In this video Craig Judelman ventures into the seemingly muddy waters of how to hold the fiddle in oldtime and what to pay attention to in the left hand. Craig has given a lot of thought to these issues of technique as it applies specifically to fiddling through his own performance career and in his teaching. Ultimately, he doesn’t give a single prescription, but a range of options and encouragement to build greater awareness of how different choices effect sound and ease of playability.
If you’re interested in another take on this topic, also check out this older article on possible reasons for holding the fiddle in a variety of ways:
Old-time fiddling: Playing the ‘wrong’ way, by Stergios Loustas
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Love this wisdom! Thank you OTC for seeking it out and bringing it to all. Thank you Craig Judelman for doing what you do… so well!!
Dear Craig, Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge of of technique. As a self-taught fiddler, it is great to hear the analytic break-down of how more ease can be brought into any position you might play in, and the time spent on explaining how the bent thumb works to our advantage is priceless.
Hope to meet you (and Craig, above) at Clifftop, perhaps?