Vassar Clements' killer lick (fiddle lesson)

[@johnbentham3485]

Bloomin' Heck!

[@64bluegrass]

Superb analysis! Vassar was so adept at making his instrument into a horn section, and this is a great example of that. Thank you!

[@alipainting]

I bought a violin years ago which had a bridge that was very flat between the, d a and e strings. I kept hitting adjacent strings by mistake. So I went to the music shop and said gimme a regular bridge please, I'm not Vassar Clements and I don't do triple stops! So fyi, those types of bridges exist. 😆

[@martinmulvany1157]

Fantastic Vassar Clements’ licks, wonderful stuff Chris. 🎻

[@TheFiddleChannel]

Thanks Martin!

[@fiddler0542]

Thanks, Chris. I will get a copy of your new book.

[@TheFiddleChannel]

Great! I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

[@kcalhoun32]

Amazing! Love your videos and this one is truly awesome. Old and in the Way is ingrained in my very DNA and I know that Vassar part from Midnight Moonlight so well. I think you've nailed it!

[@TheFiddleChannel]

Many thanks. Glad it hit the mark!

[@ghb7089]

Am I looking at Carl Flesch's scale practice? Just a bad joke. Thanks for a good tune Chris.

[@feelinghealingfrequences7179]

here is a link to Vassar live playing the killer lick which starts at the two minute mark kzbin.info/www/bejne/epK7iqZ7dqlkhMk in the song the solo breaks are played after the chorus in the bridge over A and C chords so fun to play live!

[@martinmulvany1157]

Vassar had a flatter bridge that help with his triple stops.

[@TheFiddleChannel]

I didn't know that! Thanks.

[@jimdorans4527]

I did try that break years ago after hearing it, but I didn't persevere. I think you've got to aim for the middle string of the three. I think Vassar used the more flattened bridge, like many bluegrass players. From my memory of what steel core strings were like in those days, there was far less "give" in them than gut or the more modern synthetics.

[@TheFiddleChannel]

That would explain why I find triple stops so hard!

[@jimdorans4527]

@@TheFiddleChannel Well, as you probably know, violin triple stops are rife in the classical world, but they tend to be "struck" as chords, and well separated too, unlike Vassar's relatively smooth flow with them. One highly respected top violinist allegedly said of 3-note chords, noting his disdain for their over-use : "they are knocking seven shades of sh** out of a bit of wood that costs far more than a top Lexux." So there's that :)

[@feelinghealingfrequences7179]

wonderful video! delightful funny and clever banter! "midnight moonlight" is a common bluegrass jam song here in Colorado and played many times a week at breweries here is the link to the song fiddle solo starts at 2:20 kzbin.info/www/bejne/ooa0lpSaeMd5Y6M

[@TheFiddleChannel]

Glad you enjoyed this, and thanks for sharing the link.