearm and upper arm. Advanced players may often not disply long bows as needed at the beginning because the training and extensions/flexing has been done and often then it is a process of refinment. Through development of style, preffered slurring, ornaments etc.

Practice Standing: This is mainly for posture (as it is almost impossible to hold the fiddle too low when standing or at least would look silly!) I almost always practice standing. You will also have a lot more (elbow) room to play on the E string.

Arch at right wrist: Again this is to avoid tension. The wrist has a very slight arc and this will help to keep the joint relaxed and thus it will be easier to keep a relaxed grip on the bow.

Left hand Tuning : If you are playing accidently sharp (excuse the pun) which is more often the case. Move your whole hand down the fingerboard (away). Often only the finger of the sharp note is moved and after a couple of notes the hand is back/still to the wrong/sharp position. The left hand has to get used to the position by correction, ear training and the feel and width of the fingerboard in the hand. The latter done mostly unconsciously. Scales are great practice for left hand intonation and positioning.

Bow Tilted Forward : Because of the curvature of bow it should be tilted forward (e. g. The wood leaning away). This is partly because of the bow grip alignment but also because of the bow curve, if played flat it would quiver one way or the other.

Play Slower: Everyone wants to learn something fast so they have to spend less time learning it! Playing too fast can often lead to glossing over the music just to get to the finish. Playing slower will allow you to absorb the material and learn it thoroughly. If you learn something slowly you are likely to forget it slowly. Often when a pupil has played to tune once through they feel they have learned it. They then come to the lesson and can’t understand why they cant remember it. The tune needs to be played slowly so the you can absorb it and be comfortable with the new material. Your aim is to be able to play the tune a number of times off by heart without a mistake.

Thumb Bent on Bow:This is important and one of the most common mistakes, it aims to help keep the right hand relaxed. It helps the curvature of the hand accompanying the bow grip. In my opinion absence of tension is crucial to higher learning. This is difficult for pupils as with many aspects of the bow grip/right arm posture, they are out of sight and often bypassed.

Right elbow lower: Another sign of tension is the highering of the right elbow. The angle of the elbow should be enough to support the wrist but certainly not above it. The right shoulder can be lifted slightly to support the right arm.

Other points. Make sure that your shoulder rest is on properly. I would recommend using a shoulder rest or pad. It should be close enough to your shoulder and have a secure grip on the fiddle. It should not go to the widest part of the fiddle so it goes on too far and doesn’t add much support. Don’t look down on the fiddle. Keep your head facing straight, your eyes will easily be able to keep track of your fingers on the fingerboard and your neck won’t tense up. You can also find more information on technique/playing improvement in my fiddle tutor – ‘A Complete Guide to the Irish Fiddle ‘-http://www.waltonsmusic.com/tutors2.html

Coming from a Classical Backround:

paulmcnevin — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:38:12 +0000

People from all kinds of backrounds want to play Irish music.It has great character and

challenges for people willing to learn. Fiddlers (or violinists as they might prefer) coming

from a classical pedigree have an advantage in that they have studied technique to a much

higher degree than the average (Irish) traditional player. Though technique in traditional

music only needs to be adequate and serve as a means where as in classical music it is

essential. There are techniques intraditional music of how to do rolls, triplets etc which is a

different matter. Violinists I have taught have often made extremely fast progress. Technique

in most cases has not been a problem and if the teacher can pass on subtler aspects of the music

alongside their more than competent reading skills, great strides can be made.The approach

to classical music is often academic so learning is very sequential and geared towards grades

or exams of some kind and ultimately performance. It will be unusual for these players to

have developed too many bad habits hindering or limiting their progress. If a classically trained

musical/student has reached an advanced stage it will be because they have adhered to the

classical training. In that training whether though their teachers preferred method or through

a widespread teaching such as the ‘Suzuki method’, they will have acquired the training to often

excellent effect. Marked differences between the two are the classical player interprets what is on

the sheet to a very high degree. The interpretation coming from the player is mainly left to the

composer and often only with virtuoso playing can there be room for more individual expression,

e.g. playing a cadenza. Irish traditional music is usually passed on by ear and learning it is an

absorption of the tune and how it fits into the tradition. With traditional music there is often

much room for expression within the tradition. This could include,the choice of tune

(once it’s traditional!),style (acquired or consciously chosen), variations, bowing etc.

