SWC Tutorial:  Quebecois Fiddle

The complex rhythms such as those drawn from Saguenay and the ornaments like a “big vibrato on longer notes instead of a roll, or tricky bowed triplets” find their origins in different historical towns and villages of the province. Some regional musicians “use very few ornaments but emphasize the dance rhythm itself. Employing drones is consistent with playing the more classical pieces, and a single or two consecutive up-bow strokes for a repeated note rather than slurs is also prominent. “Most of the players will take the bow off the string here and there, bouncing and playing with the dynamics of the instrument. Many certainly use the middle part of their bows to get that bouncing feeling in the music.” Also, “the accent is not on the off-beat as it is in many other Celtic-based fiddle styles. Good players move the accent around to any eighth note of a group of four."

Finally, it is unfortunate, but the Québecois style “is nowhere in our educational system [Québec Province], and it is not recognized or valued. It is still considered backward by intellectuals, and many young people are still shy to admit that they love or even play this music.” (Quotes from Guy Bouchard: “On Québec Fiddling and Fiddlers,” by Laurie Hart in Fiddler Magazine, Spring/1998)