English, Welsh, Scottish & Irish Fiddle Tunes [Paperback]

Robin Williamson (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1992

Over 100 tunes, this is an outstanding collection of the traditional music of Britain, graded from easy to advanced.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Oak Publications; 1st edition (January 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0825601657
• ISBN-13: 978-0825601651
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #342,939 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, but quirky and unconventional, like Mr Wiliamson, March 30, 2003

By 

"dogfishtooth" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: English, Welsh, Scottish & Irish Fiddle Tunes (Paperback)

This is the first fiddle book I bought, some 10 years ago, and I still go back to it for something different on occasion. It has 100 or so tunes, a lot of which are rare these days. This is not a book that will help you to play in celtic music sessions, as the tunes are mostly obscure, and if they are common, Robin always has to throw in some wild variation, or change the tune slightly. His choice of chords is better than anything I've seen in more conventional celtic fiddle books. He teaches the basic ornamentation, and each tune has a paragraph written about it. The record, now a cd, is helpful to learn his stylings and the tunes but only covers a small amount of the tunes printed, 20 maybe. This book has great personality and is much more interesting than the sterile massed produced tune books of today.
My only complaint is that I wish it had more tunes in the book and more tunes on the record.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a world of music in a nutshell, December 10, 1999

By 

prfb (Elkins, WV USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: English, Welsh, Scottish & Irish Fiddle Tunes (Paperback)

This is the book that got me into Celtic music in the 1970's, following Robin Williamson from his "Incredible String Band" days into a type of music I've loved ever since. The included little floppy record (hope you have a turntable!)shows that his personal playing style is a bit eccentric compared to more traditional players I've heard since, but this book is a wonderful, accessible, concise, broad and sweeping introduction to traditional instrumentals of the British Isles. Short backgrounds are given for each tune, and the settings are keyed for real instruments. I can honestly recommend this book as an excellent value for any newcomer to the subject. Experienced players could only wish for MORE tunes!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding book of tunes, September 15, 2008

By 

CV - See all my reviews

This review is from: English, Welsh, Scottish & Irish Fiddle Tunes (Paperback)

This is one of the best books I've come across for classic English/Welsh/Scottish tunes. It's especially nice for flute and recorder playing. It also includes chords for guitar and a disc of the tunes. I initally checked this book out of the library but quickly realized I had to have it in my own personal library. It's a keeper!