Folk violin

The structure of a folk violin is often no different from an academic instrument: four-string folk violins are usually tuned by the GDAE (sol-re-la-mi). However, there are three-stringed, and five-stringed ones (the alto string is added up to), and with the addition of four or five resonating strings.

There are many different methods of staging and playing the violin in traditional styles and styles based on them. Very often, the violin is held not on the left (where the chin is usually located), but in the middle. In this case, the chin is located immediately on the head plate, and sometimes, as in the Baroque tradition, the chin is completely absent and the violin is even kept without touching the head, just below the shoulder. The bow is often held above its usual position, which is also similar to the position in Baroque music. A lot of methods of sound extraction and strokes are used, among them a large influence of non-standard, partly baroque strokes. Staccato and various legato variants are boldly applied, as well as the chop reception (unusual Chop) in classical music, when a sound without a certain pitch (sharp and percussion) is played on a weak beat, which creates a percussion effect (common in parts that support the melody ) The game is also often used by double notes (double stops), when a melody is played in one of the voices, and the second performs the function of a bourdon. The technique of chords and complex touches is less applicable in similar music, although, for example, James Scott Skinner’s author hornpipes use the technique of decomposed chords, as used by classical composers Felix Mendelssohn , Niccolo Paganini and others. But this is perhaps the exception, if we are not talking about modern compositions and mixes based on them.

To a greater extent than classical violin , playing the violin in a traditional manner is characterized by a huge variety of ethnic or folk traditions, each of which has its own characteristic sound.

Europe

UK

• English folk music , including:
  • The style of the Northumbria region ( English Music of Northumbria ) and its violin tradition, which includes “support”, an impromptu part played by a second violinist.
• Scottish violin tradition (Scottish fiddling), including:
  • The tradition of the Shetland Islands is a violin tradition, which includes the melodies of the fairy trowie tradition. Melodies orally come from mythology about a small nation . The style is characterized by “ringing strings” and syncopated rhythms.
  • The tradition of Lowland or Scotts , with a strong influence of the baroque violin technique with staccato and bow technique called scots snap or Lombard rhythm, together with the use of double notes (double stops).
  • The Scottish Borders tradition with a hornpipe repertoire and extensive use of double notes.
  • The Highland or Scottish Highlands tradition, with a great influence of various ornaments and the mixolidian scale used in the Scottish bagpipes , as well as a smoother bow technique than other Scottish violin styles and a 6/8 swing rhythm in jigs .
  • The tradition of the Orkney Islands with a simpler use of bow technique and ornamentation, but with melodies using alteration ^[2] .
• Welsh violin tradition (Welsh Ffidil ; see also Ar Log ), a recently revived tradition.

Ireland

• Irish folk music whose violin tradition includes: ^[3]
  • Donegal style from the northwest of the province of Ulster , with characteristic mazurkas and the influence of the Scottish repertoire, including Strasspey and Highland fling dances . Violinists, as a rule, play quickly and widely use staccato and sometimes in the game they use the bass line when the second violinist can play the melody an octave lower.
  • Sligo style from the northern province of Connacht , as in the Donegal style, melodies are played quickly, but with a characteristic elastic style in bow technique.
  • Galway style from the southern province of Connaught, which is slower than Sligo or Donegal with more weighty accents on ornamentation . In addition, melodies are sometimes played in the keys of E flat and B flat to match the keys of various wind instruments.
  • Claire’s style is from the northern province of Munster , which, as a rule, is played a little slower than Galway in tempo, but a big emphasis on the melody itself, and not on ornamentation.
  • The style of Shliv Luhra from the south-west of the province of Munster is characterized by a unique repertoire of poles and slides , as well as the use of double notes and bourdons , as well as a two-octave melody playing. ^[four]

