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Published on 11/27/1995 All articles from this issue

She fiddles around and gets a lot done

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By Laura Graetzer

Special to the Town Crier

Mary Larsen of Los Altos turns passion into profitable business with 'Fiddler Magazine'

You may not have realized Los Altos is the headquarters for a publication on traditional fiddle music, "Fiddler Magazine," produced almost single-handedly by Mary Larsen.

Working out of her Los Altos home, Larsen has now published this 52-page quarterly for two years. Her subscriber base of 1,300 is all over the United States and the world. Her mother, Alicia Larsen said that although Mary has contributing writers from all over the country, she handles everything from layout and editing, to marketing and distribution. Larsen's interest in music had its beginnings during high school when she studied Suzuki-style classical violin for a few years. She soon realized, however, she preferred Irish fiddle music. She had grown up hearing Irish music on records her father liked to play. Picking up the violin again at age 25, she began her fiddling studies with Jack Tuttle, a local professional musician who teaches all styles of fiddling with a specialty in bluegrass. He is also now the music editor for "Fiddler Magazine."

Larsen hadn't always planned on a publishing career. After graduating from Los Altos High School in 1980, she went on to study at Foothill College and University of California, Santa Cruz where she earned a bachelor of arts degree in language studies. She spent a year at the Sorbonne in Paris and earned an master's in French from the University of Cincinnati.

After college she needed a job and since she could type, she worked in a secretarial position at Ford Aerospace (now Loral), San Jose for five years. Mary then obtained a teaching credential in French from the College of Notre Dame in Belmont and enjoyed student-teaching at Egan Intermediate School. Realizing that there was little demand for French teachers, she worked instead as a bilingual assistant at Be, Inc., a start-up computer company located in San Jose at that time.

During the summer of 1993 Larsen visited Ireland where she spent a week studying at the Willie Clancy School in Miltown, Malbay, County Clare. Upon her return, she was inspired to create "Fiddler Magazine." Although plenty of publications existed on instruments including the classical violin, she had observed that there weren't any magazines on traditional fiddling. Thus, she launched her new career.Larsen intends "Fiddler Magazine" to appeal both to fiddlers and their fans. Each issue features a different region or style of fiddling. According to Alicia Larsen, it has covered Irish, old-time American, Cajun, bluegrass, Prince Edward Island, western swing, and Appalachian fiddling. Alicia writes that each issue also includes articles on other styles of fiddling, regular columns on technique, violin care, history, reviews of recordings and instructional materials, several tune transcriptions, and interviews with top fiddlers. Interviews so far have included Martin Hayes and Kevin Burke (Irish), Stéphane Grappelli and Claude Williams (jazz), Michael Doucet (Cajun), Johnny Gimble (Texas swing), and Kenny Baker (bluegrass). The spring issue will feature interviews with Mark O'Connor (probably the best-known fiddler in the U.S. today) and the Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser.

Through her new career, Larsen has enjoyed the opportunity to meet and interview many people in the field. She said a highlight of her work was her recent October trip to the Museum of Appalachia in Norris, Tenn.. During a four-day festival there, she filmed and interviewed six fiddlers for a video, "Carrying on the Traditions: Appalachian Fiddling Today." This video will be available in December through an order form in her magazine and at Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto. She plans to continue the "Carrying on the Traditions" series with later videos featuring Irish, Scottish, and other fiddling styles.

Larsen explained fiddling differs from classical violin playing in that its style. The instrument is the same, but the technique varies among styles of fiddling. In some styles, for example, the strings may be altered to different pitches. Mary's current favorite style is Cape Breton, an 18th-century Scottish style from an island in Nova Scotia. She spent a week studying this style at the Gaelic College of Arts and Crafts in Cape Breton.For those interested in learning to fiddle, Larsen recommends visiting Gryphon Stringed Instruments for teachers, instruments, and advice. She also advises attending local jam sessions to become familiar with the various styles of fiddling. Cuppa Joe in downtown Mountain View has a jam session the third Monday of each month and the Santa Clara Valley Fiddlers' Association holds one the first Sunday of each month in San Jose.

Larsen would also like to see musicians on the streets of downtown Los Altos much as there are in Palo Alto. She said, "I think Los Altos should encourage street musicians. It gives life to a town and it's fun. It exposes people to different kinds of music, too." There actually is nothing to prohibit street musicians from performing in downtown Los Altos, however putting out a hat for contributions is considered pan-handling.

For more information on local fiddling activities, call the Santa Clara Valley Fiddlers' Association at (408) 378-8873. "Fiddler Magazine" is sold at Tower Records-Video-Books in Mountain View and at Printers Inc. Bookstore and Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto. For more information on "Fiddler Magazine," call Mary Larsen at 948-4383 or write to "Fiddler Magazine," P.O. Box 125, Los Altos 94022.