Scottish fiddling may be distinguished from other

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

fiddling A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially syno ...

styles by its particular precision of execution and energy in the delivery, for example, the rendering of the dotted-quaver/semi-quaver rhythmic patterns, commonly used in the Strathspey. Christine Martin, in her ''Traditional Scottish Fiddling'' players guide, discusses the techniques of "hack bowing", "the

Scotch snap The Lombard rhythm or Scotch snap is a syncopated musical rhythm in which a short, accented note is followed by a longer one. This reverses the pattern normally associated with dotted notes or '' notes inégales'', in which the longer value pr ...

", and "snap bowing". These techniques contrast quite sharply with the most common bowing patterns of

Irish fiddling The fiddle is one of the most important instruments in the traditional repertoire of Irish traditional music. The fiddle itself is identical to the violin, however it is played differently in widely varying regional styles. In the era of sound r ...

. The style has a very large repertoire consisting of a great variation of rhythms and key signatures. There is also a strong link to the playing of traditional

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

bagpipes Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, N ...

which is better known throughout the world.

Regional styles

Shetland

The Shetland fiddling style is bouncy and lively, with Norwegian influence. It employs ringing open strings above and below the melody line. There is some Irish musical influence due to the influence of working men and seafarers (fishing and merchant). This led to stylistic cross-pollination with Shetland and Ireland; the

Donegal fiddle tradition The Donegal fiddle tradition is one of the distinct fiddle traditions within Irish traditional music. The distinctness of the Donegal tradition developed due to the close relations between County Donegal and Scotland, and the Donegal repertoir ...

is notably more characteristically Scottish in style. This is due to the county's geographic location and rural isolation within Ireland, as well as its general Scottish influence.

Northeast

The Northeast style is elegant and classically influenced, with roots in the

bothy A bothy is a basic shelter, usually left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge. It was also a term for basic accommodation, usually for gardeners or other workers on an estate. Bothies are found in remote mountainous areas of Sco ...

. The original home of the strathspey, these tunes were characterized by

staccato Staccato (; Italian for "detached") is a form of Articulation (music), musical articulation. In modern notation, it signifies a note of shortened duration, separated from the note that may follow by silence. It has been described by theorists and ...

and the use of the

, as well as the

arrow stroke An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers call ...

(also known as the

driven bow Driven may refer to: Human behavior * Motivated, based on, for example: *Ambition *Desire (philosophy) *Work ethic Arts, entertainment, and media Books * ''Driven'' (memoir), autobiography of Green Bay Packers player Donald Driver * Driven ...

). Notable fiddlers in the Northeast style include: *

Hector MacAndrew Hector MacAndrew (1903–1980) was a musician, composer and Scottish fiddler during the second half of the 20th century. He was born in 1903, in a cottage on the Fyvie Castle Estate in Aberdeenshire, where his father was head gardener and piper ...

Angus Fitchett Angus may refer to: *Angus, Scotland, a council area of Scotland, and formerly a province, sheriffdom, county and district of Scotland * Angus, Canada, a community in Essa, Ontario Animals * Angus cattle, various breeds of beef cattle Media * ...

Ron Gonnella Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...

Alastair Hardie Alistair is a male given name. It is an Anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic name ''Alasdair''. The latter is most likely a Scottish Gaelic variant of the Norman name Alexandre or the Latin name Alexander, which was incorporated into English in ...

James Scott Skinner James Scott Skinner (5 August 1843 – 17 March 1927) was a Scottish dancing master, violinist, fiddler and composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential fiddlers in Scottish traditional music, and was known as "the Strathspey Kin ...

* Douglas Lawrence * Paul Anderson

West Coast / Gaelic / Highland Style

The West Coast, Gaelic, and Highland styles also include the Inner and Outer

Hebrides The Hebrides ( ; , ; ) are the largest archipelago in the United Kingdom, off the west coast of the Scotland, Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Ou ...

and Argyllshire. These regions place great value upon the pipe march, due to the significance of the bagpipe in their respective cultures. The

Cape Breton Cape Breton Island (, formerly '; or '; ) is a rugged and irregularly shaped island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18.7% of Nova Scotia's total area. Although ...

style of fiddle music is related to these styles of music, the Cape Bretoners having come from the Highlands to Nova Scotia in the 1700s. West coast fiddlers include Angus Grant (Senior), Iain MacFarlane (Glenfinnan), Archie MacAlistair (Campbeltown), Alasdair White (Lewis), Allan Henderson (Mallaig), Eilidh Shaw (Taynuilt) and Eilidh Steel (Helensburgh). Highland fiddlers include the late Donald Riddell (d. 1992), and his former pupils Duncan Chisholm (Kirkhill), Bruce MacGregor (Inverness), Sarah-Jane Summers (Inverness), Alexander Grant of Battangorm (1856–1942), and Lauren MacColl (Fortrose). The Highland style is particularly known for the strathspey, which is said to originate in the area of Strathspey. Sarah-Jane Summers's tuition DVD, Highland Strathspeys for Fiddle, gives an interesting insight into strathspeys as passed from Alexander Grant of Battangorm (in Strathspey) to Donald Riddell (South Clunes, near Inverness) and then to Sarah-Jane Summers (Inverness).

