Kniefiedel

What it means

Kniefiedel (“knee fiddle”) designates a bowed string instrument that is held between or on the knees while playing, in contrast to the arm fiddles resting on the shoulder. The term thus describes the posture, not a particular type of construction. It is met in descriptions of historical and folk-music instruments and thus stands close to designations such as viol or lap fiddle. Because the terminology in old sources is not uniform, not every instrument so named can be unambiguously classified.

Musical use

The posture has consequences for playing. Whoever holds the instrument on the knees often leads the bow underhand, palm upward, which brings the weight onto the string differently and lets the tone begin more softly. At the same time this posture allows drone playing and a calm, sustaining sound picture. In European music history, viols and related instruments stand for this family; in the folk-music traditions of various regions, forms of construction of their own with similar handling are met. With the establishment of the violin family, the knee technique receded in the art-music field but survived with the cello, which is likewise held between the knees.

Performance practice

First adjust the height of the instrument: it must stand stably without pinching, otherwise legs and shoulders cramp. With underhand bow hold, volume arises less from pressure than from the weight of the forearm; work with the rotation of the wrist. With fretted instruments, check the position of the gut frets regularly, since they shift. Tune to the ensemble and not to a fixed standard pitch, since different pitch standards are usual in early music. Information on the forms of construction and names of such instruments should be checked against the respective source.

Bear in mind that instruments of this kind are usually quieter than the violin family: in a mixed ensemble the size of the forces decides the balance, not the player's expenditure of force. Keep the bow loose and work with weight instead of pressure. Check the height of the spike or the support so that the instrument stands without pinching.