Customer Reviews

English, Welsh, Scottish & Irish Fiddle Tunes

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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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.

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!

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!

This book has a wonderful collection of tunes. In addition, there is an anecdote or some background information offered for each tune, which helps with interpreting them. The author has added helpful suggestions for ornamentation, and the songs are organized in an easy-to-difficult order for each country which is helpful for an advancing student. It's just a fantastic fiddle book.

I'm an amateur fiddler who plays in solitude and learns only from printed music and recordings. Hence I collect a lot of fiddle music. This is one of my favorite books. Not only does it have some great tunes that I either haven't seen elsewhere or which are written differently (and more to my liking) than elsewhere, but the author has done a brilliant job of providing a little story to go with each tune, and the stories are quite feelingful and humorous. (I also like the author's comments, about how to play the tune called "Bung your Eye" -- "Play this one antagonistically." If that doesn't inspire a feelingful interpretation what does!)
The stories take after the author's comment, in the introductory pages, that Indian ragas "each have a picture and a poem peculiarly their own." The author goes a step toward intiating a like tradition for his collection of fiddle tunes. The recording of certain of the tunes I found more moving and inspiring than many other recordings of Celtic/Irish/Scottish fiddle tunes. Most recorded fiddle music sounds too "dancey" and repetitious/monotonous to me. This recording presents tunes with a more songlike sound and that is far more beautiful to me, and is inspiring my own interpretations.

I'ma guitarist and use these fiddle tunes to work on my plectrum technique. The arrangements seem good to me, but I'm no expert in this area.

I recommend this book as a good way to get started playing British Isles fiddle music. It's a tasteful collection of tunes, assembled with an eye toward inclusiveness across the various Celtic and English influences in the Isles. The background information helps you understand the music, and Robin Williamson's sense of humor makes it fun to read. The CD that accompanies the book gives a good sense of how the tunes should be played and of ways to make them your own.