Last week I had to learn a new song for my fiddle playing which I really did NOT like ....disliked it so much that I would postpone my practicing....when I realized that I could go to something else that I really liked and then if I had any "energy" left I would tackle the "disliked" song... I picked up one of my mom's favorite songs to learn and each time I was finished practicing I would actually try the "dreaded" song. Well guess what...the dreaded song is coming along...slowly but it is coming along...I just did not make it my priority anymore...and thank God my instructor understands! (In case you are wondering....the new fiddle tune was/is "900 miles" but not the simple version...the terribly hard, complicated, awful,tiresome verstion!!! )

If you want to play something "fun" on your fiddle, try "Irish Washerwoman". You'll recognize the tune even if you don't know it by name, and it's really fun to play.

I do......you had given me the tabs for the mandolin and it's pretty much the same....thanks...and I do LIKE it!

Well now I want to play Irish Washer Woman (wish it had a different Name). F.M. gave me the music for it...and I have not tried it yet...but I will!

Yeah, when I have a classical piece that is driving me absoloutely insane (like the Bach double concerto) I usually take a break by doing some fiddling or reviewing earlier songs or something. And if I'm to the point that I'm about to throw my arms up in dispare (ussually over a 10 page song[vivaldi's concerto in G minor]), that ussually helps.

P.S. Try peeking through the book "Traditional Scottish Fiddling" by Christine Martin. It's filled with about 280 (I think) songs that are pretty easy, and is lots of fun to spend an afternoon flipping through. It also has some songs that use techniques like raised tuning and such (which is AWESOME by the way). Happy Fiddling!!!

DCONE - There is probably an alternate "name" for the "Irish Washer Woman" tune. You just need to look around some more! Most of the old basic tunes have been "recycled" with new lyrics and names over the decades/centuries.

Example - the Carter Family's "Wildwood Flower" tune became Woody Gruthrie's "Ruben James" during WWII. I believe the Carter Family originally got the tune from an old church song.