The striving for perfection in playing a classical piece can often transfer to their playing and

specifically the bow arm when approaching Irish music.

Advice for classical Players:

One of the first goals is to get away from any rigidity that may be in the playing musically or

physically, especially at the right arm/wrist. Classical players might also have an overuse

of vibrato which can really halt progress in traditional fiddling. Vibrato is used by some

traditional fiddlers in slow airs and faster tunes albeit very subtly. It is often incorporated

into a players overall style rather than a technique in itself. Traditional players who have this

within their style are Kevin Burke, Martin Byrnes and many others.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7XzqjndH-Q&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dws185EvRoQ

Avoid vibrato entirely, even in airs. You want to get out of the habit of using vibrato. Look at other

ornaments to play instead and that enhance or flavour the tune or phrase. Try to retain a

looseness in the right wrist. That allows the bow to stop gradually and also allows a soft attack

on a note. Rather than a clipped sound or stopping of the note. This will help to allow a flow in the

music which is very important. Learning solely by ear will be an alien concept to the

classical violinist.Whereas traditional musicians often learn just by ear having an ability to

retain 100′s of tunes and variations within. A small proportion of traditional musicians read

music, this can be a good reference point and a help to those who can’t get individual tuition.

I am certainly not against it.

Learn an easy tune by ear. ‘ Down by the Sally Gardens’ will be a good starting point.

Then after more airs (old Irish song type),marches are an increase in melody difficulty and then

onto polkas, jigs, hornpipes etc. Work at being able to hear the tune in your head. Lilting is an

integral part of the tradition.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnUOq0euqYQ

Most players can lilt or hear the tune they need to play. You should also look for transcriptions

of Irish fiddlers which include as much detail (bowing,slurs and ornamentation) as possible.

Not to copy but to give you an idea of the deeper and more refined aspects of Irish fiddling.

This can explain bowings, how certain effects are produced and the players individual style.

On this site, there is is ‘vol.2, 30 Irish tunes’ (still at half price) including bowing and variations.

I would also recommend ‘Bowing styles in Irish fiddle playing Vol.2‘ by David Lyth.

(Volume 1 no longer available). The Archive recording ‘Ceol an Cláir‘ contains the source

of many of the transcriptions in the book. This includes in depth analysis of the Munster

playing style such as Bobby Casey, Paddy Cronin and Junior Crehan.

The book is available at this link below.

http://comhaltas.ie/shop/detail/bowing_styles_v2/

Don’t be afraid to look at other instrument transcriptions also

esp. of Uilleann piping. My book ‘A Complete guide to Learning the Irish fiddle’

also includes a section on style, extensive ornamentation and over 80 tunes is

available at http://www.waltonsmusic.com/tutors2.html

Practice & Listening

paulmcnevin — Sun, 01 May 2011 23:01:57 +0000

How much do you have to spend practicing fiddle each week? My rough guide is, 2-3 times a week you might improve, 4-5 times a week you will improve making good progress. With practicing everyday, you will notice the improvement and so will others, usually make excellent progress. Adults may find it difficult to practice everyday so a goal of most days would be practical. How long should my practice session be? Of course everyone is different but it should be at least a half hour to make noticeable progress. If you practice everyday 40 minutes would be good. If you practice 4-5 times a week at least to 40 minutes. If you only practice 3 times a week you should practice in hourly chunks. Of course listening to or writing music will help outside practice time.

What to practice? The more goal directed your practice the more likely you are to achieve it. The more motivated you are, the more you will stick at it. Even if it is simply to play a tune, a goal of how you want to improve will help. Set a time frame and have a structure to your goal and write it down. Also the more you practice, the more you will build up a level of concentration and consistency.

Now to listening. Listening is a huge part of a musicians life and you will need to do it to develop your ear for music (one of many skills of a good musician see ‘skill sets’ article). Music is like a language but communicates pitches rather than words. When you first learn a language you cannot understand native speakers because they speak too fast. Your understanding is not developed to make sense of each word spoken so it becomes a communicative stream. This is the same with music and Irish music can be fast! Your understanding develops so you can hear the pitches, how they relate to tempo, the key and the set of tunes at speed.

