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Please begin by telling us anything you would like to about yourself. Age, place of birth, residence, etc. Hi, Bill Gunn, a.k.a BillyG here. I am Scottish, born and bred, and currently reside in a small village called Scourie on the far north west coast. A pleasant enough place to live, but occasionally subject to very strong westerly winds - I sometimes swear I can smell the coffee brewing in the New York Hilton. I have miraculously survived all that life has thrown at me, and have so far somehow made it into my 62nd year - so I really need to push on with the violin - so many tunes, so little time! READ MORE>>>
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Bill Bill Bill!
A great article. (always great with you). Thanks for Sharing. Now I know you even better.
I love jammin' with you. You have become such a dear friend. I am always thankful and appreciative of you.
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
Honorary tenured advisor
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Thanks Bill. What brand(s) and key(s) of low whistle do you play? I have a Dixon low D. I find the low whistles pretty hard to play -- piper's grip and all.
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. ~Herm Albright
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That was a fun article! I love the picture of your parents. @Bill I also would like to try other violins
Violinist start date - May 2013
Fiddler start date - May 2014
FIDDLE- Gift from a dear friend. A 1930-40 german copy, of a french copy of a Stradivarius. BOW - $50 carbon fiber. Strings - Dominants with E Pirastro Gold string.
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Excellent interview, Bill!
Bravo!
And a lovely old radio. Good to hear that a rare bird like that can still sing.
"This young wine may have a lot of tannins now, but in 5 or 10 years it is going to be spectacular, despite the fact that right now it tastes like crude oil. You know this is how it is supposed to taste at this stage of development." ~ Itzhak Perlman
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Thank you folks ! The truth is that you all are, along with many other forum members, a bit like an extended family. I like how we help each other, offer alternative suggestions to peoples questions, and gently correct each other when we've got the "wrong end of the stick" LOL.
@Fiddlerman - thanks for the interview, it was a pleasure !
@coolpinkone - exactly the same back at you - the forum would not be the same without you - and I love the challenges you set yourself and share with us. Never give up - and I want to hear that EV, lass !!!
@Uzi - the whistle (unfortunately) is in the key of F / Bb - not overly helpful for playing along to my beginner's fingering on the fiddle. It is not tune-able and plays about 25 cents flat when cold, but once up to breath-temperature it is almost spot-on LOL. I bought it about 15 years ago, and although there may have been identification on the box at the time, there is no indication on the whistle itself - so I don't recall the make. I am currently thinking about getting an A / D and have been looking at the tuneable Dixon and Chieftain whistles, but still have to decide - here he is - 
@Schaick - glad you enjoyed! And yes, come the mid-late 60's my mum and dad used to say "that's not music, that's just noise" when the rock/pop culture was really taking off - but - they both "came round" once I started playing tunes they recognized on guitar and even reluctantly admitted that they liked some of the early Beatles songs ! My mum used to sing along to Perry Como songs I might add, and I "blame her" ( not really ) to this day for never yet having been able to get either the lyrics or the tune to "Catch a falling star" and "Magic Moments" out of my head...... Sweet !
@DanielB - yup - she's a beauty (I thought the internal view more interesting!) Eventually had to replace the old wax/paper capacitors with modern equivalents. The silver-mica high tolerance low pF value originals are still fitted. I've left the CY31 rectifier in-situ but, since it was always the "first to go", hidden underneath its base is a Fairchild Semiconductor bridge rectifier, substituting for the valve! ( Cheat! ) And I still have a spare set of valves! LOL
Well - that was all "off topic" from the point of view of fiddle stuff - but it has been real nice taking a walk down memory lane !
I seriously recommend not copying my mistakes. D'oh - 
Please make your own, different mistakes, and help us all learn :-)
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Thanks so much for doing the interview Bill.
Your interview was interesting, entertaining and I feel like I know you even better now. 
Extended family is exactly what I feel as well. Great feeling to know that there are several of us that feel the same.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Wow, Mr Bill... great info. I love to hear you play on SJ and look forward to many more 'shows' with you. You've always been very supportive of my attempts at playing and I sure admire all you've accomplished as well.
Let's me see how the other side of the pond does it! Ha.
Great to have you here.
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
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cdennyb said
Wow, Mr Bill... great info. I love to hear you play on SJ and look forward to many more 'shows' with you. You've always been very supportive of my attempts at playing and I sure admire all you've accomplished as well.Let's me see how the other side of the pond does it! Ha.
Great to have you here.
Thanks Denny! Same back at you there, and totally envious of course of the 5-string!!!!! I like the sound from your EV and FX. I'm planning to call a "Fiddler Jelly Jam" on SJ sometime soon and see what takers we get. I was kind of thinking towards the end of the coming week like Sat 11th or Sun 12th - once all the Easter holidays are over (sort of) - but I'll launch the suggestion in the usual place.
I seriously recommend not copying my mistakes. D'oh -
Please make your own, different mistakes, and help us all learn :-)
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Really enjoyed reading and learning more about you Bill > I enjoy your post and your playing. Have watched you on StreetJelly and find your positive attitude toward life and playing music very refreshing. I am part Scottish and love Scottish viddling. Its great having you on this site > you ROCK!!!!
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Heyyyy Dawwg aka @StoneDog - thank you. Life, is just something we have to live with ( !!! ) - we can't escape it ! Let's make the best of it while we can ! Tell you what though - I kinda get the impression you ROCK as well mate ( must be the Scottish ancestry ! ) ^5's Dawg !!!!
I seriously recommend not copying my mistakes. D'oh -
Please make your own, different mistakes, and help us all learn :-)
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Enjoyable getting to know you through this interview 
☆•*¨*•¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆•*¨*•¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆•*¨*•.¸¸¸.•*¨*•☆
World's Okayest Fiddler
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@damfino - my pleasure, Mandy - the interview itself was "thought-provoking for me" - it made me stop, and think, just exactly WHERE did my interest in music come from.... and brought back lots of old, and fond memories....
I seriously recommend not copying my mistakes. D'oh -
Please make your own, different mistakes, and help us all learn :-)
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