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A style of fiddling that comes from the Appalachian
Mountains of the United States that uses modal sounds and techniques.
A musical style that originated with Bill Munroe in the
late 1930's with increased improvisation and flashiness. This style is primarily
meant for a listening audience only.
A Swedish Bridal March
A French-North American style that was originated in
Maritime Canada by the "Acadiens," a group of French settlers in
present-day Nova Scotia. This group, harassed by the British, moved to Southern
Louisiana and were isolated until the start of the twentieth century.
- a regional variance of Scottish fiddling with a more
formal style. Players of this style include Winston "Scotty"
Fitzgerald and The Cape Breton Symphony Fiddlers.
- a type of Scottish fiddling with the melody in a
higher range, usually imitating the sounds of the bagpipes.
- a style where ornamentation is used sparingly and the
bow is used simply.
a highly spirited style that borrows from French folk
music, Scottish and Irish fiddling, but leans toward a more rhythmic and less
ornamental style. The favoured instrumentation is fiddle and piano.
- a Swedish walking tune
- Attention is given to the ornaments and melody on an
equal basis. Tunes in the Ionian mode (major scale), Dorian (a scale starting
and ending on the second note of the major scale), Mixolydian (a scale starting
and ending on the fifth note of the major scale) and Aeolian (natural minor
scale) are equally common.
- music with a brisk tempo and a spirited bounce that
makes it very suitable for dancing. This is also referred to as the "Down
East" style. Players of this style include Gerry Robichaud and Don Messer.
- a mix of Scottish, French and Indian music with a
highly spirited character and adjusted to suit the traditional Metis dances.
- a mix of Irish, Scottish and English fiddle
techniques. Tunes can range from a simple English fashion to a highly ornamented
style of Scottish/Irish fiddling.
a local offshoot of Irish and Welch Fiddling that is
lively in spirit and quick in tempo
- a pre-bluegrass string band style with country dance
rhythms, including music from Vaudville, minstrel shows, British Isles folk
traditionals, early 78 RPM country recordings, old songs played on the fiddle,
Appalachian modal tunes, and listening tunes unsuitable for dancing.
- a style of fiddling that is melodic in character and
has its roots in the music of the British Isles. This is the most widely known
fiddle style in Canada.
- denotes two different dances:
a. The "Hambopolska" (eighth note) polska with a strongly marked 3/4
beat.
b. The "Slängspolska" with a more even beat in 3/4 time.
- a highly rhythmic style of North Carolina
fiddling
- a highly melodic type of fiddle music that can be
played in harmony and sometimes on eight-string or nine-string "Hardanger"
fiddles (Norwegian origin). They are tuned to the same intervals as regular
violin tuning, except that the lowest string is usually (but not always) tuned
up one whole step. Also the tuning for the whole instrument is higher than for a
violin. It could be tuned anywhere from one half to two whole steps higher. Most
common seems to be about one whole step higher. They have four droning strings
that run under the fingerboard and through the middle of the bridge.
- where the right hand is used to bring out a wide
variety of arpeggio and spicatto bowings. Reels are usually slower than in
Ireland, and the roll, a staple Irish ornament, is rarely used.
- has a lively style of its own taking from Sweden,
Norway, Scotland and Ireland.
- a Swedish gift giving tune at a wedding.
- a highly ornamental Irish fiddling style typified by
the playing of Michael Coleman, which originated in the Sligo area of Ireland.
- a mix of French, Spanish and British fiddling with
very quick tempo and a heavy usage of double stops
- a style with highly developed melody variations and
jazz-like backup from the accompanying instruments. Tempo is slower than
Old-time and bluegrass. An example includes Bob Wills.
- an ethnic type of music that is high spirited, and
faster in tempo than traditional fiddle music. Much of this music is composed in
minor keys.
- a form of popular music that originated from popular
swing. Fiddling often aspires to the "hot" improvisation of jazz
soloists, such as Joe Venuti and Jean-Luc Ponty.
Index | History of the Fiddle | Fiddle Styles | Maintenance of the Fiddle | Re-hairing the Bow | folklore and superstitions | Fiddle of the Month Award | Links