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hello everyone! I'm excited to be joining the forum. I'm a fiddler in West Virginia, play a lot of Scottish and Cape Breton music (plus many forays into old time over the years ....)
I'm also interested in instrument repair, set-up ... basically I've been spending quarantine tinkering with a bunch of project fiddles and trying my best not to mess anything up too badly!
Look forward to getting to know some folks, and talk some music!
-Claire
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Welcome to the site, Claire!
How interesting that you are interested in tinkering with setup and repair. Make sure to visit the Instrument and Equipments section of the forum, especially the section for “Bowed String Instrument Repair, Making and Setup. There are many people interested in that aspect, as well as playing, here.
Learn Violin and Fiddle
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Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk Forum
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ClaireS - Welome!
I like Scottish & Cape Breton music, too. Sounds like you've been having fun - how long have you been "Fiddl'n"?
- Emily
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about 15 years now ... I lucked out in that my parents made me and my siblings get started on an instrument when we were 6 years old ... and lucky too that we had a fiddler living a few blocks over from us! and as they say, "the rest is history" - or something like that, lol! ultimately I just play for fun though, there's nothing like it!
-- there's a taste of the kind of tunes I tend to play, just started recording a few videos this spring and summer, not something I've really done before
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welcome to the forum @ClaireS
oh yeah! youve got some great stuff over on you tube. subscriber +1 and looking forward to hearing more from you!
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ClaireS
Welcome to the forum,
And your sounding good,
Mark
Master the Frog and you have mastered the bow.
Albert Sammons
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ClaireS - You just made my evening (oops, it's early morning) extremely
enjoyable! I think I'll be learning a thing or two from you (or five or ten) - so glad you've joined us!
Hope you find some interesting information here on the FM Forum.
- Emily
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ClaireS -
I finally took a moment to check out your YouTube videos. You should've mentioned them to everyone in your 1st post!
You obviously have a great love for your music. I don't think I could EVER tire of listening/watching you play...
It's nice to see you also have a cat that enjoys your music - I only have 1 (out of 3) that seems to enjoy what I play.
I know it's hard for young people now-a-days to think along these lines but hope, maybe some day, you might consider trying your hand at making a few tutorials or an online workshop. Of course, just the fact you share your beautiful music should be very inspiring to many people of all ages!
- Emily
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Emily - thank you so much! means a lot to know that folks enjoy hearing the tunes. I've definitely thought of making some tune tutorial videos, but I think I'd need to get a better camera set-up figured out. time will tell on that one, lol
Vin (my cat) is a bit elderly and half deaf - I think that's why she doesn't mind the playing so much haha! growing up, my parents had a corgi and she absolutely hated the fiddle ... I think it was too much for her huge ears
Claire
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ClaireS - You are welcome!
I forgot I wanted to ask you about learning to play at that young age. Do you remember anything that helped you to stay interested?
I'm asking because I have 6 little Grandkids (another on the way) - oldest is 8 this month. My Daughter and I get the kids to listen to different types of music, also some fun kid's music theory video's - I play different genres for them on my 5-string violin. I try to play tunes they can jump around/dance to - keep them involved.
More to the point, I don't see my Grandkids as often now (because of Covid-19) but I am setting up a little 1/2 size violin to let them explore with, soon.
So, any advice you might have would be appreciated!
Btw, Vin is still very cool! Of my "Clowder" of 3 cats, the oldest just turned 18 last month! I've still seen him get up and walk (another runs!) out of the room when I start to practice. The last of the three (probably brain damaged) seems to like the music, but he serenades me sometimes ("The Rights of Man" does something to him)! Now, if I could only get that on video...
- Emily
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Hmmm ... a discussion on how to get young kids to stick with their instruments could probably be a whole topic thread in itself. For me, I think what helped a lot was that I got to pick the instrument (my parents wanted us all to learn an instrument, but didn't really care which one), and that when I started playing I had a love of the type of music I was learning.
Like you said - exposure to different types of music so you can find out what you really like. My parents had tons of fiddle CDs they got for me that were pretty much all I listened to growing up, definitely did a lot of "unconscious" learning from that! Oh yeah, and if the world ever opens up, taking the grandkids to festivals can be fun! My mom took me to the Old Songs Festival in upstate NY for years since it was close to where we lived ... being surrounded by live music does wonders for wanting to keep playing!
The other good thing about starting young is that I had a lot of "external motivation" during those beginning years where everything sounded horrible! Having my mom force me to go practice ... I hated it then, but I'm so thankful now, cause it made me push through that hard part and get to the part where it's actually fun!
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ClaireS - I really appreciate all the insight I can get!
Funny you should mention... I did start a thread in the "Teaching Violin" category and I received some great ideas from it!
I had really hoped the Highland Games wouldn't be cancelled this year - wanted the Kids to hear/see all that music & fun. If I say anything more about what we've missed it'll just get depressing... so I'll leave it at -
Thank you for all your help!
Btw, you've inspired me to learn to play a fiddle "Pipe" tune.
- Emily
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Hey @ClaireS,
Happy that you found us. Looking forward to more posts from you.
Did you take a course in violin repair/set-up?
Just saw the video that you shared as well. Way to go!!! 
You get a badge for sharing that video. Welcome to the forum!!!
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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