Iain Churches said:
"Richard Robinson" wrote in message
o.uk...
So, since we seem to have focussed on bridges, are you saying Swarbrick
used a different bridge to orchestral players ? (Come to that, do
orchestral players differ on the issue ?)

Yes. It was he who brought to my attention that the fiddle bridge is
lower. On the orchestral violin the higher bridge helps prevent the
player accidentally bowing a second string in fast passages, whereas in
fiddle playing double stopping is used frequently.

Well, okay, thanks. I'm just suprised that in 40 years of dealing with
fiddle players I've never heard any mention of any differences in the
instrument. I shall have to ask some questions next time I see an
opportunity.

But you obviously move in more exalted circles than I do, perhaps that's a
clue. Which raises questions as to who these 'folk' are ...

[evil grin. uk.music.folk is long deserted, but back in the day that would
have raised a chant of 'horse alert !', the population being tired of seeing
that discussion always converge on "it's all folk music, I ain't never heard
no horses singing it" and never get any further.]

[...]

Today we commonly use only two clefs, the G and F clef. Baroque composers
used several, among them a C Soprano clef (drawn like a tenor block clef)
which centred on the first line (which is E on our treble clef) So, for
the key of D, the two sharps were F# on the second space (treble clef A)
and fourth space (treble clef E) Wonderful!

I think some intruments still do ? Or did when I was younger, anyway; my
late-60s copy of the Bach cello suites shifts between treble clef and the
one centred on the 4th line up. Disconcerting to read if you're not used to
it (I used to use the bits that didn't do that for sight-reading practice.
For a while, obviously).


And that's before we start on scordatura ...


--
Richard Robinson
"The whole plan hinged upon the natural curiosity of potatoes" - S. Lem

My email address is at http://www.qualmograph.org.uk/contact.html