A musical style/instrument I was unaware of - thumbs up

[bae]

I've been playing around learning the Icelandic and Norwegian languages.

In my researching, I've come across a musical instrument and playing style I hadn't heard of:

The Hardanger fiddle, sort of a violin with drones. You've perhaps heard it played as the Rohan theme in the LotR movies, and in the Fargo soundtrack, and the soundtrack to the wonderful Netflix series "Lilyhammer". It was repressed for some time in Norway as "the devil's instrument" because of some of the tunings it is used in, and some of the Old Old Songs played on it :-)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/FeleHel_%282%29.jpg/306px-FeleHel_%282%29.jpg

Annbjørg Lien is an artist who makes good use of the instrument, and many of her albums are available on Spotify.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annbj%C3%B8rg_Lien

[KayLR]

I hadn't heard of this instrument, but the one pictured certainly is beautiful! I assume you play it with a bow?

How difficult are the languages you mention? I've toyed with learning another language outside Eng/Span and have Norwegian heritage.

[razz]

Wonderful to read about. I am always amazed at the fear that church leaders had about music around the world for so long.

[bae]

How difficult are the languages you mention? I've toyed with learning another language outside Eng/Span and have Norwegian heritage.

They don't seem particularly difficult, and I suspect for an English or German speaker they wouldn't be too bad.

I'm cheating though as I have a friendly exchange student from Norway on-tap, and already have some German and Old English in my brain.

[puglogic]

There is one of these at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, one of my new favorite museums anywhere in the world. I don't remember hearing the sound clip of it, but now I wish I had.