Leana said

*side note-  I tried to tag you in this post, I would select your name, and this is what shows up-- is there something wrong ? or is this really you ? @valentine violin (I put the space in there so as not to accidentally tag the wrong person)

Yup, that's really me. When I first signed up for the forum I chose ValentineViolin as a user name because my husband gave me my first violin as a Valentine's Day gift. But before I posted my first post I decided that I didn't like that name and changed it to KindaScratchy. As it turns out, you can change the name that people see but you can't change the actual user name, so I'm kinda stuck with ValentineViolin. When you try to tag someone using the public name, the system switches it to the actual user name.

Thanks, folks. A couple of videos to be posted shortly...

Fiddlestix said
Excellent job, Di.  Timing was great.

I don't know why but your "Soloist" sounded richer / darker to me in Ashokan.

Maybe it's just me.

I like it.

 

Ken.

Thanks, Ken. I agree. I notice a richer sound on the G and D strings on the Soloist. Ashokan Farewell uses all the strings, so that comes through. Red Wing stays mostly on the A and E strings with a few notes on the D string.

Thanks, @ElisaDalViolin .

Thanks so much for all the nice comments, everyone. @Just4Fun : I'm definitely hooked on backing tracks now. They help me so much with rhythm and intonation. They're the next best thing to playing with other people.

On a humorous side note, since I got my new fiddle, I've noticed my nose runs every time I play it. I suspect it might be from rosin dust flying off the new bow hair. Anyway, I just noticed that at 1:56 in the Ashokan Farewell video, it made me sniff. It's cracking me up because I look really funny.

This will start at 1:50, just before The Big Sniff.

AnnyJ said
Beautiful new violin friend! And great playing, I enjoyed watching your videos. Where do you get the backing tracks, if I may ask? Something I'm considering using, since my rhythm is awful.

Thanks! I have several sources for backing tracks:

1. The Old Time Jam Machine: The site has backing tracks for 100 or so old time tunes, including different combinations of guitar, banjo and fiddle, as well as slow guitar-only tracks. You can play any of the tracks directly on the site, or if you buy a lifetime membership for $37, you can download all of the tracks.

2. Free Bluegrass Backing Tracks site: this site has backing tracks for a bunch of common bluegrass songs and tunes, as well as chord progressions in various keys. All tracks can be downloaded for free. The site also offers a "slow-downer" which you can use to slow down your own sound files.

3. The Flatpick Apprentice: offers guitar backing tracks for a bunch of bluegrass tunes in various tempos. Tracks can be played directly on the site or downloaded in .zip files.

4. Homemade: I play guitar and have made several of my own backing tracks for tunes that I couldn't find elsewhere.

There may be more sources out there for other genres. I believe that it's possible to make backing tracks with software like Band in a Box (I think that may be how the FBBTS tracks were made). For the record, I used the Old Time Jam Machine for Red Wing and Free Bluegrass Backing Tracks for Ashokan Farewell.