Did you know that the first fiddles to come into what is now Idaho came with Lewis and Clark? Two fiddle players were named in their journals. The main fiddler was Pierre Cruzatte, a one-eyed French-Canadian boatman, who, on the return trip, accidentally shot Lewis in the hind-quarters. Lewis had to finish the trip home lying on his belly in the canoe.

Fiddles were common in the days of the Oregon Trail. Popular tunes played in the evenings around sagebrush campfires included Oh Suzanna, Arkansas Traveler, and Camptown Races.

Today, fiddle music can be found throughout Idaho. We have the national contest in Weiser during the 3rd week of June and other contests on weekends throughout the year. You can hear live fiddling at events such as jam sessions, contra dances, square dances, even Scottish Country Dancing nearly every week in the Treasure Valley.

At the Owyhee Mountain Fiddle Shop, I'm a fiddle player  and a violin maker.  I’d love to show you my factory and custom violins, violas, and cellos.

What’s the difference? Nothing.

It's the same instrument. Itzhak Perlman said it's a compliment to tell another violinist, "That's a pretty nice fiddle." English absorbs words from other cultures. "Violin" comes from the Italian tradition, while the word "fiddle" comes from the Germanic cultures.

The difference is in the music. Fiddle music tends to come from the folk-dance tradition, with a strict rhythm for the dancers, and melodic improvisation to add color. Classical music, particularly in the age of Vivaldi and Bach, also followed those trends. A gigue is a jig. But since that time, the two branches of music have diverged.

The back of a ca. 1900 ‘factory fiddle’.

Plaster cast of a Stradivari violin scroll, the 1732 “Red Diamond.”