Tip: Listen to music for 2 or 3 minutes (to a duo or trio) and see if you can focus on the sound of 1 instrument. Then listen to 2 instruments and see how they produce ‘one sound’. As your listening improves you can listen out for ornamentation, bowing, elements of style etc. At an advanced stage you may be able to tell the key, what string the player is on and the ornamentation as you are listening.

If there is something that bogs you down or is difficult in a practice session, skip it and leave it till the next practice session. By the time the next practice comes along, you will have gained some insight in how to overcome it (or how to approach it in a different way, play it slower for example). It if is simply too difficult for you to play or understand, you will need advice or tuition to progress.

Skill sets

paulmcnevin — Sun, 01 May 2011 09:00:51 +0000

What set of skills does an accomplished musician have and an novice need to learn?

Remembering:(musical memory)

Part of being a musician is to be able to remember music. When it is remembered it is internalised along with the muscle memory of playing. As it is an aural tradition, Irish music needs to be remembered. Many of the tunes I 1st learned were from recordings. This helped me remember sets of tunes and often when I remembered the name(s), the tune would come to me better because of the association. When you have some tunes to start off(say more than 10),you can then look at building a repetoire. It is a great way to keep track of how many tunes you have and it is enjoyable too. Irish music is generally played in sets(groups or 2 or 3)so you can build up sets of jigs, reels etc.

A Good Ear:

Through listening and playing you will become more sensitive to music. You will be able to focus on specific aspects of the music rather and build up a level of concentration that will come second nature with regular practice. At a more advanced level you can try to working out the bowing, slurring, phrasing and how this helps create style. This will test your concentration and listening ability. How does a player anticipate rhythm, embellish the tune or accentuate a phrase ? This is all part of analysing the music. You will do this quickly and more naturally with practice.

Dexterity:

An accomplished musician needs to be dextrous. This is best formed when young as a natural part of growing. The fingers and posture grow and adapt into the playing position. It can become so natural the musician may not know how to do otherwise. When this happens the muscle memory and the co-ordination is natural and habitual. Young people have supple muscles and this is an advantage in learning for sure. With someone older they might have tension because they know the difficult task in learning an instrument. Simply put, the holding of the fiddle(and especially the bow) is not a natural position for the hands/arms to be in. If you feel pain or tension, leave playing and shake both hands and allow the circulation to flow. You can soon return to playing when the pain subsides. In traditional music circles a phrase often used is ‘command of the instrument ‘. This is the ease with which one plays. Top players are relaxed and at one with their instrument. With some musicians, playing music relaxes them. Relaxation and dexterity(especially with regards to learning) are hand in glove.

Reading/Transcribing

Irish musicians often do not read music but they are at no disadvantage. Irish music is mainly an oral tradition and much more will be gained from the traditional handing down of music through personal connection with teachers, sessions and the experience of traditional music gatherings rather than sheet music books(though books have an important role in preserving Irish music).

In regard to reading, Irish music has an advantage over other types/genres of music e.g. Classical or jazz. It is a lot easier to read! Not saying that it is easy, that skill has to be developed and every nuance of Irish music is written as it would be impractical and unwise to try to include all the subtleties. Irish music is often in a standard number of keys (though it has been popular to vary keys to suit particular instruments or add a freshness to a composition). Many Irish tunes often do not go beyond two octaves(though many fiddle tunes do) again convenient for readers.

It you get the opportunity to learn to read music, avail of it. It will be a help to your playing and much coveted music is available in collections such as ‘O Niells 1001′ and ‘Ceol Rince na hEireann’ vol. 1-5. A string to your bow as it were. Tip: can you hear a tune in your head(or lilt it) as you read without having to play your instrument. This is a great skill to have and develop.

Interpretation:

The skill of interpretation of traditional music. This is one of the most difficult aspects of irish music. There are varying opinions as to what is truely traditional making it more difficult. Some musicians are great composers, putting fresh ideas into the tradition. Others are great at interpretation. They have the skill of being able to mould a personal touch into a traditional style. This is often done by phrasing and ornamentation sympathetic to the piece and the tradition itself. Their playing will often carry soul that evokes a reaction in the listener that takes them out of their present state and into the living, breathing tradition. It they are experienced players or listeners they will be even more absorbed by great traditional music. Listening and playing music will bring on your musical appreciation too.

For more on technique and the playing of the instrument itself see ‘A complete guide to the Irish Fiddle ‘ http://www.waltonsmusic.com/tutors2.html