Fiddle Lesson 1
Bile 'em Cabbage Down
This simple song has elements in common with many old time tunes. Let's use it to get accustomed to hearing chord changes, finding the notes, and applying rhythmic bowing styles.
Bile 'em Cabbage, version 1: single notes.
Lyrics:
Opossum up a 'simmon tree / Raccoon on the ground.
Raccoon says You son of a gun / Throw some 'simmons down.
Bile 'em cabbage down, boys / Turn, turn the hoecakes 'round.
Only song what I can sing / Bile 'em cabbage down.
Notes in key of A:
C# C# D D / C# C# B B
C# C# D D / C# B A A
Chords in key of A:
A A D D / A A E E
A A D D / A E7 A A
Fingering notes using just the the A string:
2 2 3 3 / 2 2 1 1
2 2 3 3 / 2 1 0 0
Fingering for the AE strings together:
20 20 31 31 / 20 20 10 10
20 20 31 31 / 20 10 00 00
Get in Tune
Violin standard tuning is G D A E where G is the thickest and E is the thinnest string. Eventually you'll hear the difference between in tune and out of tune. Till then, obtain helper devices such as these.
You can buy a battery-powered clip-on tuner such as the Snark for under $20. The tuner is pre-set to standard pitch where A = 440Hz.
Visit the free ViolinOnline web site to hear each note.
Download the free Tuner+ smart phone app to hear each note.
Get the free Garage Band computer program. One of its many features is a display that tells you which note you are playing and whether it is sharp or flat.
Bow Techniques
Down bow style: {Pull, Push}, etc. Pull means down stroke toward your right. Push means up stroke toward your left. Try to end each phase with a push so that the next phrase can start with a pull.
Saw stroke: {Pull, Push}, {Pull, Push}, etc. Aim to make the pulls and pushes sound the same. Use even bows so every stroke takes 1 beat. The reverse saw stroke works too: {Push, Pull}, {Push, Pull}, etc.
Nashville shuffle: {Long, Short, Short}, {Long, Short, Short}, etc. Use one long bow for 2 beats, then 2 short bows for 2 beats. You can slur two notes into the 1 long bow if you like. Since this is a pattern of 3 bows across 4 beats, the bow direction must change on each repetition: {P-u-l-l, Push, Pull}, {P-u-s-h, Pull, Push}, etc.
Georgia shuffle: {Long, Short}, {Long, Short}, etc. Use one long bow stroke for 3 beats, then 1 bow stroke in the reverse direction. You can slur three notes into the 1 long bow if you like. To keep this going, return your bow to its starting location after each repetition; your short bow will have to move 3 times faster than your long bow! Here is an example starting with the down stroke: {Pull-Pull-Pull, Push!}, {Pull-Pull-Pull, Push!}. The exclamation mark indicates a really fast bow. It is ok to start the shuffle on the short bow or part way through the long bow.
Pulse: Add pulses to keep the beat. Part way through a long bow, give a quick umph by pressing harder or speeding the bow.
On-line Tutorials
Article on shuffles [suite101].
The A scale and Sally Goodin each played 3 ways: saw, Nashville shuffle, Georgia shuffle [Fiddle Hangout].
Jacie Sites [utoob] advises medium speed (not too fast or slow), medium pressure (not too heavy or light), and medium position (half way between bridge and fingerboard). Warning: this is a commercial.
JohnsFiddleLessons gives his secret to bowing fast [utoob]. The secret is the shuffle bow: long, short, short, long, short, short. He demonstrates on Old Joe Clark and the G major scale. Warning: he talks a lot.
Gemma de Ragon shows how to practice the shuffle stroke [utoob] using Old Joe Clark as an example. Warning: this is a commercial.
Red Desert Violin explains "fiddle secrets" which are shuffle bow variations [utoob]. She demonstrates shuffle on the A major scale and Old Joe Clark. Warning: this is a commercial.
Benton Flippen had his own way of playing. He put them on video when he was 88 years old [utoob]. Hear him play Suzanna Gal [utoob] in his van.
Over the Waterfall in D played by Bruce Ling [utoob]. He plays it slow while the split screen highlights bow and fingers separately. This is very helpful!
We find many bad tutorials on-line. Found a good one? Send it to us.
Timing
Your timing will be quirky until you get out and play with other people. Find people to play with!
Tap your foot while you practice. Or, practice with a metronome, which is a mechanical foot tapper.
At metronome online, you set the speed. At best metronome, you can set a million options and even have the metronome listen to you (requires flash and java).
If you buy a metronome, try to get a loud one. Some electronic ones are so soft you can't hear them when you play. Some electronic ones have a blinking light, which helps. The old fashioned windup kind has a pendulum so you hear it and see it tick.
Try not to buy the kind I have. Mine slows down at the easy parts and speeds up at the hard parts. Listen to the videos and you'll see what I mean.
We are playing Bile 'em Cabbage slowly in key of A using just the A string. We saw stroke the first time through and shuffle the second time through.
Bile 'em Cabbage, version 2: double stops.
We play "Bile 'em Cabbage" a little faster in key of A. We play the saw stroke 4 ways. (1) Straight saw. (2) Slide up to the C# with the 2nd finger. (3) Emphasis on pull or down bow. (4) Emphasis on push or up bow. We play the A and E strings together. The open E string sounds good except during the D chord when we play the D note with 3rd finger on the A string and the F# note with the 1st finger on the E string.
Bile 'em Cabbage, version 3: shuffle and slide.
We play "Bile 'em Cabbage" even faster in key of A. Again, we play the A and E strings together most of the time. We play it 4 times through. (1) All shuffle. (2) Mix shuffle and saw stroke. (3) Shuffle and slide into that C# with the 2nd finger. (4) One more time, mixing styles.