Scandinavia

• Swedish violin tradition (including playing on Låtfiol ; see also Spelmanslag and Gammaldans ), including provincial traditions:
  • Jemtland
  • Dalarna
• Norwegian violin tradition (including Hardangerfer ; see also Bygdedans and Gammaldans ), including provincial traditions:
  • Roros and Nur-Norghe both use ordinary violin.
  • Finscogen , use a standard violin, but with the participation of some flats under the influence of Finnish folk music.
  • Voss and Telemark , both traditions use Hardangerfer .
  • Setesdal , which uses both a regular violin and Hardangerfer.
• Finnish violin tradition , includes regional styles:
  • Caustinen
  • Ostrobothnia , a huge influence of Swedish music

Continental Europe

• Music of Austria
• French music , including the old Correz tradition and the revived music of Brittany
• Music of Hungary
• Music of Italy
• Klesmer ^[5] - traditional folk music of East European Jews and a special style of its performance.
• Music of Poland
• Music of Portugal and the Azores
• Music of Romania
• Russian music ^[6]
• Ukrainian music

America

North America

The American violin tradition is a broad category that includes traditional and contemporary styles.

Traditional music

• violin tradition in blues style;
• violin tradition kajun and come on ;
• The violin tradition includes:
  • Appalachian violin tradition, the most famous style today, using a large number of bourdons and double notes, as well as syncopated bow designs;
  • Mid-Western violin tradition, with great influence from Scandinavian music;
  • the Ozark violin tradition, in comparison with the Appalachian music - a faster and clearer bow technique;
  • Texas violin tradition, influenced by the Mexican violin tradition and emphasis on competitive play;
  • New England style with great influence from the Quebec and British repertoire;
  • Pacific Northwest violin tradition, with the influence of two styles - Ozark and Midwest, albeit with a strong emphasis on competitive play, as in Texas.
• Tohono-Oodham tradition is an American Indian style with great influence from the Mexican violin tradition.

Modern

• violin tradition in bluegrass or bluegrass-fiddling music;
• violin tradition in country music ;
• Western swing style.

• Canadian violin tradition, including:
  • the violin tradition of Cape Breton , with great Scottish influence;
  • French-Canadian style including “crooked melodies”, that is, tunes with an irregular rhythm;
  • the Métis violin tradition in central and western Canada under the strong influence of French Canada, but even with great use of “crooked melodies” ^[7] ;
  • the violin tradition of the Newfoundland and Labrador region ;
  • Regional style Primorsky provinces , Franco-Canadian or Middle Eastern. A style that has much in common with Cape Breton;
  • Anglo-Canadian violin tradition.

Latin America

• Forro , a type of music from Brazil, including the tradition of playing Rabe
• Mexican violin tradition, including Mariachi , Uapanago , Son Huasteco and Son Calientano
• Peruvian violin

Other areas

• African violin tradition
• Australian folk music
• Violin tradition of Morne from Cape Verde

Options

• Hardangerfel
• Violin of Stroch or Violinophone, known in Romania as Vioara cu goarnă .

Next of kin

• Cello
• Double bass
• Contra - Three String Romanian Violin
• Rebeck
• Rabeca - Brazilian or Portuguese violin
• Alto

Distant relatives

• Byzantine lyre , medieval bowed instrument of the Byzantine Empire
• Cretan Lira
• Crotte
• Gadulka
• Buzzer (musical instrument)
• Gusle - Serbo-Croatian bow instrument
• Fidel (musical instrument)
• Wheel lyre
• Lyric or lyric - bow instrument in the Balkans, from Dalmatia ( Croatia and Montenegro )
• Nickelharp

• Violin folk // Musical instruments: encyclopedia. - M .: Deka-VS, 2008 .-- S. 524-529. - 786 p.
• The Fiddle Book , by Marion Thede, (1970), Oak Publications. ISBN 0-8256-0145-2 .
• , by David Brody, (1983), Oak Publications. US ISBN 0-8256-0238-6 ; UK ISBN 0-7119-0309-3 .
• Oldtime Fiddling Across America , by David Reiner and Peter Anick (1989), Mel Bay Publications. ISBN 0-87166-766-5 . Has transcriptions (standard notation) and analysis of tunes from multiple regional and ethnic styles.
• The Portland Collection , by Susan Songer, (1997), ISBN 0-9657476-0-3 (Vol. 2 ISBN 0-9657476-1-1 )