Irish Fiddle: Traditional Irish Instrumental Music

Girald Cambrensis (also known as Gerald of Wales in English or Gerallt Gymro in Welsh) had some interesting observations when he visited Ireland in 1185, "They [the Irish] seem to be incomparably more skilled in [musical instruments] than any other people that I have seen. The movement is . . . rather quick and lively, while at the same time the melody is sweet and pleasant. It is remarkable how, in spite of the great speed of the fingers, the musical proportion is maintained."

Although earlier references to fiddles can be found, it is generally accepted that modern violins and fiddlng came to Ireland some time after its development in the 16th Century. None can dispute that by 1674 the fiddle was well established; Richard Head wrote that in Ireland "in every field a fiddle, and the lasses footing it till they were all of a foam " Initially this would have been the medieval fiddle, but the classical violin was not long in arriving. Although the first performance of Handel's Messiah was in Ireland, a thriving traditional music style was flourishing in the countryside. Airs, jigs, and reels developed, and were well loved by the populace. Although frequently accompanied by pipes, flutes, or other folk instruments, the fiddle frequently played solo.

I received an e-mail from Theresa which was really exciting! It reads, in part, "I am writing to let you know that I am giving Online Fiddle Lessons at Fiddlers Retreat via SKYPE." That means you "can relax and enjoy your lesson in the comfort of your own home!" She assures me that, "We can work on any aspect of your playing, be that a new or old tune, style, ornamentation, bowing etc. We can see how your playing is coming along and I will offer guidance and advice from absolute beginners to professional level players." E-mail her directly info@fiddlersretreat.com for more information. By the way, Theresa has also agreed to do an interview for Violin Student Central. I'll post notice here when we've completed that little project!

Mel Bay's Complete Irish Fiddle Player Instructional book and 2 example CDs In his preface, the author reminds the reader that this is not a book for the absolute beginner. Even the experienced player may not "get it" on first reading a given tune, but "You can expect to enjoy the process of learning...[and experience] the joy of recreating a traditional tune, of making it your own."



Irish Fiddle Solos
This collection includes many favourite Irish fiddle tunes. Some are easy to play, others more challenging. The bowing techniques, ornamentation and other aspects of playing style summarized in the introduction will be familiar to readers of Pete's earlier book, the Complete Irish Fiddle Player, as will source musicians like Julia Clifford, Tommy Peoples, Lucy Farr, John Doherty and Padraig O'Keeffe. Here though, instead of proceeding in 'fiddle method' style from simpler to more complex tunes, regional repertoire and styles are explored. Grouped in sets for performance, the tunes from any one tradition can be of varying levels of difficulty.


O'Neill's 1001"
A facsimile edition of Francis O'Neill's classic 1907 collection of jigs, reels, hornpipes and other dance tunes. The Dance Music of Ireland has proved so valuable to musicians and circulated so widely that it has become known simply as 'the book', a virtual bible for many trditional players. Suitable for all melody instruments.

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© Arthur W. Haule, III 2002