North American Fiddle Music: A Research and Information Guide is the first large-scale annotated bibliography and research guide on the fiddle traditions of the United States and Canada. These countries, both of which have large immigrant populations as well as Native populations, have maintained fiddle traditions that, while sometimes faithful to old-world or Native styles, often feature blended elements from various traditions. Therefore, researchers of the fiddle traditions in these two countries can not only explore elements of fiddling practices drawn from various regions of the world, but also look at how different fiddle traditions can interact and change. In addition to including short essays and listings of resources about the full range of fiddle traditions in those two countries, it also discusses selected resources about fiddle traditions in other countries that have influenced the traditions in the United States and Canada.

North American Fiddle Music: A Research and Information Guide (Routledge Music Bibliographies)

Biographies & Memoirs

Beisswenger, Drew

Arts & Literature

Routledge

Beau Solo is a collection of 12 Cajun fiddle tunes transcribed from Michael Doucet's CD of the same name. Selections include Grand Tasso, Valse Acadienne, One-Step d'Amedee, Valse a Pop McGee, Blues Acadiens, Grand Mamou, Chez Varise Connor, La Betaille, Gigue d'Acadie, Two-Step d'Ambrose, La Valse d'Auguste Breaux, and Wade's Waltz.

Mel Bay Beau Solo: 12 Cajun Fiddle Tunes Transcribed from Michael Doucet's CD

Arts & Photography

Doucet, Michael

Music

Mel Bay Publications,Inc.

All the fiddle tunes on the CD The World’s Hottest Fiddlers (C.M.H. Productions 8651; 2002), except one, are transcribed in detail for this book. These fifteen cuts, which include seventeen tunes, incorporate old-time standards such as “Sally Ann” as played by Kenny Baker, bluegrass standards such as “Orange Blossom Special” as played by Steve Thomas, Texas swing tunes such as “Beaumont Rag” as played by Johnny Gimble, and song tunes such as “Blue Moon of Kentucky” as played by Benny Martin. Other highlights include the complete twin fiddling parts for Benny Martin and Buddy Spicher’s “Down Yonder,” and the twin fiddle parts for Johnny Gimble’s “Black and White Rag.” Eleven other tunes are featured by fiddlers Barbara Lamb, Mike Hartgrove, Glen Duncan, Sonny Mead, Ramona Jones, Paul Warren, and Fiddlin’ Red Herron.

World’s Hottest Fiddlers

This book, which includes 308 tune transcriptions, is organized around individual fiddlers who typically combine Appalachian-style fiddling with rags, pop standards, Midwest-style fiddling and sometimes a touch of Western swing to create a style often identifiable as Ozarks. Thirty Ozarks fiddlers and their lives are highlighted with biographical sketches, photographs, and tune histories. Another 50 great Ozarks fiddlers are presented in a similar manner but with less detail. The book and accompanying audio (with 37 tunes, many recorded in the field) emphasize the older fiddling traditions connected to the square dances and community events more than those connected to bluegrass music and modern contest fiddling. Some of the tunes in the collection are old standbys such as Bile Them Cabbage while others such as Finley Creek Blues are unique to the region. The book is the result of years of work by two respected researchers. Gordon McCann won the prestigious Missouri Arts Award in 2002 for his decades of work documenting, studying, and accompanying Ozarks fiddle music. Drew Beisswenger, a music librarian at Missouri State University with a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology, has published three other works about fiddle music and is known for his strong transcription and analysis skills. Includes access to online audio.

Ozarks Fiddle Music

McCann, Gordon

The two southern-most counties in Ireland, Cork and Kerry, have legendary music and dance traditions. On the border of these two counties, a rural area called Sliabh Luachra is especially well-known for its fiddle tunes and itinerant fiddle teachers. When speaking of this area's fiddle music, some describe a special lilt or backbeat, or they talk about the special role of set dances, but the most often-expressed quality relates to the frequent use of slides and polkas. This book features transcriptions of 107 tunes as played by three of the region's most distinguished fiddlers: Padraig O'Keeffe, Denis Murphy, and Connie O'Connell. Each fiddler is profiled, followed by a collection of meticulously transcribed tunes and annotations. An accompanying online audio recording includes 30 of these tunes played solo by Connie O'Connell.

