Tatering Level 2: Adding double “drone” strings is the secret to sounding “fiddle-y” and can be done with certain melodies as well as simpler tatering back-ups.  The secret formula is to play the name of each chord, or “tonic,” as we do in the tatering level 1 lessons, but also tip the angle of your bow slightly so that you also include the next higher open string (on purpose this time!  Ha! ;~) …or more specifically the “fifth” of each chord’s key.

The fifth?… the interval or spacing of five notes has a particularly strong but open sounding vibration that is a staple in fiddling as well as rock music.  Rock guitarists actually call this interval a “power chord” because of this strong sound.  Conveniently the violin is traditionally tuned in “fifths.”  This means that it’s five notes from your low G string, to your D string (G-A-B-C-D), and then in turn five from D to A, and five from A to E.  And, this is exactly why 95% of all fiddle tunes are in the key of G, D or A! …simply to get that open string ring-y sound!

Video examples coming soon!:>>

Tatering Level 2a:Taking it one step further (literally!), Boggie Woogie alternates between the interval of the fifth and the sixth.  This is so important (and cool!) that I wrote a whole chapter on just this in the original Fiddle Jam Book, and have included those materials (and more) here at Fiddle Jam Institute in their own section.

Please check out the hyper links to the Boogie Woogie Lesson section above, but if you are too impatient for that (;~), a quick explanation of the Basic Boogie Woogie in the key of D would be: playing both strings at the same time…

More coming soon!

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