Designed for violinists who have never fiddled in the Scottish style or for anyone who would simply like to brush up on their "Scottishness", this guide discusses ornamentations and their applications, bowing styles, rhythmic issues and stylistic interpretations. It covers five basic types of tunes: airs, marches, jigs, reels and strathspeys, as well as Scottish fiddle history and regional styles. Accompanying video clips demonstrated by former U.S. National Scottish Fiddling Champion, Melinda Crawford, show how to execute all of the different techniques and how to perform more than 44 full-length traditional Scottish fiddle tunes. Transcriptions of the tunes are included within the guide. Includes access to online video.

Part I Foreword

About this Guide

Part II A (Very) Brief History of Scottish Fiddling

Historical Timeline

Part III Before Getting Started

Part IV Airs and Ornaments

Left-Hand Ornaments

Hammer-Ons

The Crunch

The Pull-Off  

The Tap

Combination Ornaments

Phrasing

Part V Marches

Additional Ornaments: Unison and Turn

Part VI Dance Music

Jigs

Reels

Bowings

The Birl

Strathspeys

West Highland

Northeast  

16th-Note Runs  

Triplets

The Up-Driven Bow

Part VII Answer Section

Part VIII Full Tunes from Excerpts That Are Not Included in the Text  

Part IX Appendix A – Additional Listening

Appendix B – Suggested Music Resources

Appendix C – Map of Scotland—The Regions and Regional Fiddle Styles

Part X Tune Index

Topical Index

Part XI About the Author