I know this is an accordion discussion group, but I figured some of you could help.

I am looking to learn how to play the fiddle (Cajun Style). I have never even touched a fiddle and have very little knowledge of the subject whatsoever. I have looked several places online, but find a wide variety and price range leaving me wondering what to look for. Wood type, sound, size, bow type, etc.... I have no idea where to start.

If it is like an accordion I'm sure a Louisiana handmade would be much preferred, but I'm not looking for an Acadian or Falcon to learn on. I'm also not looking for something that can't play a note and I will throw it away once I get descent and buy a new one. I'm looking for something around $300 - $400. Any ideas?

Thanks
Brett Thibodeaux

hi brett

fiddles are funny. they aren't as linear as accordions. an accordion is pretty much fairly predictable as to the maker. i have 2 fiddles. the first one a friend gave me. it's a wonderful handmade, crafted in maine in 1923, it feels like it was made to be tuned down. the other one i got from tom quinn, a fantastic musician who frequents this spot sometimes. it is made in france in 1843. i would say that i love them both. the french fiddle would probably cost upwards of six thousand dollars. the one i got for free, probably around 5k. there are lots of fiddles much cheaper that might sound just as good. you need to have a friend or someone to go along with you to help determine whether it's a "playable fiddle".....
it's a very subjective world, the fiddle. because the accordion is fixed, with regards to notes, it has less nuance and will provide less frustration to a newbie. learning the fiddle......you'll be making sounds that are so painful for others to witness, you'll need a seperate house to practice. far away from humanity.

oh, and bows. they can cost as much as the fiddle. but for a newbie a fiberglass bow with horse hair, get horse hair that's really really impt, is a nice and cheap starting point.

it's also almost as impt to have it set up well. ken smith in kenner is a great fiddle source, as is anya burgess in arnaudville.
feel free and contact me with any other questions.
hope this is slightly helpful.
roger

I second the motion. Well said, Roger.

Brett, I've got an European 1890 Stainer (copy) and I think the sound isn't bad. However, i've played in front of other fiddlers and they think it's fantastic for Cajun music. So, it's hard to tell.

And yes, Anya is a great person to contact. She can provide you with bow answers.

You want to get a full size 4/4 fiddle and check to see if there are any major cracks. Cracks in the wood tend to make certain notes resonate weird depending on the fiddle. Otherwise, it's a good fiddle to start with.

While there will be certain small differences in sound, unlike accordions, a Louisiana made fiddle won't have that much of a distinct difference than a Texas, Arkansas, Maine made fiddle. Since the fiddle is a more widely played instrument and therefore a more widely made instrument, you can't narrow them down to just a few makers (offical term is 'luthier' = someone who makes violins/fiddles). There are luthiers everywhere across the country.

I've heard lots of things about getting a "true" Cajun/Old Timey sound by sanding the face of the fiddle, purchasing Old Timey sounding strings, and flattening the bridge to make double-stops (bowing multiple strings) easier, but i don't put much emphasis in this.

I suggest borrowing one if you can and get others to play it. Get them to analyze and comment on the sound. Use your ears and determine if you want that particular sound as well. European fiddles and American fiddles both sound great for Cajun music. As far as Louisiana made... the only person i know right now making them is Michael Doucet's son, Matt Doucet. He's in Lafayette now and in full production. I'm sure there are others.

WF

I also got a fiddle, bow and old case from Tom Quinn (a few years back) on one of his liquidation things.

It is a German made late 1800's to very early 1900. My nephew (by marriage) comes from the Fresno Ca. area and a large family of Blue Grass & Celtic musicians. His sister has a music store (fiddle shop) in Washington State. She had asessed the fiddle which I have to be worth far more than what I paid Tom for it (which is fine if you look at it for insurance value), though I doubt I would sell it.

You can get a fiddle fairly reasonable priced (for what I have seen), I think by far cheaper say, than a hand made accordion (if you shop around). What Roger stated about the bow, is what I have heard from many that play fiddle... they can be expensive and highly collectable.

Fiddle from SCRATCH CD- with Mitch Reed

It's pretty good, as for what little I know (I have nothing else to compare it with as a learning cd). Now and then I scratch on the fiddle as a simple reminder that I have a loooooong ways to go before I can muster any reasonableness for making music from that contraption. It has greatly enhanced my appreciation for those that can.

Just think: A Cigar Box Fiddle with wires from a old screen door... now that's determination!

