Fiddle range in this video?

Trad Strings
1

1st Happy New Year 2026 to everyone!

This might be a bit stupid to ask since it involves the AI-generated video I found on YouTube, but I just wanted to ask if you can actually play all those notes on an Irish fiddle and it will sound the same? In my mind the fiddle is in a higher register, and this sounds more in the viola range to me. But I am a guitarist, so I might be totally wrong? If I start the fiddle journey, I will need to buy the proper instrument, and I heard that also the 5-string fiddle exists—with a C string, which adds a low C note to the standard GDAE tuning (CGDAE). Anyone who can try to play it at home, let me know if a 5-string fiddle is what I need. Thank you, and God bless.https://youtu.be/UWrGLRDm5k8?si=R1b9G3_IArnlYkYl :slight_smile:

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I’m not a fiddler but I am used to thinking ‘can I join in with this on the flute?*’ I think the lowest note is the open G string.

* in this case ‘yes, but it probably wouldn’t add anything an octave up’. And it’s hard to work out where the tune is going.

3

Hello, I tried it and yes, it’s playable (and quite simple) with a standard GDAE 4 string fiddle AND with a viola: the lowest note here is G plus there is no note on the E string. It sounds like… a bit strange and too clean of course but you can have this sort of round sound if you play only on G and D string (moving the right hand position to reach the highest notes).