Overview of Common Cajun Instruments -- Part II -- The Cajun Fiddle

The backbone of any Cajun music, is the Cajun fiddle. Basically, any violin is technically called a fiddle, no matter what genre of music is being played.

The difference with Cajun fiddling is that traditionally, there are two fiddlers. One Cajun fiddler plays the melody, while the other echoes with the rhythmic complement (sometimes called bassing or seconding).

The Cajun fiddle came to Louisiana with our Acadian ancestors. In reality, it was the only instrument used in our early music.

Before the loudmouth of Cajun music, the Cajun accordion, appeared on the scene, Cajun music was dominated by the Cajun fiddle. In Cajun music, the fiddle is played in a completely different style, dating back to the 1700s, 1800s, and early 1900s. A traditional Cajun fiddle player today, would still employ the following techniques:

• Tuning the fiddle to match the Cajun accordion it is being played against. For instance, for a D accordion, the fiddle is tuned to standard pitch (EADG), with G being the lowest bass string. Likewise, if a C accordion is being used -- the fiddle is tuned to DGCF to a lower mellow sound.
• Using two strings constantly to increase the loudness of the fiddle. This is done by: (1) an open string next to the melody string is bowed simultaneously with the melody string. (This creates a constant rhythmic hum.) and; (2) Two harmony notes are played at the same time.
• The bow rhythm is robustly accented with the bow. All beats are actually played without using a long bow stroke through a number of beats.
• Use of the slide bowing technique is employed.
• Use of the trill technique is employed.

The backup fiddle would:

• Play the melody low.
• Play rhythm chords with a shuffled bowing technique.

Another style is for one fiddle to play the high melody and the other a tenor harmony at the same time.

There are a number of key Cajun fiddlers (both past and present), that every fan of Cajun music should know about. These men are:

• Dewey Balfa (Balfour)
• Ray Beebe
• Calvin Carrière
• Hadley Castille
• Harry Choates
• Luderin Darbonne
• Rodney Fontenot
• Carlton Frank
• Wade Fruge
• Doc Guidry
• Harry Lee Lefleur
• Lionel Leleux
• Dennis McGee
• Mitch Reed
• Leo Soileau
• Rufus Thibodeaux
• Tony Thibodaux
• Waylon Thibodeaux
• Kevin Wimmer

Listed below are brief biographies of most of these Cajun fiddlers, and in some cases, links to allow you to get a feel for each of their unique sounds.

B: 03/20/1927 D: 6/17/1992-- Dewey Balfa (Balfour) helped significantly to revive Cajun music as we know it today. Not only was he a Cajun fiddler, but also an accomplished vocalist.

He is who I think of when I hear the lonesome cry of Cajun music, as I knew it in my childhood on my Grandpere Emile's back porch. His musical voice is part of the spirit that lives on in our Cajun culture.

Dewey Balfour helped, along with his brothers helped revive Cajun music in the 1960s,and re-introduced it to the whole world. My Grandpere Emile would be amazed to know that today there are Cajun bands in Britain and other foreign countries.

B: 1925 D: 9/21/1980 -- Ray Beebe's first fiddle was made from a cigar box. A determined child, he would travel miles on foot to visit a friend, who could teach him to play the fiddle. By the time he was a young teen, he was earning a modest living from his music.

Later in the Navy, during WWII, he played the fiddle by President Franklin Roosevelt. He had a band with DeRamus, called the North Louisiana String Band. While they didn't just play Cajun music, they became hugely popular.

This great talent was still a relatively young fifty-five years old, when cancer took his life. He very much deserved the honor he was given in 1981, when his was inducted into Louisiana's Folklife Center's Hall of Master Folk Artists.

Hadley J. Castille -- is absolutely, a Cajun living legend. My favorite song performed by him, is the one that got him inducted into the Order of The Living Legends (The Acadian Museum of Erath). "200 Lines: I Must Not Speak French" is an autobiographical sketch of his being punished as a child for speaking French on the school grounds.

For me, it is especially poignant, as I remember the tears my Pepere shed as an adult, when he too related what it was like to be made to kneel on corn kernels -- for the sin of accidentally asking the teacher, to go to the bathroom in French, instead of English.

B: 12/26 1922 D: 7//17/1951 -- Harry Choates was born in Cow Island, Louisiana, but was raised in Port Arthur, Texas. Harry was considered the fiddle king of Cajun swing, despite the fact that he never actually owned his own fiddle (or other instruments, nor did he ever receive any formal musical instruction. He also played the accordion, guitar and steel guitar.

