Old-Time Fiddle for the Complete Ignoramus (Book & Online Audio)

After taking violin lessons for 3 months I came across this book. I with I had started with this instead of Strings 2000. The writing is very humorous and all the basics are covered - D, D Dorian, A, A Minor, C, G... Tunes are simple but the author encourages improvisation and tell you how to do that! I showed this book to my violin teacher, who is predominantly classical and jazz, and she promptly bought a copy. This book makes learning the fiddle fun!

Even those of us who have played strings (Viola, Violin) for years can derive a great deal of useful information from this book & CD.

I was trained as a classical musician. Chords are not often relied upon in classical composition. When they are, they're not often the sort you'll find yourself playing at a hoe-down. It helped a bit when I picked up a mandolin and struggled with it and then guitar in later years. It is amazing how *wrong* it felt (to me) to work with a fretted neck after decades of non-fretful years moving smoothly up, down and across strings. I did, however, learn a few dozen chords ~ which sounded like hell on a violin. Although I'd long ago made the transition from classical music to blues, rock, jazz and fusion, my playing was very much like that of a Lead Guitarist's: notes played on one string at a time most of the time. After all, this is what I'd been trained to do: play with precision and clarity. Even when chords were used within a composition, they were very different than the "fiddler's form."

Had I not stumbled upon and purchased this book/CD, it's likely that all the most important "little" discoveries, such as the differences between a standard violin bridge and a fiddle bridge making a WORLD of difference, might have remained an unsolved mystery for me.

Thus, the value of this book is much more than learning a basic set of chords or tunes to play. You are informed about everything that makes fiddling different from playing a violin. What's more, while you can buy custom bridges made for fiddles, this book/CD informs you of ways to solve the bridge problem quickly and very inexpensively. It may seem a bit hilarious that an educated musician who'd spent time playing mandolin and guitar didn't pay any attention whatsoever to an obvious difference: the bridge of these instruments being flat, rather than curved. If you're not accustomed to restringing your own instrument and cannot afford to have both a dedicated fiddle and orchestral violin (which I am not), this book can save you a lot of heartache and expense when you swap between bridges and/or strings.

This and other seemingly small mysteries that were huge obstacles are succinctly explained by the Author. There are numerous money-saving tips for the musician on a budget. It is an amusing book that does not condescend. If you already know the basics about Fiddles and Fiddling, perhaps this book will be too basic for you. It annoys me when people purchase a very well-done package and then complain that it is too basic. You had the opportunity to look before buying, just as I did, so why punish the Author for your oversight?

For me, what this Author taught me has made the difference between success and failure. Thus, if you are a classically trained violist and/or violinist, do not assume that your education and experience means you are not a Complete Ignoramus. Classical technique versus Fiddling is akin to the proverbial comparison of apples and oranges: both may be fruit, but they are not at all identical.

There are other books (some with CD or DVD) available: I did a lot of research before deciding upon "Old Time Fiddle for the Complete Ignoramus" and this seemed to me the friendliest, least pretentious and most immediately helpful of the lot. Now, as an Incomplete Ignoramus, I wholeheartedly recommend this Book w/CD to anyone unfamiliar with exactly what makes a Fiddle not a Violin.

I have played violin for 50 years and guitar for 40 years. I also have a master's degree in education (curriculum, instruction, and administration, but not music education.) When giving free guitar lessons in the past, the challenge was finding a resource that allowed the students to progress quickly and efficiently. I eventually found it easier to write my own book rather than use inefficient materials. When someone asked me recently to teach him to play violin/fiddle, I was reluctant to do so because I anticipated needing to write another book for the purpose. This book saved my precious time! It allows my student to teach himself, and I meet with him once a week to act as consultant and "cheerleader." I couldn't have developed a better resource--in fact, I doubt anyone could. I am quite sure it would be entirely possibly for a person to self-teach using this book with CD and perhaps supplementing with free youtube videos. Just search for "beginner fiddle lessons."

this book and cd was all i needed to be playing old-time music by heart in a few short sessions. It's wonderful. The book isnt so much a "how-to" as it is a "hey, come sit down and i'll tell you about fiddling" kinda book. very enjoyable to read, simple steps, and teaches you to teach yourself. if you're even thinking about getting into fiddling, get this book!