Borders

The fiddle music of the Borders has the most in common with English and American fiddle styles. Double-stopping, playing two strings or notes together, is commonly found in

hornpipe The hornpipe is any of several dance forms and their associated tunes, played and danced in Great Britain and Ireland and elsewhere from the 16th century until the present day. The earliest references to hornpipes are from England, with Hugh As ...

music; such compositions are often written for two or more fiddlers.

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

musicians promote their music as a style of Scottish music, though some purists argue that the location of Cape Breton in Canada should disqualify it from being given the same treatments as those of Scotland.

Piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

accompaniment and a dance rhythm are notable features, often complemented with

step dancing Step dance is a generic term for dance styles in which footwork is considered to be the most important part of the dance and limb movements and styling are either restricted or considered irrelevant. Step-dancing is a percussive form of dan ...

. Cape Breton music has been substantially influenced by Celtic immigration to the Americas. While the Cape Breton style has differed over time from the Scottish style it has kept some of the same stylistic points, one of which is the accentuated up-driven bow.

Scottish fiddling in general

Due to migration from rural Scotland, to industrial areas and to other countries, many players have returned again over time with certain traditions intact and some evolved through the melding of various styles. This is especially apparent in the "

Central Belt The Central Belt of Scotland is the Demographics of Scotland, area of highest population density within Scotland. Depending on the definition used, it has a population of between 2.4 and 4.2 million (the country's total was around 5.4 million in ...

" region of Scotland, where two fifths of the population reside. There is a significant influence in this area from immigration from Ireland and the rural areas of Scotland, coinciding with the rise of industry. Notable fiddlers from Scotland today include

, Bruce MacGregor,

Johnny Cunningham Johnny Cunningham (27 August 1957 – 15 December 2003) was a Scottish folk musician and composer, instrumental in spreading interest in traditional Celtic music. Johnny Cunningham was born on 27 August 1957 in Portobello, Edinburgh. He was ra ...

Duncan Chisholm Duncan Chisholm (born 31 October 1968) is a Scottish fiddle player and composer. He has released seven solo albums as a solo artist. His studio album, '' Affric'', released in 2012, was longlisted for the Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award. ...

, John Martin,

John McCusker John McCusker (born 15 May 1973) is a Scottish folk musician, record producer, and composer. McCusker was a member of the Battlefield Band in the 1990s and worked as a band member and producer for folk singer Kate Rusby. He has produced and ...

, Iain MacFarlane,

Charlie McKerron Capercaillie are a Scottish folk band, founded in 1984 by Donald Shaw and led by Karen Matheson, and which performs traditional Gaelic and contemporary songs in English. The group adapts traditional Gaelic music and traditional lyrics with mo ...

Eilidh Shaw Eilidh Shaw is a Scottish fiddle player and singer. She has performed with The Poozies, Harem Scarem (folk band), Harem Scarem and recorded a solo album, ''Heepirumbo'', in 1997. Her brother Donald Shaw (musician), Donald Shaw was a founding me ...

, Douglas Lawrence, Gregor Borland,

Catriona MacDonald Catriona Macdonald (born 1969 or 1970) is a fiddler, composer, researcher, and lecturer from Shetland, located some 320 km (200 miles) north of the Scottish mainland. She is considered to be among the world's leading traditional fiddle players, ...

, Alasdair White, Paul Anderson, and Aidan O'Rourke. With mass migration the tradition has been carried with the emigrants (both voluntary and forced migrations) all over the world and "Scottish Trad" is now played around the world. Key performers in the USA include

Hanneke Cassel Hanneke Jewel Cassel (born April 14, 1978) is an American folk violinist. She was raised in Oregon and graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance at Berklee College of Music in 2000. Hanneke is the 1997 United States National Scotti ...

, Ed Pearlman,

Bonnie Rideout Bonnie Rideout (born 1962 - Saline, Michigan USA) is an American fiddler. She is especially known for her traditional Scottish style and fiddle piobaireachd playing. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Music. She is a ...

John Turner John Napier Wyndham Turner (June 7, 1929September 19, 2020) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 17th prime minister of Canada from June to September 1984. He served as leader of the Liberal Party and leader of the Opposit ...

, Elke Baker, Melinda Crawford,

Colyn Fischer Colyn C. Fischer (born 1977 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American violinist that has played the violin since the age of three and has been Scottish fiddling since the age of five. As a teenager, he studied with a number of the great fiddler ...

