Morningstar Waltz
Morningstar is a beautiful waltz that I learned when I took some lessons with a Texas style fiddler named Chris Daring. This was around the time I had begun to try my luck at fiddle contests and I quickly noticed that the majority of contests were dominated by Texas style. So, I went to see Chris, who had just become the first woman to win the National Championship. From her, I got some interesting articulation and bowing ideas (which truly came into focus for me some years later) as well as this tune. I stopped lessons with her after a few months however, because what I really wanted from fiddle playing was not to focus on preparing planned arrangements for contests, but to explore many styles and above all, to improvise. I was really in it for the creativity.
Nowadays, I appreciate the role of planning and arranging much more than I did back then. So, for this tune I went back and studied Chris’ version again, then re-arranged and added some things here and there. This moves it slightly away from her traditional Texas setting, adding a little hint of Irish in the form of grace notes, plus some running 8ths like those I’ve heard in Scandinavian waltzes. I guess I am revealing how my inspiration here is coming from a few different places.
Let me just say though, that I really do appreciate players who focus on doing just one style very well in a traditional manner, and who dig deeply into the history and culture of their music. I think that is a wonderful pursuit and important cultural preservation. In my own music making, I like to look both forward and back, that is, I love to study the old traditional stuff and figure out what gives it its vitality AND I love to create my own arrangements and hybrids. It may be because of these tendencies that I never did win very many contests.
Notes on Playing the Tune
You can play the bottom notes in most double stops, for an easier place to start.
