Author Description

This little book documents my attempt to learn fiddle. I've written this for two reasons.First, because of my long-standing interest in the unique, thoughtful, ever-changing, provocative way my primary guide in this effort - Dwight Diller - elected to teach me. Second, because of my curiosity about how playing banjo - for well over 40 years - might inform my attempt to learn fiddle, admittedly a far more complex physical and musical challenge, but clearly one that could draw on experience with other stringed instruments... or so I thought... This writing starts with my recollections of my first clawhammer banjo lessons taught by Bates Littlehales in the late 1990s. Bates was born in 1927. He worked as a staff photographer for the National Geographic Society for 37 years, covering assignments around the world. He is one of the pioneers of underwater photography. In his retirement, he turned his attention to nature photography, publishing books featuring his photographs, and teaching nature photography workshops. In the late 1990s-early 2000s, he turned his attention to building banjos, and other artful woodworking ventures. In this writing project, I focus on what I believe I learned from Bates - beyond the mechanics of playing clawhammer. Telling this part of the story first establishes how I started learning, and how I learned about learning, and how that helped make sense of fiddling. The rest of the book speaks to my attempting to get at some fiddle basics under Dwight's tutelage - "long distance learning," relying on phone calls and emails. Dwight - who was born in Charleston in August 1946 and spent most of his life in Pocahontas County - preserved local musical traditions, encouraged others to play the old music, and contributed to strengthening West Virginian musical traditions through contemporary performances and recordings. However, this writing project is not about their teachings. It's about my attempt to muddle my way toward basic fiddling capabil