He made famous the stereotype "Eh....ha,ha!" and "aaiee" vocal cries that is often heard in Cajun music His 1946 recording of "Jole Blon" was recorded using a borrowed instrument. He sold the song for one hundred dollars and a bottle of whiskey.

Were it not for him, the "Jolie Blon" that most people are familiar with today, would not be as well known. He rewrote this Cajun waltz in what would turn out to be it's most popular version, that crossed over to country music charts and listeners. His band was known as the "Melody Boys." They recorded over twenty-five songs for Gold Star Records in the late 1940s.

He had a somewhat unusual style of playing in the key of A, as opposed to playing in the traditional Cajun key of G. He also switched easily from CadienFrench to mixing in English versions of the lyrics. He was a delight to watch, very animated, often drunk on stage, and actually stood on his tip-toes to reach high notes.

In jail on failure to pay child support, deprived of alcohol, he deliriously beat his head on the cell bars and fell into a coma. Rumors after his death were that his jailers accidentally killed him while trying to calm him. The final autopsy was that liver and kidney failure were the actual causes of death. Sadly, alcoholism dictated that he led both a hard life and a fast life that ended, when he was only twenty-eight years old in that Texas jail. His style of Cajun music was unconventional and extremely gifted.

B: 1/14/1913-- Luderin Darbone is the founding father of the Cajun string band, the Hackberry Ramblers. He introduced the Cajun fiddle to string bands. The Hackberry Ramblers have the distinction of being one of the earliest Cajun string bands.

Originally, they played standing up and they were the first Cajun band to amplify, using amplifier batteries from Model T Ford's. Luderin Darbonne was still leading the group well past the age of ninety. Luderin and accordionist Edwin Duhon founded the band in 1933. He was inducted into the Cajun French Music Association's Hall of Fame in 2001 and in 2002 he received the National Heritage Fellowship.

B: 1/26/1893 D: 10/3/1989-- Dennis (Denus) McGee had a distinct Cajun fiddle voice that transcended Cajun music before the accordion. He was one of the earliest recorded Cajun fiddlers and one of the most talented.

As a child, I met him at a family bar-b-que and fondly remember dancing with this fine old gentleman. He was one of a kind, just like my Grandpere Emile.

B: 1/5/1934 D: 9/12/2005-- Rufus Thibodeaux was a well respected Cajun fiddle players who performed with many well known Cajun bands and vocalists.

These included: Julius Lamperez, The Clement Brothers, Jimmy C. Newman, Lefty Frizzel, George Jones, Jim Reeves, and many others. He was a frequent guest on the Grand Ole Opry.

B: 1/19/1904 D: 8/2/1980-- Leo Soileau was one of the legendary Cajun fiddlers and musicians. He was one of the earliest and most prolific Cajun recording artists. He was one of the prominent early Cajun fiddlers and made over one hundred recordings before Decca records decided to no longer record Cajun musicians, just before World War II. He still performed with his band on the radio, but never made another record.

An up and coming Cajun fiddler of today, he's already a performer of note and has made significant contributions to traditional and emerging Cajun fiddle music.

While Calvin Carrière is more of a Creole fiddler, his renditions of traditional Cajun tunes make him a violinist whose work is worth knowing.

Rodney Fontenot's bowing and fingering are a gift from the past in traditional Cajun music, making him a Cajun national treasure.

Carlton Frank is Preston's Frank's uncle, while his music is primarily considered Creole, his presence dominates in Cajun music.

Mitch Reed is a captivating young Cajun fiddler, leading the band, Charivari, straight to an international presence.

Kevin Wimmer, a child prodigy has been a fiddler since pre-school. A student of Dewey Balfa (Balfour), he has been the lead violinist in the Balfa Toujours band.

Here is a list of more of the best fiddle players:

• Elridge Aguillard
• Jason Begeron
• Al Berard
• Michael Doucet
• Louis Dronet
• Courtney Granger
• David Greely
• Terry Huval
• Harry Lefleur
• Travis Matte
• Tony Thibodeaux
• Rufus Thibodeaux

While I'm sure that there are many fine handcrafted violin makers, the only three I know anything about are:

• Leo Abshire
• Rodney Miller
• Viaviolins (Eunice, LA) - Contact The Viator Family for photographs, prices, and other information. (337) 546-6172 Email: mailto:viaviolins@aol.com