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Fiddle Traditions

Inside the styles and techniques of bluegrass, country, Cajun, swing, and Irish fiddling.

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By The Editors of Strings Magazine.
Published by String Letter Publishing
$12.95
Book (paperbound)

Learn more about your favorite fiddle styles and techniques through the writings of experts in bluegrass, country, Irish, Cajun, and swing traditions. Covers the difference between classical violin playing and fiddling, “chopping” technique, bariolage, double-stop playing, and alternate tunings, plus lots of info on fiddle tunes from around the world.

CONTENTS
Baroque to Bluegrass - A Historical Look at Bariolage By Fred Palmer.
Birds of a Feather - Bluegrass and classical string styles are closer than you may think Richard Greene discusses how the violin is the nexus of classical and bluegrass playing. Including music to play and how to achieve a trademark sound By James Reel.
Bluegrass and Double Stops - Three Variations on 'Take This Hammer' By Stacy Phillips.
Bridging the Gap Between Classical and Traditional Music - Fiddling vs. classical styles and how to switch By Pat Talbert.
Cookin' with Cajun Spice - Play "between the notes" to get that authentic Louisiana flavor A brief history of Cajun fiddling, with tips on how to get started playing it yourself. With music to play By Suzy Rothfield Thompson.
Get Your Chops Down Fiddlers--even fiddling cellists--can benefit from this time-honored technique Darol Anger and Renata Bratt discuss chop technique By James Reel.
Modern Southern Fiddling - The Genius of Arthur Smith "Fiddler's Dream" and "Sugar Tree Stomp" transcribed By Jim Wood.
Retunings in American Fiddle Music - The practice of retuning with pieces to play as examples By Stacy Phillips.
Solving Technical Fiddle Riddles - Problems and Solutions By Julie Lyonn Lieberman.
Solving Technical Fiddle Riddles - Problems and Solutions By Julie Lyonn Lieberman.
Texas Hoedown Fiddling - Benny Thomasson Style By Jim Wood.
The Exotic World of Modal Fiddle Tunes - Tips on playing tunes in "modes" By Stacy Phillips.
The Reel Deal - 12 questions violinists ask about fiddling Commonly asked questions from classical players curious about playing traditional fiddle music By Donna Hebert.
The Science of Contest Fiddling - Instructions for entering fiddle contests, with standard music choices By Jim Wood.
Triple Play - Learning the art of three-part fiddle harmony The author demystifies the process of three-fiddle performance and helps readers also develop their own three-part arrangements By Jim Wood.
Unsquare Dances - Composer explains how she wrote pieces in unusual meters By Hollis Taylor.