IntermediateViolinBluegrassBluesFolkCountry

Exploring Folk Fiddle, by Chris Haigh

Name: Exploring Folk Fiddle, by Chris Haigh
Brand: MusicGurus
Author: Chris Haigh

Chris Haigh

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Modules293

Replay songs101

InstrumentViolin

LanguageEnglish

Contents (293 modules, 101 replay)

- 01. Contents
- 02. Introduction
- 01. 1: Tune Types
- 02. Polkas
- 03. The Top of Maol
- 04. Reels
- 05. The Sligo Maid
- 06. The Wind that Shakes the Barley
- 07. The Morning Star
- 08. Hornpipes
- 09. Beeswing
- 10. Other Hornpipe Styles
- 11. Stack of Barley
- 12. Hornpipes in America
- 13. Jigs
- 14. Donnybrook Fair
- 15. Danny Ab’s Slide No. 1
- 01. 2: More Tune Types and Structures
- 02. The Waltz
- 03. Mrs Kenny’s Waltz
- 04. Oberek
- 05. The Miller O’Dervil
- 06. The Hungarian Strathspey?
- 07. Old Joe Clark
- 08. Na Wesiliu Pid Chatoju (Wedding Under the Eaves)
- 09. Planxty Browne
- 10. Äppelbo Ganglat
- 11. Asymmetric Tunes
- 12. Northern Frisk
- 13. Wild Rose of the Mountain
- 14. Old-Time Tunes
- 15. Santa Anna’s Retreat
- 16. Crooked Métis Fiddling
- 17. Red River Jig
- 18. Balkan Rhythms
- 19. Kalamatianos
- 01. 3: Ornamentation
- 02. The Roll
- 03. Kerfunken Jig
- 04. The Cut
- 05. The Sligo Maid
- 06. The Treble
- 07. Farrell O’Gara
- 08. The Slide
- 09. American Ornamentation
- 10. Swedish Ornamentation
- 11. Vals efter Pers Hans
- 12. Klezmer Fiddle Ornamentation
- 13. Saposhkelekh
- 01. 4: Bowing
- 02. Irish Fiddle Bowing, an Overview
- 03. Jig Bowing
- 04. Jig Bowing - Tenpenny Bit
- 05. Tenpenny Bit - with two slurring patterns
- 06. Bowing for Reels
- 07. Pinch of Snuff
- 08. The Art of Surprise
- 09. The Wheels of the World
- 10. Scottish Bowing Techniques
- 11. Tulchan Lodge
- 12. Bowing in American Old-Time Fiddle
- 13. Bile them Cabbage Down
- 14. Bile them Cabbage Down (complex)
- 15. Whiskey Before Breakfast V1
- 16. Whiskey Before Breakfast V2
- 01. 5: Modes and Scales
- 02. Why Should I be Interested in Modes?
- 03. Pigeon on the Gate
- 04. The Dhu Hill
- 05. Shepherd’s Tune from Moldavia
- 06. Campbell’s Farewell to Redcastle
- 07. June Apple Breakdown
- 08. Hungarian Bagpipe Tune
- 09. Gapped Scales
- 10. Haste to the Wedding
- 11. Cooley’s Reel
- 12. Pentatonic Scales
- 13. Britches Full of Stitches
- 14. Eighth of January
- 15. Glen Lyon
- 16. Entrance Hymn for the Emperor
- 17. The Wind is Blowing from the Danube
- 18. Chilly Winds
- 01. East European Scales
- 02. Hungarian Csárdás
- 03. Hora de la Risipit
- 04. Ajsino Oro
- 05. Klezmer Scales
- 06. Tanz, Tanz, Yidelekh
- 07. Fun Der Khupe March
- 08. Kishiniever Bulgar
- 09. Untempered Scales
- 10. Tuning in Irish Fiddle Music
- 11. Banish Misfortune
- 12. Scottish Tuning
- 13. Old-Time Tuning
- 14. Cluck Old Hen
- 15. Lonesome John
- 16. Scandinavian Tuning
- 17. Alvdals Polska
- 01. 7: Tunings
- 02. GDGD
- 03. Mike in the Wilderness (GDGD tuning)
- 04. The History of Scordatura
- 05. AEAE Tuning
- 06. Da Auld Foula Reel (AEAE tuning)
- 07. Hins Polska (AEAE tuning)
- 08. Cluck Old Hen (AEAE tuning)
- 09. Cross Tuning in Irish Music
- 10. The Foxhunter’s Reel (AEAE tuning)
- 11. DDAD Tuning
- 12. Boneparte’s Retreat (DDAD tuning)
- 13. Other Old-Time tunings
- 14. Norwegian Tunings
- 15. Fanitullen (AEAC# tuning)
- 16. American Old-Time Tuning
- 17. Black Mountain Rag (AEAC# tuning)
- 01. 8: What’s Missing?
- 02. Starts, Endings and Links
- 03. Lilting Banshee
- 04. The Maid Behind the Bar (full version)
- 05. Morrison’s (circular ending)
- 06. Doon Reel
- 07. Johnny I do Miss You
- 08. Old-Time Intros and Endings
- 09. Eastern Europe Endings
- 10. Basarabye
- 11. Cajun Endings
- 12. Les Flammes D’enfer
- 13. Drones and Double Stops
- 14. Hungarian Bagpipe Dance
- 15. Winster Gallop
- 16. Winster Gallop with Lower String Drones
- 17. Lonesome John
- 18. Lonesome John with A and E string drones
- 19. Double Stops
- 20. Redwing
- 21. Redwing with double stops
- 22. Wednesday Night Waltz
- 01. Learned Variations
- 02. The Connaughtman’s Rambles V1
- 03. The Connaughtman’s Rambles V2
- 04. The Poppy Leaf V1
- 05. The Poppy Leaf (V2 Sean McGuire)
- 06. Improvised Variation
- 07. Variation Strategies
- 08. The Black Haired Lass
- 09. Variation and Improvisation In Other Fiddle Traditions