, and David Gardner. Another culturally significant style is that of

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

(just a short boat journey away), which is not strictly Scots but Irish. The accent on the

is somewhat more akin to the Scots tradition than to the Irish. The historical connection between the west coast of Scotland and Donegal is an ancient one (many shared names) as can be heard in the volume of strathspeys,

schottische The schottische is a partnered country dance that apparently originated in Bohemia. It was popular in Victorian-era ballrooms as a part of the Bohemian folk-dance craze and left its traces in folk music of countries such as Argentina (Spanish ...

marches In medieval Europe, a march or mark was, in broad terms, any kind of borderland, as opposed to a state's "heartland". More specifically, a march was a border between realms or a neutral buffer zone under joint control of two states in which diffe ...

, and Donegal's own strong highland piping tradition. (See

). Like some Scottish fiddlers (which tends to use a short bow and play in a more straight-ahead fashion), some Donegal fiddlers worked at imitating the sound of the highland pipes. Scotland has influenced Donegal fiddling in various ways. Workers from Donegal would go to Scotland in the summer and bring back Scottish tunes with them; Donegal fiddlers have used Scottish tunebooks and learned from records of Scottish fiddlers like J. Scott Skinner and Mackenzie Murdoch. Fishermen from Donegal have returned from Shetland fisheries with Shetland tunes

The

is a very particular characteristic of much Scottish music. It is generally represented in musical notation by a sixteenth followed by a dotted eighth.

Modern day fiddlers

Scots fiddlers:
Bruce MacGregor - founding member of Blazin' Fiddles and BBC Radio Scotland presenter
*

* Allan Henderson *

*Chris Duncan *

* Iain MacFarlane *

*Pete Clark *

* Eilidh Steel *

*Adam Sutherland, with

Croft No. 5 Croft No. 5 are a Scottish world music–Celtic fusion band, composed of accordionist John Somerville, guitarist Spad Reid, drummer Paul Jennings, bassist Duncan Lyall, fiddler Innes Watson, and Misha Somerville on whistles. The band was star ...

Treacherous Orchestra Treacherous Orchestra are a Scottish 12-piece Celtic fusion band. The band blends Scottish traditional music with other influences such as Folk music, folk, Rock music, rock and Punk rock, punk. Instruments used include bagpipes, accordion, ban ...

and

Peatbog Faeries The Peatbog Faeries are a largely instrumental Celtic fusion band. Formed in 1991, they are based in Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Their music embodies many styles and influences, including folk, electronica, African pop, rock and jaz ...

Alasdair White Alasdair White is a Scottish folk musician born in 1983 on the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland. In 2001, when he was only 18 years old, he joined Battlefield Band as a virtuoso fiddle player. Origins White is a Scottish Gaelic speaker, ...

*Charlie McKerron *Paul Anderson Cape Breton fiddlers: *

Buddy MacMaster Hugh Alan "Buddy" MacMaster (October 18, 1924 – August 20, 2014) was a Canadian fiddler. He performed and recorded both locally and internationally, and was regarded as an expert on the tradition and lore of Cape Breton fiddle music. Early ...

Natalie MacMaster Natalie MacMaster (born June 13, 1972) is a Canadian fiddler from Troy, Inverness County, Nova Scotia, who plays Cape Breton fiddle music. She has toured with the Chieftains, Faith Hill, Carlos Santana and Alison Krauss, and has recorded with ...

*John Campbell *

Ashley MacIsaac Ashley Dwayne MacIsaac (born February 24, 1975) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter and actor from Cape Breton Island. He has received three Juno Awards, winning for Best New Solo Artist and Best Roots & Traditional Album – Solo at th ...

* Winston (Scotty) Fitzgerald * Dave MacIsaac American fiddlers: *Elke Baker * Mari Black *

*Natalie Haas (cello) *

Jeremy Kittel Jeremy Kittel is an American musician and composer. His primary instruments are the violin / fiddle and viola and he has worked in a number of genres including Celtic, Jazz, Pop, Classical, Bluegrass, Folk music, and more. He leads his na ...

Jamie Laval
* Jane MacMorran
Ryan McKasson
*

Laura Risk Laura Risk is a California-born violinist. She specializes in performing and teaching the diverse fiddle repertoire of Scotland and Quebec. Risk performs both solo and in collaboration with such artists as Sandy Silva, Ken Kolodner, and Paddy Le ...

References

External links

{{commons category, Fiddlers from Scotland
Discussion of Scottish fiddle stylesThe Fiddle Tradition of North-East Scotland
Celtic music Fiddle music

Fiddling A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially syno ...

Regional styles

Shetland

See also

Northeast

See also

West Coast / Gaelic / Highland Style

See also

Borders

See also

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

See also

Scottish fiddling in general

See also

Modern day fiddlers

References

Further reading

External links