Some musicians and dancers in the Nordic countries have pointed out to me that more "folk" musicians seem to be coming out of classical music training at music academies.
They point out that there are significant differences in playing styles between how you play a violin in the classical style or a fiddle in the folk style. Essentially, it's the same instrument — but the approach is different.
A young Swedish classically-trained violinist, Linnea Fredricson, has also begun to study folk music. Her father, Birger Fredricson, is a violin-maker and has a YouTube channel featuring videos of Linnea playing both classical pieces and folk tunes.
In this clip she is playing with Maria Wernberg, a Swedish "riksspelman" (national musician) who recently won a major grant from Sparbanksstiftelsen Norrland. Wernberg started studying violin using the Suzuki method and continued her classical studies abroad.
At the same time, she was a student of tradition bearer and riksspelmen Anders Eriksson and Håkan Olsson. Wernberg was among those named a rikspelman at the Zornmärkesuppspelningarna 2005 — at the tender age of 19.
Fredricson and Wernberg recorded some 25 låtar (tunes) from Gotland for the Swedish Radio Broadcasting about three years ago.
Out of the video clips available, I picked this lesser-viewed polska — Fardume-Lennarts polska by Svante Pettersson — because I think its a very nice example of the complex harmonies that two fiddles can enjoy in typical polska tunes. The polska is a dance that has an assymetrical beat of three. It may sound like a waltz, but it's not.
This recording was made by Fredricson's father in the 12th century Visby Domkyrka (Cathedral) in 2008.
How do you think classical music training affects someone who begins to pursue folk music?