Irish Fiddle Music from Counties Cork and Kerry

O'Connell, Connie

Appalachian fiddle music, based on the musical traditions of the people who settled in the mountainous regions of the southeastern United States, is widely-known and played throughout North America and parts of Europe because of its complex rhythms, its catchy melodies, and its often-ancient-sounding stylistic qualities. The authors explore the lives and music of 43 of the classic Appalachian fiddlers who were active during the first half of the 20th century. Some of them were recorded commercially in the 1920s, such as Gid Tanner, Fiddlin’ John Carson, and Charlie Bowman. Some were recorded by folklorists from the Library of Congress, such as William Stepp, Emmett Lundy, and Marion Reece. Others were recorded informally by family members and visitors, such as John Salyer, Emma Lee Dickerson, and Manco Sneed. All of them played throughout most of their lives and influenced the growth and stylistic elements of fiddle music in their regions. Each fiddler has been given a chapter with a biography, several tune transcriptions, and tune histories. To show the richness of the music, the authors make a special effort to show the musical elements in detail, but also acknowledge that nothing can take the place of listening. Many of the classic recordings used in this book can be found on the web, allowing you to hear and read the music together.

Appalachian Fiddle Music: Featuring 43 Fiddlers and 188 of Their Tunes

Andrade, Roy

From a small mountain town in West Virginia, elder fiddler Melvin Wine has inspired musicians and music enthusiasts far beyond his homeplace.  Music, community, and tradition influence all aspects of life in this rural region. Fiddling Way Out Yonder: The Life and Music of Melvin Wine shows how in Wine's playing and teaching all three have created a vital and enduring legacy.  Wine has been honored nationally for his musical skills and his leadership role in an American musical tradition. A farmer, a coal miner, a father of ten children, and a deeply religious man, he has played music from the hard lessons of his own experience and shaped a musical tradition even while passing it to others.  Fiddling Way Out Yonder examines the fiddler, his music, and its context from a variety of perspectives. Many rousing fiddlers came from isolated mountain regions like Melvin's home stomp. The book makes a point to address the broad historical issues related both to North American fiddling and to Wine's personal history.  Wine has spent almost all of his ninety-two years in rural Braxton County, an area where the fiddle and dance traditions that were strong during his childhood and early adult life continue to be active today. Utilizing models from folklore studies and ethnomusicology, Fiddling Way Out Yonder discusses how community life and educational environment have affected Melvin's music and his approaches to performance.  Such a unique fiddler deserves close stylistic scrutiny. The book reveals Wine's particular tunings, his ways of holding the instrument, his licks, his bowing techniques and patterns, his tune categories, and his favorite keys. The book includes transcriptions and analyses of ten of Melvin's tunes, some of which are linked to minstrelsy, ballad singing traditions, and gospel music. Narratives discuss the background of each tune and how it has fit into Melvin's life.  While his music is tied to community and family traditions, Melvin is a unique and complex person. This biography heralds a musician who wants both to communicate the spirit of his mountains and to sway an audience into having an old-fashioned good time.  Drew Beisswenger is a music librarian at Southwest Missouri State University. His work has been published in Tennessee Folklore Society Bulletin, the EMIE Bulletin, Mid-American Folklore, and the Arkansas Review: A Journal of Delta Studies.

Fiddling Way Out Yonder: The Life and Music of Melvin Wine (American Made Music Series)

UNIVERSITY PRESS OF MISSISSIPPI

How a mountain community and music harmonize in an old-time fiddle player from West Virginia

Fiddling Way Out Yonder: The Life and Music of Melvin Wine (American Made Music (Paperback))

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Beisswenger, Drew. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Beisswenger, Drew

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Beisswenger, Drew. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

North American Fiddle Music: A Research and Information Guide (Routledge Music Bibliographies)

Mel Bay Beau Solo: 12 Cajun Fiddle Tunes Transcribed from Michael Doucet's CD

World’s Hottest Fiddlers

Ozarks Fiddle Music

Irish Fiddle Music from Counties Cork and Kerry

Appalachian Fiddle Music: Featuring 43 Fiddlers and 188 of Their Tunes

Fiddling Way Out Yonder: The Life and Music of Melvin Wine (American Made Music Series)

Fiddling Way Out Yonder: The Life and Music of Melvin Wine (American Made Music (Paperback))

Fiddling Way Out Yonder: The Life and Music of Melvin Wine (American Made Music Series)