You can't learn Old Timey fiddle from anyone just anywhere. I first went to classical violin instructors who were clueless (even though they were in Asheville, NC). I tried to pick it up from recordings and YouTubes, but got completely frustrated. Yup, I had almost given up hope entirely, till I found this book. "Old Time Fiddle for the Complete Ignoramus" immediately became the Old Timey Rosetta Stone I had been longing for. The author is clearly intimately acquainted with Old Timey culture, so really knows of what he speaks. His lessons are easy to follow, contain just enough that's relevant about music theory and are colored by fascinating bits of history. Suffice it to say, his seasoned explanation of how to hold the instrument could not have been given by a classical violin instructor. If you want to ramp up from clueless about Old Time Fiddling to WATCH ME in a really short time - this is the book for you.

My grandmother gave me this book for my birthday . This book is the absolute best, I would recommend it for any beginning fiddle player, I love how the book gives you tab and it also gives you the regular music and also tells you a little about how the song came to be it also gives you the lyrics without the music and up in the top right-hand corner it shows the chords that you will be needing to play the song also at the bottom it also shows a joke or maybe just a couple of tips and/or wisdom. It also comes with a CD. It also shows you how to play quarter eighth notes and half notes using words .I love how on the CD on some of them there's a slower track so you can play along with the CD. If you're playing a song in the upper right-hand corner it shows- the track number, first the regular speed and in the slower speed. I love this book and I would recommend it for any beginning fiddle player that is interested in playing old time fiddle tunes.

I am nearing the end of Suzuki 1, but know how to read music. Because much of the beginning of the book are on holding the violin and bow, reading music, etc, I was afraid I had wasted my money. I decided to read through those true beginner concepts and found there were certain facts, such as some theory, of which I was not aware. So it was worth reading. When I got past all that, I found the songs, and especially the ability to listen to how it should sound via online streaming, to be incredibly fun and helpful. I will still pursue my classical training, but this book gives me something fun to play around with that will have me practicing much longer than I would if I was simply working on the same Minuet or two over and over again.

Okay, as a fiddler who reads and writes his own music I was perplexed upon opening this book -- what the heck, you call these songs? Simple children's melodies! Then I started droning, shuffling and singing along. Oh boy what a hoot! I love this book.

So for fiddlers who read music and can play Irish tunes and what not, give it a go you won't regret it. The songs are simple, but when you throw in ornamentations and singing they take on their own life.

My only critique is that there aren't enough lyrics. There is one play through of lyrics, but obviously (I think) there has to be a lot more versus.

About a year ago I decided to learn the violin. I thought I would start with the fiddle tunes and searched around the amazon site for a book. My teacher recommended 2 books which I purchased but I also saw this one and thought I would purchase as well. This has turned out to be the gem of all 3 books. His tab method of reading music is quite clever! The tunes are beautiful and you can play along with the CD. It also contains all my favorites such as Red River Valley, Amazing Grace, Buffalo Gals, House of the Rising Sun, Rain and Snow and some great bible tunes like Gospel Plow. Further, he teaches you some history about the tune, introducing each with nuggets such as who wrote it, who made it famous, why it's so special, etc. If you are a newbie to the violin and want to try playing some tunes quickly, buy this book.

This is a very basic beginners book. Get ABCs of Violin books 1 & 2 to go with it. Then if Fiddling is your thing, get Mel Bays Kids Fiddle too. The ABCs of Violin books with CD and DVD will be a lot more help for learning to play, but all the other information, stories and pictures in this book (Old-Time Fiddle for the Complete Ignoramus) still makes it worth buying. The easy to play collection of fiddle tunes in Kid Fiddle, from Mel Bay will give you a pile of neat fiddle tunes to keep you busy untill your skills are honed.