BETSY HOOPER, FIRST FIDDLE OF THE FOOTHILLS

an interview by Mark Warford

Betsy Hooper has lent her fine fiddling to the Knoxville seisiun for several years, enriching an otherwise Irish-focused repertoire with righteous outbursts of strathspeys and Scottish reels. At this year's Grandfather Mountain Highland Games Betsy won the fiddle competition. This qualifies her as a contender for the national championship which takes place this fall. In celebration of her recent accomplishment and the wonderful contributions she has made to the local Celtic scene over the years, I decided to conduct an e-mail interview...

MW: How long have you been playing?

BH: I began playing classical when I was a small child (we won't count years). I began playin Scottish seriously about ten years ago with the Boston Scottish Fiddle Club. The Boston folk dance scene is very fluid, and from Scottish I slid sideways into Scandinavian and from there into 'International' folk dance music. That means I can play a little in a lot of different styles. I started attending Irish pub sessions in Boston about four years ago, mostly sitting quietly in back since I did not know the repertoire.

MW: What got you into Scottish fiddle music? do you have any particular influences?

BH: I visited Scotland in '77 and fell in love with it. I took up Scottish country dancing in this country when I moved to Atlanta in 1980. Again, one thing led to another and I took up Highland dancing, then piping, and finally got up the nerve to step sideways from classical violin to Scottish fiddle music. Influences: Alasdair Fraser, Aly Bain, Jerry Holland, all of whom taught workshops for the Boston Scottish Fiddle Club. And Johnny Cunningham who occasionally showed up at the Irish sessions in Boston. Paddy Keenan, too, was a strong influence, though it was cross- instrumental. My highland piping also has a strong influence on my Socttish fiddling.

MW: Some folks don't easily recognize the distinction between Scottish and Irish fiddling. Can you describe the major features which distinguish the two approaches?

BH: In general I would characterize the Irish style as smoother and Scottish as more highly ornamented. On a more subtle level, the musical phonemes or syllables (to borrow from linguistics) that are used in Scottish and Irish music are different. This made it harder for me than I expected to pick up Irish tunes by ear. Also, there tends to be more minor and modal music in the Irish repertoire.

MW: I know you played in the Boston area for a number of years: how does the Appalachian regional scene compare with the session scene up in Beantown?

BH: No comparison musically. There are a lot of world class musicians fresh off the boat in Boston. Socially, it's similar. People are generally friendly and accepting as long as you are not rude and intrusive.

MW: What's it like preparing for competition at the Highland Games? How do you prepare yourself?

BH: It depends. If I'm doing it right, I will spend several days picking tunes for my set: a slow air played alone followed by a march, strathspey and reel set. It is important to pick tunes that 'go together'. There are several regional styles within the Scottish repertoire and it is preferred to be regionally consistent within a competition set. Transitions between tunes in a set are often the weak point and a careful choice of tunes includes consideration of how the tunes will connect. That's the hardest part.

Next comes practicing the set you have selected. It is often wise to play all tunes very slowly at first, regardless your technical expertise. This allows you to discover subtleties in the tunes you might wish to bring out in your performance. Then its just practice, practice, practice ...

MW: What affect has finishing first had on you? what do you see ahead in the future of your fiddle endeavors?

BH: I'm glowing with the accomplishment, of course. It qualifies me to participate in the national competition at Loon Mountain in New Hampshire this fall. More locally, I hope to encourage more musicians of all levels in the area to take up scottish music. I'd like to start up a Scottish Music Club (fiddle club is too narrow a definition and 'Strathspey and Reel Society' sounds too pretentious) where we can focus on shareing and teaching Scottish tunes as well as jamming. My experience with the Boston Scottish Fiddle club was wonderful and I'd like to share it with the people here.

Anyone interested in getting in touch with Betsy regarding the formation of a Scottish Music Club is welcomed to send email to Betsy. You may also wish to visit her web pages.