Gobby-O Fiddle Music Demonstration

Series Summary

The fiddle is basically the same instrument as the violin, but has identifying modifications such as fine tuners on the bridge and a slightly less curved bridge than that of the violin. The words fiddle and violin refer to the same instrument though the former is an English derivation while the latter is an Italian one. The biggest difference however is the culture and genre of music that is associated with the "fiddle" versus the "violin". The term fiddle is more often associated with folk music, country and western music, and traditional British Isles jigs. The mechanism for playing the fiddle is the same as that of the violin, and the bows for fiddle playing are generally the same as the classical violin with some cultural exceptions.

In this free online video series learn fiddle playing and how to play the "Gobby-O" jig from expert fiddle instructor David Kaynor. The "Gobby-O" is an old British Isles Fiddle Jig played with a violin. It is also referred to as the "Jefferson and Liberty" song, as it was played during Thomas Jefferson's presidential campaign. Watch fiddle demonstrations to learn bowing patterns and step by step how to play the "Gobby-O".

This series is an Equilibrio Films production.

Video Transcript

" Hi! I’m David Kaynor for expertvillage.com. I’m about to play a classical jig from the British Isles—some say it’s English, some say it’s Irish. It’s called the Gobby-O; and it has an American title that it acquired when words were set to it for Thomas Jefferson’s presidential campaign, and it was called, “Jefferson and Liberty” and we even have a dance that fits with it as well. 6/8 time an old British Isles jig."