Slurs

[Bob Jackson]

Hi Casey,

I wondered if you have any thoughts on when to slur notes in a fiddle tune? If you are learning a tune by ear, and not able to see the bow, its sometimes difficult to hear when notes are slurred and when the bow strokes are separate. I know this is largely a matter of style, and there are no hard and fast rules, but do you have any philosophy of when to slur when you’re working up a tune that is new to you?

Thanks so much!

– Bob

[Casey Willis]

Hi Bob. Great question. Some sluring is related to the style of fiddling. Texas/Contest-Style, for instance, lends itself to slurs in certain places, especially on turn arounds. I discuss this in several of the Contest-Style tunes taught here on the site.

For waltzes, it is much more a matter of feel and flow. I do carry slurs over the bar line more in waltzes than in other tunes. I know that’s pretty general, but I guess I’m saying that the melody/lick determines where I choose to place a slur.

Finally, a good rule of thumb you could consider is that IN GENERAL, you want the down beat of a measure in a breakdown or tune of choice to be down bow. AKA, down beat=down bow. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but I find that the song has more drive and groove if you are able to do this most measures. That being said, many slurs I use are designed so I set myself up for a down bow on the first beat of the next measure.

Any other folks have tips to add for Bob?

[Bob Jackson]

Thanks for the reply Casey! I’m a big Ron Stewart fan and, watching his videos, he actually slurs less than I would have thought (his tune, Stewart’s Dream, is an example where I would have done more slurring than he actually does). It seems to me like straight bluegrass players do a whole lot of single bowing and try to keep the slurs very deliberate. In music forms like contest, Irish, and old-time, where the slurring of notes imparts a rhythmic feel to the tune, the slurring is more prominent and more important.

I agree that the downbeat/downbow rule seems to be how most fiddlers do it. But I still struggle with this after 15 years of playing!

BTW, your website is absolutely great! I’m recommending it to all my fiddling friends.

Best, Bob

[Casey Willis]

That’s great, Bob. Fiddling (and music in general) is a life-long journey. I’m glad to connect with like-minded folks who are interested in challenging themselves. Thanks for the input on slurs as well as your feedback on the site. It, too, is a journey and I thank the folks who are along for the ride. Take care, and stay in touch, sir!!!

[Roland White]

Hey Bob & Casey, I don’t know how I missed your post Bob but a very interesting topic. I find myself working on slurs now more than ever, although I have always done them I just tended to do them as specifically ornaments because I play a lot of Celtic tunes. But in Texas tunes and waltz’s I’m now trying to pay attention to how the top players do it. What I see is its down to taste and feeling in the waltzes and it can make them be much more interpretive for feeling and emotion. In the breakdowns its a mixture of creating dynamics and smoothness with the bow changes creating the dynamics part and the slurs smoothing out the tune in the transitions and variations. I do have to say that I love the way Casey slurs in his waltzes adding a subtle and mysterious element when he plays them. It adds beauty and variation to his playing that is superb. Thanks for posting on a great topic.

[monsieurgn]

Casey, Do you think printing the slurs in the printed sheet music might be a good idea?

[Casey Willis]

Good question, Monsieurgn. I do include slurs in a few key locations for some tunes, but want to leave much of the bowing to the player. In fact, I’ll play licks differently, each time I get to them…I encourage folks to develop their own bowings to the advance melodies…bowings which work for you, hopefully.

That being said, a couple of slurs are so integral to melodies that I do include them.

I’ve been getting a lot of suggestions related to sheet music recently…I may have to revisit creating more advanced sheets in the future. I just hate to start down that path as I feel that the true value in these lessons is the videos. I really encourage folks to learn by ear and play by ear…

[Roland White]

Hi Monsieurgn, I agree with Casey for learning by ear and with the videos you can see exactly where he uses them. And I have talked to many a fiddler that like Casey doesn’t play the tune the same each time, But I think this is where the artistry begins. As you begin to understand and feel the tune there is no exact and correct way that the tune can be played and the implementation of the slurs reveals a lot of the feeling of the player. I’ve been trying to improve my slurs for several years and I ‘m now beginning to feel like I can use them on command when I feel it and it’s expressive, but I have a long way to go. Let us know how its going and check in on the forum soon. Roland White Forum Moderator

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