- 10. Tom and Jerry
- 11. Composition
- 12. Contemporary Tune Writers
- 13. How to Write Your Own Tune
- 14. The Humours of Haverstock Hill
- 15. Tune Titles
- 16. Arminel
- 01. 10: The Joy Of Sets
- 02. Classic Sets
- 03. The Tarbolton/The Longford Collector/The Sailor’s Bonnet
- 04. The Morning Dew/The Woman of the House
- 05. The Drunken Landlady/The Wind that Shakes the Barley/John Stenson’s
- 06. The Leitrim Fancy/Around the World for Sport
- 07. The Providence Reel/Man of the House/Speed the Plough
- 08. Farrell O’Gara/Good Morning to Your Nightcap
- 09. Scottish Sets
- 10. March/Strathspey/Reel
- 01. 11: Playing For Dancing
- 02. Step Dancing
- 03. The Three Sea Captains
- 04. Set Dancing
- 05. The Blackbird
- 06. Céili Dancing
- 07. Playing in a Céili Band Today
- 08. Scottish Dance
- 09. The Dashing White Sergeant/Peat Fire Flame/Bottom Of the Punchbowl
- 10. English Country Dance
- 11. Walter Bulwer’s No. 2
- 12. Contra Dance
- 13. Square Dance
- 14. Conclusion
- 01. 12: Odds And Ends
- 02. Regional Styles in Irish Fiddle Music
- 03. Regional Styles
- 04. Playing For Contests
- 05. Sliabh Na Mban
- 06. Contest Fiddling in Old-time Music
- 07. Playing at Sessions
- 08. Miss Langford’s Reel/The Tailor’s Thimble
- 09. Postscript
- 10. Bibliography
- 11. Discography
- 12. Web Resources
- 13. Audio Track Listing
- 01. The Top of Maol
- 02. The Sligo Maid
- 03. The Morning Star
- 04. Stack of Barley
- 05. Beeswing
- 06. The Wind that Shakes the Barley
- 07. Donnybrook Fair
- 08. Danny Ab's Slide No. 1
- 09. Mrs Kenny's Waltz
- 10. Oberek
- 11. The Miller O'Dervil
- 12. Old Joe Clark
- 13. Na Wesiliu Pid Chatoju (Wedding Under the Eaves)
- 14. Planxty Browne
- 15. Appelbo Ganglat
- 16. Northern Frisk
- 17. Wild Rose of the Mountain
- 18. Santa Anna's Retreat
- 19. Red River Jig
- 20. Kalamatianos
- 21. Kerfunken Jig
- 22. The Sligo Maid
- 23. Farrel O Gara
- 24. Vals efter Pers HAns
- 25. Saposhkelekh
- 26. Jig Bowing - Tenpenny Bit
- 27. Tenpenny Bit- with two slurring patterns
- 28. Pinch of Snuff
- 29. The Wheels of the World
- 30. Tulchan Lodge
- 31. Bile them Cabbage Down
- 32. Bile them Cabbage Down (complex)
- 33. Whiskey Before Breakfast
- 34. Whiskey Before Breakfast V2
- 35. Pidgeon on the Gate
- 36. The Dhu Hill
- 37. Shepherds Tune from Moldavia
- 38. Campbells Farewell to Redcastle
- 39. June Apple Breakdown
- 40. Hungarian Bagpipe Tune
- 41. Haste to the Wedding
- 42. Colleys Reel
- 43. Britches full of Stitches
- 44. Eigth of January
- 45. Glen Lyon
- 46. Entrance Hymn for the Emperor
- 47. The Wind is Blowing from the Danube
- 48. Chilly Winds
- 49. Hungarian Csárdás
- 50. Hora de la Risipit
- 51. Ajsino Oro
- 52. Tanz tanz Yidelekh
- 53. Fun der Khupe March
- 54. Kishinieve Bulgar
- 55. Banish Isfortune
- 56. Cluck Old Hen
- 57. Lonesome John
- 58. Alvdals Polska
- 59. Mike in the Wilderness (GDGD tuning)
- 60. Da Auld Foula Reel (AEAE tuning)
- 61. Hins Polska (AEAE tuning)
- 62. Cluck Old Hen (AEAE tuning)
- 63. The Foxhunters Reel (AEAE tuning)
- 64. Bonepartes Retreat (DDAD tuning)
- 65. Faintfullen (AEAC# tuning)
- 66. Black Bountain Rag (AEAC# tuning)
- 67. Lilting Bashee
- 68. The Maid Behind the Bar (full version)
- 69. Morrisons circular ending
- 70. Doon Reel
- 71. Johnny I do miss you
- 72. Basarabye
- 73. Les Flammes Denfer
- 74. Hungarian Bagpipe dance
- 75. Winster Gallop
- 76. Winster Gallop with lower string drones
- 77. Lonesome John
- 78. Lonesome John with A and E string drones
- 79. Redwing
- 80. Redwing with double stops
- 81. Wednesday Night waltz
- 82. The Connaughtmans Rambles V1
- 83. The Connaughtmans Rambles V2
- 84. The Poppy Leaf V1 / The Poppy leaf V2 / Sean McGuire
- 85. The Black Haired Lass
- 86. Tom and Jerry
- 87. The Humours of Haverstock Hill
- 88. Arminel
- 89. The Tarbolton / The longford Collector / The Sailors Bonnet
- 90. The Morning Dew / The Woman of the House
- 91. The Drunken Landlady
- 92. The Leitrim Fancy
- 93. The Providence Reel
- 94. Farrel O Gara / Good Morning to Your Nightcap
- 95. March Strathspey Reel
- 96. The Three Captains
- 97. The Blackbird
- 98. The Dashing White Sergeant / Peat Fire Flame / Bottom of the Punchbowl
- 99. Walter Bulwers No2
- 100. Sliabh NA Mban
- 101. Miss Langfords Reel The tailos Thimble

