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James's first fiddle was an inexpensive factory-made, three-quarter size instrument. He explained that nowadays he uses different fiddles for different occasions. One has a number of "gadgets" fixed on to make it louder and can take a microphone attachment, and this fiddle might be used for dancing. Another is used for orchestral and string-quartet work. James does not have a fiddle tuned in B flat for playing with pipers as some fiddlers do. He explained: "I find in some old fiddles that, two things. One, you'll tune them up to B flat and they keep trying to get back down to A. I don't know if it's a spirit within the instrument or no, but they tend to always try to get back down to their natural pitch. Also that little difference of a semitone from A to B flat puts a lot of strain onto a fiddle." James inherited a George Dyker fiddle made in 1912, and got to know the Dyker family who were descendents of the maker. Henley notes that Dyker was born in Aberdeenshire and lived in Forres, and remarks about his instruments: "workmanship perfect down to the minutest detail" (Henley, 1959:88). James has around six fiddles that he plays regularly, and sometimes stores instruments by hanging them on walls.
James plays in a number of bands including a dance band which frequently plays for wedding dances. He also plays with the group "The Explosive Fiddlers" which includes Charlie McKerron, Duncan Chisholm and Paul Anderson on fiddles, although the line-up varies. He prefers playing for listening rather than dancing: "I've had my share of dance music and I went through that phase. Maybe I'm a wee bit selfish, but I tend to like the freedom you get to alter speeds and arrangements for listening as opposed to dancing." The photo below shows James rehearsing with "The Explosive Fiddlers" in Craigellachie as part of the Whisky Festival, 2001. The musicians left to right are: Phil Anderson (guitar), Charlie McKerron (fiddle), Billy Pearce (keyboard), James Alexander (fiddle), Paul Anderson (fiddle) and Gordon Gunn (fiddle). Gordon, Phil and Billy together form the "Gordon Gunn Band" and have connections with Caithness and the Orkney Isles.
Find out more about James Alexander: James Alexander homepage - Teaching - The Fochabers Fiddlers - Styles, repertoire and composition
About the author - Acknowledgements - Bibliography - Celtic and Scottish Studies homepage - Conclusion - Fochabers homepage - Homepage - William Marshall homepage
Published by the Department of Celtic and Scottish Studies, University of Edinburgh
© University of Edinburgh 2001
Last modified Wednesday, 26-Aug-2009 13:31:36 BST by Katherine Campbell