u/nathancoye

Sorry for such a beginner question here but I recently bought some boutique rosin and I'm having issues with the rosin building up on the strings and causing ghost notes or unintended tones. I have to get a microfiber and wipe the buildup off the strings every song or so.

I've always used the cheap $7 amazon rosin that falls all over the fiddle, but I recently thought I would buy some boutique rosin on Etsy/eBay after seeing some recommended. I tried it and it has great bite and really sounds great, but it doesn't fall on the fiddle like the cheap stuff and really builds up so quickly on the strings.

Any ideas what I'm doing wrong? Should I just go back to the cheap stuff? Maybe I'm using too much? I've also wiped the whole bow strings down with a clean microfiber and that hasn't helped much either.

I'm about 2 years into learning Bluegrass fiddle. I'm trying to learn methods that would help me survive in a Bluegrass jam. I'm specifically looking for fill examples in different keys where the fiddle player plays 'fills' between vocal lines. I think Megan Lunch Chowning calls this "chop chop fill" where you chop along with the mandolin player then put a fill in between vocal lines.

I subscribed to FiddleVideo.com and Megan Lynch Chowning's lesson series on the Nashville Number System is super helpful with examples with the 'fiddle capo' that's super super helpful in difficult keys like maybe E, F or B flat, but it doesn't really cover any normal keys like A or G that I would use in my local Bluegrass Jam.

Are there any other resources for this specific method of bluegrass fiddling?

Hey, I'm in the market for an intermediate F-Style Bluegrass Mandolin. I have right at $800 and I've narrowed it down to two listings: A Loar LM-700-VS (2011) and a Kentucky KM700.

Before you say to get an Eastman, my Dad has a MD515 I can play any time, so I don't want to get the same model (and I can't find an Eastman listing under $1000)

It seems that the Loar has no tone bars and the Kentucky does? It's debatable if this is desired for Bluegrass chopping, though? The Kentucky doesn't have Ebony fretboard and the Loar does.

What do y'all think?