About this songbook

Folk fiddle is not “easy classical”. In Exploring Folk Fiddle, Chris Haigh shows you how traditional violin playing comes alive beyond the printed notes - with bowing patterns, swing, ornaments, drones, and style decisions that notation rarely captures. You will learn to hear what makes a tune sound authentic, then build the technique to deliver it on the violin.

What you will work on (with clear, practical examples):

Tune types and forms across traditions (from polkas and reels to asymmetric and Balkan rhythms)
Core ornament vocabulary (rolls, cuts, trebles, slides) and how to apply them musically
Bowing approaches by style - including Irish, Scottish, and old-time concepts
Modes, gapped and pentatonic scales, plus wider palettes from Klezmer and untempered ideas
Tunings (scordatura) such as GDGD, AEAE, DDAD, and AEAC# with real tunes to anchor the sound
Variation, improvisation, composition, and the craft of building sets for real-world playing

Recorded support is built in. The book includes a full audio track listing with Main tunes (01–45) plus Solo violin tracks (01–56), so you can listen, copy phrasing, and practice performance details in context. Backing instruments include piano, guitar, accordion, and percussion (Press Play Studio credits).

Start now. Press play and learn. Put the style back into your folk violin.

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Meet the Guru

Chris Haigh

Chris Haigh has been a professional fiddle player for 25 years, with experience covering many different genres. He has played on over 75 albums, working with artists including Alison Moyet, Bob Geldof, All About Eve, Michael Ball, David Soul, Oumou Sangare, The Quireboys, Riverdance, Morcheeba, James Galway and Steps.

He has played swing jazz with The Kimbara Brothers, Diz Disley, Le Jazz, The Hot Club of London, and the Quecumbar Allstars, and leads a 7-piece Soviet swing band, The Kremlinaires.

Chris gives lessons and workshops on jazz violin technique and has taught jazz violin at Middlesex, Brunel and Newcastle universities and Truro College. His writing credits include nine fiddle books, among them The Fiddle Handbook.

He also runs Fiddling Around (fiddlingaround.co.uk), probably the most comprehensive and widely visited source of fiddle information on the web.

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Published with

Schott Music

Founded by Bernhard Schott in Mainz in 1770, Schott Music is one of Europe's oldest and largest music publishers, with a catalogue of more than 30,000 titles. Over its 250-year history Schott has issued first editions of Mozart, Beethoven and Wagner, championed 20th-century voices from Hindemith and Schoenberg to Ligeti and Henze, and today publishes sheet music, books and educational materials from offices in Mainz, London, New York, Tokyo and beyond.

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