Jessica and I recently spent a wonderful weekend at the Winter School put on by the Celtic Arts Foundation in Seabeck, WA, attending workshops in Irish fiddling. We loved the music, the people, the venue, and learning something new together. It was quite a coincidence to stumble across this event, see the list of world-class musicians that would come in from Ireland, Scotland, and the US to instruct, and realize that this phenomenal happening was right here in our own backyard! Naturally, we had to sign up for the experience, and it was well worth it. We’re excited to add this music to our repertoire that we play together and with others. I could talk about the experience of learning new music without seeing a single note of sheet music, or muse on how the bowing and left hand techniques made me think of my classical playing in a new way, or how interesting it was to see primarily classically-trained violinists learning a folk style. But I think the most interesting thing to talk about actually stems from a question that I got a lot of when talking to people who weren’t at the workshop. Any time I tell a layperson that I’m doing something with a “fiddle,” I almost inevitably get the question “so what’s the difference between a violin and fiddle?” (interesting to note that I don’t get that question when I say I’m doing something with a violin…). My standard answer is usually “there’s no difference in the instrument, just in the style of music you play with the instrument.” It’s a good answer, and very true. But after this weekend, I’m realizing that there actually is a more nuanced answer. Most people who ask me the difference between a fiddle and violin are just making small talk and probably not interested in an answer like this, but if you’re reading this, you might just be interested!
So the first nuance is that there are some instruments that I would call a fiddle but not a violin. Hardanger fiddles are the national instrument of Norway, and each one is an exceptional piece of art, complete with inlay, carved heads instead of scrolls, and exquisite “rosing” (ink drawings). At first glance, it has the same shape as a violin, and may appear to be just a violin with lots of “jewelry.” The first thing that usually stands out is there are lots of extra pegs, anywhere from 6 to 9 pegs total rather than the standard 4. That begs the question “where are all those extra strings?” Turns out they go to the understrings, which are additional strings that aren’t bowed but vibrate sympathetically when the regular 4 strings are played. That alone is enough to set this apart as a unique instrument. There are plenty of other nuances, such as the set of the neck, the length and curvature of the fingerboard, the bridge and nut that allow strings to pass through, a larger pegbox to accommodate all the extra pegs, and of course the aesthetics. Even the shape can be different, with far less rigidity about always using a Strad or Guarneri pattern for the mold. But all of those things together wouldn’t necessarily qualify it as a unique instrument. A Baroque violin or 5-string fiddle have many of the same characteristics, yet with a few minor adjustments, you could turn a standard violin into one of those variants. You couldn’t truly make the transition to a Hardanger fiddle from a violin because the body and construction are fundamentally different, especially around the sound holes. On a regular violin, they open from the top and follow the contours of the top, while on a Hardanger fiddle, they open from the side, with the wood that forms the lower sound hole actually going underneath the table of the fiddle where the bridge rests. In short, if you tried to convert a violin to a Hardanger fiddle (or vice-versa) simply by adding or removing ornamentation and strings and changing some details of the setup, it would still look fundamentally wrong. That’s not to say that people haven’t tried it, but if you truly want to play classical music, I’d strongly suggest getting an actual violin rather than a Hardanger fiddle and trying to convert it.
How does this affect the sound? It’s certainly nuanced, but also completely easy to hear. The first thing you’ll hear in Hardanger fiddle music is almost constant double stops. You could do this on a violin, but the Hardanger fiddle has a flatter bridge and fingerboard that greatly facilitate this. You’ll also hear the understrings ringing as they vibrate sympathetically. It’s not a tone you could reproduce with a violin. I still remember hearing the soundtrack from Lord of the Rings as a kid, and thinking how I wish I could replicate that sound from the Rohan theme on my violin. It certainly sounded like a violin, but I couldn’t figure out how they got that distinct, vibrant and cutting yet sonorous sound.
So there’s more than you bargained for about a fiddle instrument that is very distinct from a violin. The rest of this is the more nuanced version of “what’s the difference between a violin and fiddle” question. When I say that they’re the same instrument, just playing different styles of music, that is true. But within a violin setup, there are many factors a luthier could influence to help facilitate the different style. I won’t pretend to be an expert on different fiddle styles, so my best suggestion is to describe to your luthier the tone you want from your fiddle/violin, and get his suggestions for setup. The following is simply a list of ideas to try out to get you started thinking about it.
The most obvious and the one that you can do on your own is string selection. Try a bit of browsing on forums for your fiddle style to see if anyone has suggestions for which strings to use. You may get people suggesting everything from gut strings to get an earthier tone, to steel strings for a bright, more penetrating or even harsher sound. I suggest only changing out one string at a time, so you can compare different strings to something you're used to. The bow you use can also facilitate the style. In Irish fiddle music, I learned that you use much less bow, and are almost constantly around the balance point. Depending on your comfort level, you may want to play around with bows that have different balance points. In Hardanger fiddle music, many musicians use Baroque bows, which facilitates a lighter touch with the right hand. Things that a luthier can help you with are the bridge construction and soundpost placement. There’s a lot of debate about “tuning” a bridge, and your particular luthier can use his experience to carve your bridge to emphasize the particular sound you’re after. You could also change the height of the bridge. A higher bridge will likely be brighter than a lower bridge, which would tend to have a more open and mellow sound. However, care should be taken, since this also affects the action (string height above the fingerboard), and can potentially lead to playing injuries. One idea that might be worth playing with, however, is to trim the bridge a little flatter to facilitate playing double stops.
A soundpost is the primary "lever" we have to control how a violin sounds. In general, if you move it towards the treble side, the sound becomes brighter and harsher, while moving it towards the opposite side tends to produce a warmer but less powerful sound. This is also affected by how much tension the soundpost exerts on the plates, depending on the height of the soundpost (a shorter soundpost will exert less tension on the plates in the same position as a longer soundpost). You can also have your luthier move the soundpost towards or away from the bridge (further will tend to increase the responsiveness, but too far and you lose power again). Even the thickness of the soundpost can play a part: thicker tends to warmer yet duller, thinner more vibrant yet shriller.
So, when you're asked about the difference between a violin and fiddle in the future, it’s safe to stick with the response “they’re the same instrument, just different styles.” But there’s an asterisk there: *You can make adjustments to the instrument that facilitate one style or the other. And if you want to really get specific, introduce your friend to the Hardanger fiddle! Are there other violin-like instruments that you know of that are distinct? I’d love to hear about your experience in making music with these beautiful instruments, and how you’ve optimized your individual setup to get your own distinct sound!
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