"Everyone in Angus' family plays a musical instrument. So when Angus gets his own fiddle, he's thrilled. But who knew that playing the fiddle would take so much practice"--Cf. Our choice, 2002.
Classical violinists can help keep alive the historic traditions of American fiddle music, but doing so requires a clear understanding of performance practice. A Guide to American Fiddling exposes serious students of the violin to the technical nuances of traditional Old Time fiddling. In this book, violinist/fiddler Andrew Carlson provides a detailed technical analysis of Missouri-style fiddling, focusing primarily on the use of the bow. Carlson further offers a comparison of classical and non-classical techniques, a brief history of American fiddling, plus 23 traditional tunes with authentic bowing indications. A CD recording of the tunes is included.
Meticulously collected from recordings, square and contra dances, fiddle contests, jam sessions and individual fiddlers- this book is meant to provide a snapshot of what American fiddlers were playing and listening to in the latter part of the 20th Century. As the vinyl record format disappears from the marketplace, a great deal of recorded fiddle music will no longer be available. In this book, Stacy Phillips shares the fruits of some timely collecting for all fiddlers to enjoy. Bowings, fingerings, and guitar chords are provided for each melody line.
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.
Presents an introduction to the fiddle, explores how musicians incorporate the instrument into different genres, and offers instruction on playing standard songs.
"The Sons of the Fathers," the eleventh volume in the BROTHERS Series and the seventh in the Shamrocks Saga, continues the story of the Quigley family. As the older generation ages and dies, the young generation gives way to their children and the younger generation begins to face the trials their parents had already endured. The demons haven't given up on trying to capture or slay members of the Quigley family by whatever name they're known. Each of the cousins is subjected to horrendous tests because the game is complicated by the addition of demon surrogates. Now the Kennison children will find out if being half-Archangel has any advantages. The Old Man watches with interest as the latest chapter in the saga unfolds.
On a blustery night, a stranger collapses in the audience attending a magic show in Emerald Hill, a sleepy village in Eastern Ontario, Canada. The next morning, Daisy Blossoms dog, Friday, adopts a ragtag child named Aster Blossom, a distant relative who mysteriously appears at the farm, hungry and alone. Emily Blossom, Daisys sister-in-law and a self-appointed detective, suspects the death at the show is in fact a murder. Considering her advancing age and frailty, how will the aspiring sleuth follow the threads of small-town gossip to unravel the sordid truth? She enlists the help of her reluctant sidekick, antique dealer Pete Picken, to help her solve the crime. Meanwhile, Daisy, a confirmed spinster, copes with the dilemma of raising Aster, while a naughty school pony and friendly farm animals teach the girl valuable lessons about life. In this mystery novel, through unpredictable twists and turns, Detective Emily Blossom is determined to track down a killer and reveal secrets that reach far beyond the towns limits.
Old and New World Highland Bagpiping provides a comprehensive biographical and genealogical account of pipers and piping in highland Scotland and Gaelic Cape Breton.The work is the result of over thirty years of oral fieldwork among the last Gaels in Cape Breton, for whom piping fitted unself-consciously into community life, as well as an exhaustive synthesis of Scottish archival and secondary sources. Reflecting the invaluable memories of now-deceased new world Gaelic lore-bearers, John Gibson shows that traditional community piping in both the old and new world GĂ ihealtachlan was, and for a long time remained, the same, exposing the distortions introduced by the tendency to interpret the written record from the perspective of modern, post-eighteenth-century bagpiping. Following up the argument in his previous book, Traditional Gaelic Bagpiping, 1745-1945, Gibson traces the shift from tradition to modernism in the old world through detailed genealogies, focusing on how the social function of the Scottish piper changed and step-dance piping progressively disappeared. Old and New World Highland Bagpiping will stir controversy and debate in the piping world while providing reminders of the value of oral history and the importance of describing cultural phenomena with great care and detail.
When shocking events change Ellen's life overnight, her handsome neighbour is ready to help out - but could there be more than a working relationship between them? Ellen is settled in Edinburgh when one day her sister begs a favour: can she come and look after her farm and three children while she has a much-deserved holiday. Ellen loves her niece and nephews, but the animals are a bit of a worry ... After a manic yet fun weekend, her world is shattered when a freak accident kills her sister and leaves her as the children's legal guardian. Ellen never asked for children, nor to run a farm, but now she's in charge of both. Desperately juggling her responsibilities, Ellen is driven to find a compromise between her old life and her new: one the children will accept, and that will allow her to keep something of herself as well. Into the mix is thrown their neighbour, handsome, brooding Kit. He's more than willing to help out on the farm, but not so willing to open up to Ellen...