“There are very few things in this world more annoying than a fiddle played out of tune.” – Darol Anger
Getting your fiddle in tune is something that is so important, and unfortunately, often overlooked. As Darol says in the fiddle lesson here, it’s something you’ll be working on for your entire fiddle life. It’s a never-ending struggle, even for Darol who’s been playing fiddle for almost 50 years. But the good news is that we’re here to help!
So how do we practice for pitch? The first thing is to learn how to hear pitch, so practice matching the different pitches you hear around you. Let your own voice guide you as you play open strings on your fiddle.
Remember, your hands are like animals. They like to spend time in a comfortable spot doing the same thing. So keeping that in mind, when you find the right pitch – stay on it so it will become second nature.
Here’s another tool for developing your intonation – drones. Darol has developed his own CD of drones using an Indian drone box (aka sruti box) that you can play along to (available at http://darolanger.com). The drones here are long tones containing 3 notes, each perfectly in tune. Darol demonstrates playing a G Scale over a drone that contain a low G, D, and high G. The drone provides a very stable reference to play along to.
“Not only are we starting to hear the intonation, but we’re starting to hear the beauty and the internal logic in the intonation. Being in tune can really make a difference in what you’re trying to communicate as a musician.” – Darol Anger
Watch Darol’s Free Fiddle Lessons |
Related Fiddle Blogs:
***Also available in the ArtistWorks Tuning and Intonation Series:
- How to Tune a Guitar with Martin Taylor
- Banjo Tuning with Tony Trischka
- Mandolin Tuning with Mike Marshall
- Dobro Tuning with Andy Hall