Nonc D

I suspect you may have a hard time finding a "good" american/european fiddle for only $300. You could possibly find a chinese or korean made instrument in that price range. I know you can get some decent chinese made mandolins for that price. I have a luthier friend in Fredricksburg named Glenn Stevens who hand-makes violins and mandolins. He gets 10K for his violins, 6K for his mandolins (even though they take three times as long to build). He worked for many years in a violin factory in Houston and later was the house luthier in Dollywood. Glenn says that factory instruments "can" be good especially if you get it properly set-up. Same with mandolins.

The other possibility is to find someone with an old family instrument that needs some repair and get a good luthier to put it in playing shape. It would help if you had someone who is fiddle educated to help you pick one out. You might find one of those 1 in 30 special instruments.

Just some thoughts.

As a fiddle maker, I have a couple of thoughts. Eastman strings provides excellent quality and resonably priced instruments. Good for someone with some to a lot of playing experience. International Violin Co. in Baltimore offers very good student grade and higher violins. Every student(and teacher) I know who has purchased one has not been disappointed and many keep them as their instrument of choice even when they become proficient players. Once you play pretty good, then you just have to try as many as you can until one feels just right.

I'll second Eastman Strings. They also make very nice Mandolins, but have been making violins even longer. Their production is low and their instrumnets can have a hand-made quality.

Hmm. I don't see the ready to play fiddles at the IVC website. You may have to call and see if they still provide them. The eastman model 80 is a good one for under $400.

Couple thoughts. As a new fiddler, have someone who plays go with you so you can really hear what it sounds like. Keep in mind that the sound under your ear is different than standing away from it. The other thing, is if you do buy online, see if you can have a trial period so you don't get stuck with something you're going to hate.
Germany knocked out tons of fiddles for years, sold through Sears and just about everywhere else. Some are clunkers and others are gems. Price wise, you can come across lots of those from $200 to $1000. You have to decide if you like the sound, but bringing someone with some experience can point out the repairs, damage, good points, bad points, etc.

Steve

Thanks for all the help with this. I will try to get Abe Manuel to break free one day and tag along for a shopping spree.

They are hand carved. Eastman HQ is 3 miles from me. I have repaired a couple of their Mandolins. They are exceptional.

This may offend some "in the know" players. I have a birdseye maple one piece back Gliga Romanian violin that does just fine for me. I had Anya set it up for me when I bought it and she really did a great job with it. Mitch Reed, Anya, and David Greely all played it and they all said it was a very good instrument especially for the price, I think I paid about $500 with the case and bow. Just a thought for a beginner setup.

Since you are really new, why not just buy a Chinese-made fiddle off e-bay for $ 100.00 or so, put some good strings on it, and spend the rest on lessons?
If you give up or get POed, you can break it over your knee or give it away to some kid. I have played on one of these for a couple of years, had experienced fiddles play it, and no one knocked it for sound or playability. I think that fiddles are a lot like diamond rings. You can pay a whole bunch for one and it may not accomplish anything but draining your finances.
JB

Contact Ron Yule, he has a web site. He's located in DeRidder, LA. You can also contact Erwin LeJeune in Lake Charles, he's Iry's son. Ron sells used fiddles and you can come up with a good fiddle in your price range.
Jerry

I would go for a used, German factory violin. The kind of thing that would cost about $600-1,000 new and that you can get used for $300-400 off craigslist. Definitely take a friend with you who plays to check out the instrument. Don't buy anything with any cracks, there are too many fiddles out there with no cracks in the $300-400 price range used.

My main fiddle right now is a German factory violin that sells for $700 new that I got pretty much brand new off craigslist for $280.

Hey, Tim O'Brien plays a German factory violin, so you shouldn't need more than that, at least to start with.

About two years ago, I decided to get into the fiddling. I found a very decent 1919 made in Texas fiddle for $300 all in with the hard case & bow. A couple of months ago, my brother gave me an old pre-1921 "made in Nippon" (Japan) that he picked up at an antique shop for next to nothing. I had a friend luthier bring it back to life (new bridge, strings, etc.) for about $100. They both play nice. I keep one standard tuned (GDAE) and the other down-tuned (FCGD).
Bottom line: You don't have to pay a lot of money to get a decent fiddle, but yeah, the value is subjective, don't go nuts. Try several, and ideally bring someone who knows a little bit about them to shop with you. FYI, I recently met a luthier here in Halifax (Raymond Leclair). He is from Quebec and semi-retired, makes very nice fiddles which he sells between $1000 and $2000 which in my view is a great bargain. I'm thinking about ordering one. For lessons, I got the Michael Doucet DVD, and I know the Mitch Reed DVD is very good too. There are also some decent free-bees on YouTube (check link #2 as an example).
Cheers.