Here’s an interesting new instructional/motivational item for fiddlers and fiddle students. And fans of the late, great John Hartford.
Though many people think of Hartford as a banjo player, which he certainly was, he had also dedicated his life to the study of the fiddle. It was passion project for him, and he delved deep into the lives and music of many an early bluegrass fiddler. John befriended many of those who were still around, and gave over many hours of his time to understanding the nuances of their playing.
Those who knew him best recall that Hartford always kept index cards with him, blank ones to capture any sort of inspiration that might strike, and others onto which he had written ideas and techniques gleaned from his conversations with his fiddle idols. This latter batch he refried to as his Fiddle Devices, and these cards have been preserved by the curators of his estate.
Now a set of 50 cards from this collection has been reproduced and packaged for sale, and they are available for purchase through Megan Lynch Chowning and her FiddleStar store. The set comes beautifully packaged for gift presentation, and includes a Hartford Index Card Manifesto, with John’s explanation of the reason behind his cards, and how you can use them in your own journey with the fiddle.
The John Hartford Fiddle Device Cards are sold for $23, shipping included, to US addresses, and $41 to Canadian addresses.
Any serious Hartford fan will want these in their music room, and aspiring fiddlers will find much to enlighten them in John’s musings.
Megan has only a limited supply of these cards, which she secured following a Kickstarter campaign, and is happy to offer them for sale as long as they last.
