Scottish Music I: Fiddling

Scottish fiddling is unlike any other sound in the violin world. It has its roots in rebellion and strife and lingers on with poetic cadence. To listen to true Scottish fiddling is like stepping into a portal where love and hatred, sorrow and joy, jealousy, patriotism and camaraderie mingle in mournful notes.

Fiddling Roots


Bagpipes are what most people would associate with Scottish music, but there is a very rich musical tradition outside of pipes and drums. With the failed invasion by Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745, England outlawed bagpipes, tartans and many other Scottish forms of expression, determining them as instruments of war. Only in the British Army could a Scot play the bagpipe or wear a kilt. Being very resourceful, the Scots started using the violin to mimic the sounds of the bagpipe.

Scottish Sounds


Scotland and Ireland share similar Celtic sounds in their music. However, after careful listening you may be able to decipher between the two. The region the music hails from also determines whether it has a bagpipe or hornpipe sound. Some regions are known for step dance rhythm, classical influence and Irish influence. Traditionally the music is broken down into different tunes including: fonn mall (slow airs), port mairsdidh (marches), port dubailte (jigs), seatadh cuirn (hornpipes), srath spe (strathspeys) and ruighle (reels). A strathspey is unique to Scotland and consists of long and short notes and features the Scotch snap. Below is the music book that I found in Scotland and have been studying. There is a high demand for Scottish fiddling books as its popularity is on the upswing. You can learn the notes and rhythms easily, but may need instruction to understand the unique sound and markings. Often the musician has a feel for Scottish fiddling so no marks are available for the music, but it is worth a try.

The Fiddle Music of the Scottish Highlands

If you're interested in listening to Scottish fiddling try out some of these famous fiddlers on YouTube: 

Aly Bain, Angus Grant, Iain MacFarlane, Archie MacAlister, Willie Hunter, Troy MacGillivray and possibly the best in Scottish fiddling Johnny Cunningham. 

If you'd like to know more about the history and traditions of Scottish fiddling this UK site is excellent: http://www.fiddlingaround.co.uk/scotland/