Anika's version of Hardingfele story

I have been wanting to play violin since I was little and after a few years I started violin when I was 7 and now I'm 10 so I've gotten pretty good at it. Last year my violin teacher told me I could try and win the use of the Hardanger fiddle for a year. I had only seen a Hardanger fiddle once or twice before and I was fascinated by it and I decided to apply for it. A few months later she told me that she heard I won it. My mom didn't want to believe it before we got the final word but I was quite certain my teacher was right. Finally a letter came in the mail saying I had won it! I had to wait for the maker of the instrument, Lynn Berg, and his wife to deliver it. When they came we had a nice afternoon with them but the Hardanger fiddle was the best part. When I started Hardanger fiddle lessons I got kinda frustrated about how annoying it was to tune and how I only knew one tune on it but it's gotten easier to tune and I have more tunes on it now so I'm happy with it.

Winter Performances

Here is another video from the West Woodland Elementary International Potluck in February 2011.  

She's played the hardingfele a couple of times during Lilla Spelmanslag performances, at the West Woodland Elementary International Potluck, and at the West Woodland Open Mic night at Egan's Jam House also in Seattle.

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This is Anika and her fiddle buddies at West Woodland

Anika is making the most of her opportunity to learn, play, and share this instrument with the Seattle Lilla Spelmanslag, to audiences in the local Scandic community and also with her elementary school community. There are more performances planned this spring via the Lilla Spelmanslag.

Skandia Family Dance February 2011

Anika's first performance on the Hardingfele was at the Skandia Family Dance at the Lynnwood, WA Grange in February 2011.  Here is a video.  The video quality is kinda poor but better than nothing.

 

 

Lilla Spelmanslag - Seattle

Hardingfele lessons begin

Come January, Anika had her first lesson with Peter Michaelsen, our new hardingfele instructor and the greater Seattle community's go to guy for Scandinavian Music. We learned first off that this instrument is hard to tune. This instrument is new and it has not been played much yet so Michael spent the first half hour of the lesson tuning it and showing Anika how to tune it. The following week I accidentally broke one of the sympathetic strings while helping her tune. Oops... She also broke her violin shoulder rest that week. So, we had some challenges in the beginning. We quickly figured out how to get new strings for this obscure instrument and got the shoulder rest fixed and life was better.

Anika was frustrated with the hardingfele in the first weeks, due to the constant issue of tuning, Momma breaking a string, etc... I think she was also frustrated in that she knew just a couple of tunes to play where she knows probably 100 other tunes on the violin. She had some technique items to figure out on the hardingfele along with understanding the different tuning. Since then, hardingfele life has improved. She's beginning to figure out all the various fingerings and double stop techniques. Peter has been a very kind and patient teacher. I've enjoyed sitting through their lessons.

An Early Christmas Present

The maker of this hardanger fiddle, Lynn Berg and his wife from Eugene, Oregon were able to travel up to Seattle over the Holidays and he personally delivered it to our home on the Winter Solstice, 2010. The instrument is beautiful. It is full of mother of pearl inlay work and lots of ink decorations called rosing. We were all amazed that this gorgeous instrument was for Anika to play and enjoy for a year. What a Christmas present! Anika was able to learn a halling on her violin prior to the arrival of this instrument so she had a tune already ready to play on the hardingfele. After having a little tuning lesson from Lynn, she played her song and continued to noodle around with this new toy. It was a very enjoyable afternoon with the Bergs. Big smiles all around.

Anika & Lynn Berg

How did we get this obscure instrument loan?

Anika has been taking violin lessons since she was 7 years old. Her teacher, Martha Levenson teaches Scandinavian Fiddle tunes by ear and this combination of learning has worked well for our family. We enjoy folk music, we wanted an ear or suzuki type instruction for her and through random connections we met Martha. This started our adventures in Scandinavian music.

Anika was very eager to learn how to play the violin and from her exposure as a preschooler through the Musikgarten curriculum, she has very solid listening and music skills. Once Anika caught onto the basics of playing the violin, she started soaking up tunes like a sponge. She would come and play a tune or two with Martha at a few festival performances. The Seattle version of the Lilla Spelmanslag, a youth strings group was revived and that gave her further opportunities to play in a group with other string musicians, learn more about Scandinavian Music, and perform.

In the Fall of 2010, Martha heard about the Young Student Hardingfele Loan Program through the HFAA. Martha shared a hardingfele with Anika once when she was 7 so she was aware of what they were. Martha asked if she would be interested in applying and her answer was “sure.” So, we applied, not knowing if she had a chance or not and here we are, the first recipients of this amazing half sized hardingfele one year loan.

What is the Kid Hardanger Fiddle Blog?

This blog is about my daughter, Anika who applied for and won a one year loan of a half sized Hardingfele, or Norweigan Folk Fiddle from the Hardanger Fiddle Association of America. These instruments are unique in that they have four to five additional sympathetic strings located under the bridge. The sound of the hardanger fiddle is more full or complex than a standard violin or fiddle due to the sympathetic strings. This is the national instrument of Norway and is used mostly for folk dancing. You can refer to the HFAA web site for more detailed information about this unique instrument. Child sized or half sized Hardinger fiddles are very rare in the United States.

The purpose of this blog is to update the HFAA members on Anika's progress as she learns how to play the hardingfele.

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