Want to Learn Irish Fiddle?

Do you want to learn Irish fiddle?

When you answer yes to this question, you are asserting three basic assumptions, the first of which is: You're never to old to begin playing an instrument.

If you don't believe this, you've likely already convinced yourself that it's too late, so if you really want to play, change your thinking right now. Age should never be a factor when it comes to the decision to begin an instrument. I started at the ripe old age of 47, and it was love from the first moment I tentatively put bow to string. Friends have said to me, "I've always wanted to learn to fiddle". Well, my answer is, then do it! If you really want to, there should be nothing to stop you short of physical limitations. Believe it.

The second thing I heard in your resounding 'yes!' is that you have the love it will require. I could use another word like "commitment" or "perseverance" or "tenacity" or "courage". All of those apply, but it's love that underscores everything. Love for Irish music, for starters. Do you enjoy it? In my experience there are musicians who love it, and others who literally can't stand it. Maybe you still want to fiddle, but you prefer Old Time or Bluegrass? Same answer: Just do it!

The love goes beyond the music. As with any endeavor, it takes practice. The more you practice, the faster you will play better, and the sooner you will be good enough to play in sessions. Once you know Irish, no matter where you are, there are always other Irish musicians willing to pull out their fiddle, whistle, flute, concertina, bodhran, whatever, order a pint and play some tunes. There's a comraderie to all folk music. Music is a language that binds perfect strangers. Once you can speak "Irish", "Old Time", or "Bluegrass", you will find friends and make connections and enjoy long-term friendships forged in the mutual love of the music.

Your third assertion is that you have set aside money in your budget for lessons. Irish is not music you play in a vacuum. Most of it is meant to be shared with other musicians, and doesn't everyone love to dance a jig? Without proper technique and fingering, you won't enjoy playing, and your listeners will quickly evacuate the premises. You need a skilled instructor, because where you place the fingers of your left hand is not mapped out with frets the way it is on a guitar or mandolin. You may think what you're playing sounds fine, but unless you are blessed with perfect pitch, well, you could be way off and not realize it until you sit down to play with others. So if you love it, love it enough to budget for instruction. You will be very glad you did.

Still with me? Great ! If I haven't scared you off, yet, you must be serious! Read on!

No, Reading Music is not Illegal

To the beginner, Irish can be intimidating. With the exception of slow airs, it is meant to be played fast. The biggest challenge is learning to translate what you hear to the instrument. Many Irish musicians pride themselves on the fact that they do not read music, at all, but can pick out and play a tune just by hearing it. Many instructors of Irish fiddle will not even provide written music to their students and consider reading the music to be "cheating". I disagree. if you can read music, do it. Get a fake book (recommendations included below) and, when you practice, practice both listening and playing as well as reading. Dedicate 30 minutes to playing a recording of the tune you're learning by ear, and play it over and over again. After that, you've done your duty. Get the book out. Read and play all you want. Ultimately you will find tunes you love and have never heard before. You will learn more tunes faster than if you had to do them one at a time by ear. You will read them over and over again, seek out the recordings, and, after awhile, you will be playing them from memory, embellishing, playing faster, and applying that tune knowledge to other tunes you hear.

Don't let anyone tell you that reading the music is a bad thing. Consider the ability to read music a tool you have in your tool kit that others may not, and use it to your advantage. Go for it!

Where Do I Start?

If you're just starting out, here are some recommendations and considerations:

- Find a qualified instructor. If you're starting later in life, make sure your instructor is willing to teach fiddle technique vs. classical technique. Whatever your choice of folk music, whether Irish or Old Time, does your instructor share your enthusiasm for the genre?

- Rent a violin unless you have one laying around somewhere. It will cost you between 20 and 30 dollars a month, much cheaper than buying new, and as you gain experience, you will also gain knowledge of the quality of violin you eventually want to own. Before you rent, remember to ask the shop if they will apply your rent to a purchase down the road.

- Focus first on intonation, i.e. the ability to not just intend to play a G, but to also actually hit the note. This is fingering, pure and simple. The time you spend teaching your fingers scales and arpeggios is never time wasted. There are fiddlers, who can fill pubs, and others, who can clear them.

- Apply your love. Listen to Irish music. Internalize it. Pay attention to the ornamentation, the lilt, the feel of it. Can you duplicate that in your playing? The tunes you will play best will be the ones you love the most. My personal first passion was The Swallowtail Jig, which I can now play in my sleep and still love just as much as the first time I heard it.

- Invest in a little music notebook that you keep with you or in your fiddle case to write down the names of the tunes you hear but don't know. If you know music notation and have painstakingly learned a tune by ear, write down the first few measures as a memory jogger so you don't lose it.

- After you get some tunes under your belt and are ready to step out to an Irish session, visit www.thesession.org and look up session locations and times in your area. Then go out for a pint and listen to them play or, if you're feeling the love driving your courage, take your fiddle and join in.

Resources

If you read music and want to accelerate your learning process on your own, the following books are extremely well done and contain the music to the most common tunes you hear in Irish sessions. These are my favorites:

McNevin, Paul. A Complete Guide to Learning the Irish Fiddle. 1998. Waltons. ISBN No. 1-857200845. "Everything you need to know about the Irish fiddle, from playing our first notes and tunes to advanced solos and ornamentation". This book includes how to hold the instrument, many great tunes, an instructional CD, and even a paragraph on how to clean your fiddle. Paul did a great job on this one.

Cooper, Peter. Mel Bay's Complete Irish Fiddle Player. 1995. Mel Bay Publications. ISBN 0-7866-6557-2. Includes two teaching CD's and Irish tunes and techniques of every kind.

Lawrence, Anthea. Learn Irish Fiddle Tunes, Volume 1. 2001. Fiddlehead Music, This one may be hard to find, but if you can get your hands on it, it's well worth it. The tunes are recorded (CD included) at three different speeds, so you can practice with the author.

Grizzard, Leon. Hokum: Theory and Scales for Fiddle Tunes and Fiddle improvisation. 1997. Mel Bay Publications. ISBN 0-7866-4446-X. Exercises and music theory that will ultimately help you learn tunes by ear, or if you can't learn them quickly, you'll know how to play along. Excellent!

Recordings

There are many talented professional Irish fiddlers with recordings out on the market, and if you love the genre, you probably have at least heard of these artists. If you haven't, I highly recommend checking them out.

Martin Hayes: The joy of Martin's music, especially for beginning players, is that he plays many traditional tunes slowly, which makes it possible to learn the tunes and play them along with the recording. Impeccable intonation, fabulous dynamics, and Irish tunes played as you might never have heard them before. If you can catch Martin in concert, you're in for a real treat. Visit www.martinhayes.com

Kevin Burke: A world class fiddler, Kevin teams up with others for the Celtic Fiddle Festival. Search for "Kevin Burke" as well as the "Celtic Fiddle Festival". www.kevinburke.com

Randal Bays: I had the privilege of participating in one of Randal's workshops and had a front row seat to a house concert afterward. Randal definitely has the love (probably invented it). He will tell you he's an American dedicated to the Irish fiddle, and he's one of very few fiddlers, who can actually tell you precisely how it's done. His recordings are phenomenal and inspiring. www.randalbays.com

There are so many more! These three are my personal favorites, and I invite you to add your favorites in the comments.

Here's to the music!