Hi everyone, I just subscribed to sharedweight.net last night and was reading through the archived messages. I am a classically trained violinist of almost 30 years, who has been playing fiddle music for the last 12 years or so. (After reading 'the balance thing', I don't think I will dare to call myself a fiddler yet at this point, or if I do, it will definitely have 'beginner' preceding fiddler.) Besides certain songs that have specific dances for them, such as La Bastrange, I did not realize the significance of exactly how a melody line can influence a dance pattern. This concept was actually introduced to me last evening at the Worcester Contra in a conversation with Chris. Then, as mentioned previously, I read through 'the balance thing'. It explained an aspect of fiddlin' that I was completely oblivious to. Input from the caller in the form of adjectives describing the type of character they want in a tune is what I am familiar with in deciding which pair of tunes will be played for an upcoming dance. Once the dance begins, my main focus has been that the pace is where the caller wants it to be according to the proficiency level of the dancers and the difficulty of the dance, and on staying rhythmically steady and energetic while still keeping the tune musical. Coming from a classical background, the things I find the most elusive thing about fiddling definitely fall under the stylistic aspects of playing. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend much, if any, of NEFFA coming up in a few weeks due to prior commitments, but I was wondering if there were any other such events coming up in the near future. Any advice or recommended resources to help demystify what seem like 'the unspoken rules' of fiddlin'? Thanks, Linette