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Catalog > Books > Fiddle Books updated May 22, 2008

Fiddle Methods, Technique and Style | Tunebooks

Titles listed in alphabetical order

The American Fiddle Method (Mel Bay) -- $24.95 (cover)
Includes CD A best seller! Two volumes available.

Volume 1: Beginning Fiddle Tunes and Techniques -- 60 pages. Beneficial for both fiddle students and classical Suzuki violin students, this method encourages creativity by including variations to the tunes and illustrating how they can serve as a basis for improvisation. To assist in the development of ensemble skills, this book includes chords and lyrics, basic music theory, and demonstrations of such skills as backup and lead playing. A CD for listening and play-along captures the excitement of the music and aids instruction.

Volume 2: Intermediate Fiddle Tunes and Techniques -- 64 pages. Designed as a follow-up to Volume 1, Volume 2 addresses such important skills as: 1) expanding a basic repertoire of common intermediate-level tunes, 2) learning to use low first position, 3) mastery of bowing down on the beat and corrective slurring, 4) artistic slurring, 5) understanding basic music theory, and 6) learning double-stop backup combinations. Some students who have studied violin or fiddle music before may be able to skip Volume 1 and start with Volume 2, assuming they are proficient at skills such as proper violin and bow placement and can play a small repertoire of fiddle tunes with good tone and intonation.

Bluegrass Fiddle (Music Sales) -- Gene Lowinger -- $17.95 (cover)
64 pages. The first complete guide to bluegrass fiddling, covering the fundamentals of musical terminology, right- and left-hand techniques, double stops, slurs and slides. Twenty nine bluegrass and 14 traditional tunes arranged to develop technique and a repertoire.
Gypsy Violin (Mel Bay) -- $24.95 Includes CD (cover)
A best seller! 132 pages. This book contains practice tips, a helpful glossary, a short essay on the Gypsy touch and a fine assortment of approximately 50 annotated traditional Gypsy tunes from Russia, Romania, Hungary, and Bessarabia. Based on many years of research, travel, and participation in slavas or Gypsy jam sessions, this long-anticipated book makes a significant and colorful contribution to the violin repertoire while providing a thorough grounding in the characteristic elements of the passionate Gypsy style. The CD is a stereo recording of every song in the book at performance tempo with piano accompaniment.
Irish Fiddle Playing -- Philip John Berthoud -- $19.95 Includes CD
88 pages. Subtitled "A Guide for the Serious Player," this book is designed to make the personal aspects of traditional Irish fiddle playing, improvisation and interpretation accessible to novice players. Drawing on his experience writing out reels, jigs and other tunes for new players at a North London session and teaching fiddle, the author conveys what to do with tunes to make them your own. The first part of the book discusses such subjects as the "language" of traditional music, posture, bowing, and effective practice, with a detailed analysis of left and right hand technique. The second section is a selection of tunes that demonstrate the ideas in the first part. The aim of the book is to allow the player to look more closely at their technique while also improving accuracy and speed. A recording adds an extra dimension to the learning experience.
Irish Fiddle Playing, Volume 2 -- Philip John Berthoud -- $19.95
110 pages, includes CD. This book is a follow-up to Irish Fiddle Playing: A Guide for the Serious Player. The student will gain a deeper knowledge of fiddle playing and improve their overall playing and musical understanding. Subjects include improvisation, fingering and bowing techniques, playing with other musicians, modes, converting from classical to traditional, improvising in songs, and more. The player will become more aware of the mechanics of playing the fiddle, putting them in a position to improve their sound, develop their own style, and play more effectively and confidently with others. As with the first book in the series, it contains pieces of advice from the author's 25 years of playing music. The format of the book is similar to this first book. Section 1 deals with various aspects of fiddle playing. Section 2 contains a selection of mostly well-known tunes, fully transcribed with variations and ornaments. These tunes are all included on the accompanying recording.
Traditional Scottish Fiddling (Taigh na Teud) -- $30.23 Includes CD
144 pages. This fascinating fiddle book explains how to play the many regional styles of fiddle music in Scotland today. This is an ideal Scottish Fiddle tutor book for players who want more in depth information on how Scottish tunes are played. A detailed book of Scottish Fiddle styles including the different regional bowing techniques found in Scotland and dance music. Over 220 tunes from the West Coast, East Coast, Orkney, Shetland and the Borders with notes on the traditions in each area. The CD has 68 tracks illustrating the points as they occur and played by fiddlers from each area.
Twenty Irish Fiddle Tunes (Hal Leonard) -- $19.95 Includes CD (cover)
Kevin Burke, one of the true masters of the Irish fiddle, teaches these 20 tunes taken from his vast repertoire of Irish traditional music. He plays each one slowly for novice players, then up to tempo with all the ornaments to give the learning instrumentalist the true feel of the tune.

Rolling in the Ryegrass - The Sligo Maid - The Earl's Chair - The Wind That Shakes the Barley - Down the Broom - The Gatehouse Maid - The Sailor on the Rock - The Humours of Lissadell - The Maid Behind the Bar - The Maids of Mitchelstown - The Stack of Barley - Rise a Mile - Tune from Gurteen - The Scotsman over the Border - Tommy People's Jig - Andy McGann's Jig - Old Man Dillon - Sean Ryan's Jig - A Polka - A Slide
You Can Teach Yourself Fiddling (Mel Bay) -- $19.95 Includes CD (cover)
A best seller! Designed for beginning fiddle students, these 36 lessons present basic techniques by applying them to fiddle tunes. Reading music is unnecessary, as the lessons are explained step by step, and fingerings are given for every note. Each version builds on the previous one and helps students to create their own arrangements. Includes a split- track CD. Forty-eight songs from the book are on the CD.