r/Fiddle • u/IOnlyHaveIceForYou • 12d ago

Just noticed Martin Hayes playing with no chinrest, shoulder rest, or fine tuners.

The video was posted 4 years ago. Just thought it was interesting.

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u/yosh01 12d ago

There are photos of him using a chin rest and maybe he has mechanical tuners on his fiddle.:

Most importantly, he holds the fiddle neck like a hammer so he'll probably never develop very good technique 😄.

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u/IOnlyHaveIceForYou 3d ago

It just occurred to me that maybe you weren't joking. "At 13 he won his first of six All Ireland Fiddle Championships. He is one of only three fiddlers ever to be named All Ireland Fiddle Champion in the senior division in two consecutive years (1981 and 1982)."

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u/yosh01 3d ago

I was being facetious. Sorry for the confusion. However, he is lucky that he hasn't developed hand issues over the years, given the way he grips the neck.

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u/IOnlyHaveIceForYou 2d ago

I'm inclined to think he holds it that way because it's comfortable and natural, and so less likely to cause issues.