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Polka Vs. Zydeco


Pablo Sanchez

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I'm with StoneMtn on this one.

For a while I dated a girl who was huge into Zydeco, and for some reason there seemed to be a flood of Zydeco bands through Ottawa at the time. I swear we were at The Rainbow or The Penguin (anybody remember The Penguin?) every second week seeing another kickin' Zydeco band, Buckwheat Zydeco among them.

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And what is really the difference between a violin and a fiddle?

I think this one is really just a difference in style. Fiddle is just more of an informal name, like calling a harmoinca a blues harp or mouth organ. I don't think there is any difference in the actual instrument played, but I could be wrong on this one.

As far as the trumpet/cornet/flugel horn thing goes, I think as brad says they are different sounding instruments that are played with the same basic technique. They each have 3 valves but lots of note changes are done with the embosure (i.e. lip and mouth techniques) rather than the valves. I think tuba and euphonium are also bigger members of the same family, so I think in principle if you can play one you can play 'em all. (I'm actually gonna check with Tara on this 'cus she plays trumpet and flugel horn.)

And hey, you guys write lots of interesting things that allow me to be a lazy ass in my own way, so I just see it as part of a great lazy-assed continum. :P:D

- M.

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And what is really the difference between a violin and a fiddle?

I think this one is really just a difference in style. Fiddle is just more of an informal name, like calling a harmoinca a blues harp or mouth organ. I don't think there is any difference in the actual instrument played, but I could be wrong on this one.

I can answer that, I had fiddle lessons...

While it is indeed mostly a question of style (fiddle is for more folk-lore related music, violin for classical and other 'upper' music [i dislike the term, but can't think of another shorthand]), there is also a question of quality; violinists understandably want as pure and rich a sound as they can, so they will go for the expensive, older, better-made violins. Fiddlers care a lot less about sound quality, as long as the violin can stay in tune while they play. Of course, a better violin can make fiddlers sound incredible too. I once played my teacher's handmade one, and it was like those "fiddles of gold that play themselves" from the folk tales.

On the other hand, violinists and fiddlers alike want high-quality bows. You scrimp on that, you get really crappy sound.

And Mr. MusicFace, I learned that a concertina was a much smaller accordeon, octogonal in shape, with buttons on both ends (each a different note). The button accordeon you showed was the regular large rectangular in shape. Or maybe that's just the English concertina... (My fiddle teacher also played the concertina, so I know some of this.)

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"violinists understandably want as pure and rich a sound as they can, so they will go for the expensive, older, better-made violins. Fiddlers care a lot less about sound quality, as long as the violin can stay in tune while they play"

I think I can find plenty of folk who would disagree with that statement.

Take a Stradavarius out of the hands of a concert violinist and put it into the hands of a old-timie fiddle player and that violin instantly, magically, and semantically becomes a fiddle.

On the cornet/trumpet thing, I work pretty closely with the musicians at the NAC and the trumpet players are sometimes playing trumpet parts and sometimes cornet parts. It seems they're interchangeable, but as I recall it's a slight difference in shape and hence, tone. I believe the trumpet design is better intonated and therefore prefered by most players.

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It was a generalisation, I admit - it's more than a violinist will rarely play on an instrument that's new or cheaper, while a fiddler will care less about it. Unless they're performers, but even then. Neither will look down at a well-crafted piece, and fiddlers can make good instruments sound like magic, of course.

The same that honky-tonk players would gladly use a concert grand, but don't mind if it's a rickety upright either, as long as it's in tune. :)

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And Mr. MusicFace, I learned that a concertina was a much smaller accordeon, octogonal in shape, with buttons on both ends (each a different note). The button accordeon you showed was the regular large rectangular in shape. Or maybe that's just the English concertina... (My fiddle teacher also played the concertina, so I know some of this.)

Yeh you're definitely right about the octogonal shape and buttons on both sides, my mistake to use them interchangably 'cus they are clearly different in that regard. Thanks for the clarification. However, I believe they do sound different notes on the draw and blow like a button accordion, correct?

coc005.jpg

All these images are from the great site http://www.larkinthemorning.com/ which I discovered quite recently. Lots of very cool mostly acoustic instruments.

Peace,

- M.

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I was working at a resort a few years ago when they put on this Polka weekend. As a waiter I was able to talk to a bunch of the older fans about their seen. I could not believe how they toured around the country from place to place to listen and dance to music. They whole thought of that just gets me. Who could possibly want to do that. (Sinker) So unfortunately these folks requested a late night ice cream party while the band played. they did serve booze as well and these old farts danced till about 2 can you believe that I actually helped in ending the party (I was tired) one old man summed it up for me. I’m retired, all i want to do now is die dancing. And thinking about it now I wonder if that was his fate. I hope so.

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