I spent my Sunday afternoon in a recording studio doing a session for a blues band. Maybe when the record comes out I’ll post some links. Anyway, I had to inquire about the very strange-looking item leaning against a corner, which turned out to be a stumpf fiddle.

This was something I had never before seen or heard of, and I have to admit that I was quite annoyed that other people who were there all knew what it was. On the other hand, I love learning about things this way, and so when I got home that evening, a quick Google search provided me with plenty of information about the stumpf fiddle. It’s an instrument popular in polka, bluegrass, and country music in the upper midwest. The only downside of acquiring all of this new stumpf knowledge is that now I kind of want a stumpf fiddle to call my own. Perhaps I should try to make one?

Stump fiddle, stump fiddle, stump fiddle. Doesn’t that sound silly? I bet Beetlejuice can play it heck out of it.

Here’s a video of the stumpf fiddle in action: