After two years of immersion in the mandolin world, this past six months I’ve been reacquainting myself with banjo and fiddle. Here are some observations about the mandolin world vs the fiddle world:
- The Mandolin Cafe is a treasure! I have tried some different violin/fiddle forums, but nothing has come close to the energy of the Mandolin Cafe!
- The fiddle is LOUD! After searching for louder mandolins to compete with the banjo and electric guitar and bass in a group I jam with, I’ve been struggling with just how loud a violin is! When playing violin, I’ve used an ear plug in the closest ear, and I’ve bought an electric violin just to give my ears an occasional break from having such a loud sound source so close to my head! I haven’t resumed jamming, but had my first Covid shot last week and after my second Covid shot hope to get back into the fray. It may be a few months before I spring the fiddle on them though, but when I do, they’ll hear me!
- The fiddle is hard! Lol, without frets, the fingerboard is a continual challenge. Intonation takes a LOT of work and is a big part of learning any new tune. I’ve actually enjoyed the challenge of a more difficult instrument.
- The availability of used fiddles is overwhelming! After rarely finding any used mandolins locally, especially anything other than the common Guitar Center type low end mandolins, it has been fun and amazing seeing so many used violins in the local market. Folks on the Fiddle Hangout talk about watching for $20-50 fiddles and occasionally finding a very good one. I told my wife my interest in yard sales and flea markets has been piqued!
- There are a lot more violin stores than mandolin stores! In KC, we have at least three good stores with hundreds of violins to try, from beginner to pro level, and quite a few small shops and private dealers. I have to drive 45 miles to get to a decent mandolin store (Mass Street Music in Lawrence, Kansas), and they don’t really have a big selection.
- Violin strings are expensive! My last two sets were $65 and $89! And only four strings! Strings generally need to be changed at 3 month - 12 month interval, depending on how often they’re used. Some folks change them monthly or even more often! (I hear 300 hours as a common estimate for violin string life.) I’ve tried a few sets and am close to finding what works best for my violins, but I’ll never again think twice about an “expensive” set of mandolin strings.
- Changing and tuning 4 strings is so nice after 8 strings on the mandolin! I change a set of violin strings and I still pause at the end and think, “Finished? Already?” (There also aren’t any sharp ends on the violin strings, and no trimming after installation. NO BLOOD, lol.)
- The bow is awesome. Yes, it’s also a pain, but I love the control I get over each note, from beginning to end. With great power comes great responsibility, and all that.
- Rosin is a pain. Don’t use too much. Don’t use too little. Don’t touch the bow hair because then the resin won’t stick as well. Dark vs light resin? Good resin, on the other hand, is still not very expensive ($10-$30?) and lasts a LONG time, so easy to try a few different kinds. Still, when starting out, resin is ONE MORE confusing variable.
- Having the choice of a reasonably cheap carbon composite violin is wonderful! I have a nice carbon fiber guitar for extreme temperature and humidity conditions, and also for road trips. I always wanted something similar in a mandolin, but carbon fiber just doesn’t seem to be able to catch on very well in the mandolin world. The violin world has at least four good carbon fiber options, from cheap to expensive. I bought the base Glasser without electronics for “just” $525. It does sound boxy compared to a decent wooden violin (but some Evah Pirazzi Green strings recommended by the Fiddlershop helped a lot), but it has decent geared tuners, has the shape of a traditional violin (the higher end carbon fiber violins tend to be more daring in design), and can take any shoulder rest or chin rest (the higher end carbon fiber violins usually either can’t take other shoulder rests or chin rests, or have some limitations). The Glasser is popular among a lot of good players who need to play in adverse conditions (including bars with too many chances of beer spillage, lol). When I travel in the summer, I won’t have to worry about pulling the Glasser out of the car if we stop to eat or shop. Nice! If there were something decent in that price range for a mandolin, I’d grab it up!
- It has been enjoyable stepping into a world with such a rich educational heritage. Folks have been analyzing and writing about every aspect of the violin construction and use for hundreds of years, and thoughts by Mozart’s daddy are still pertinent today!
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