How to Conduct Ornamentation on the Fiddle

Once you've mastered the basic approach to playing fiddle, you'll want to add your own flourishes as you play. Ornamentation, which is played with your left or fingering hand, allows you to do this as you "decorate" the melody with additional notes and effects.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Do the slide for a simple fiddle ornamentation. To do this, place your finger slightly lower than the note you intend to play. Hold the string down as you slide your finger up to the actual note you intend to play. This technique is especially good for highlighting notes that you're playing as a slower tempo.
2. Create a trill as ornamentation by first deciding upon your principle note. To trill, play the note below your principle note and then play the principle note. Repeat the sequence quickly to get a trilling effect.
3. Vary the trill by playing the note above the principle note rather than the note below it. Though still a trill, this ornament is known as a mordent.
4. Use the roll, a technique that appears in Irish fiddling. Establish your principle note first. To play the roll, start with the principle note, then a note above it, then the principle note and then a note below it. Return to the principle note to complete your roll
5. Bow your fiddle in one direction as you complete each ornament to blend the notes into a single sound.
6. Incorporate ornamentation into the songs you play once you're comfortable practicing them on their own. It's helpful to focus on one ornamentation type at a time so you can seamlessly incorporate it into the music.