Scottish Tunebooks

110 Best Scottish Tunes $29.95 with 2 CDs

John Canning

A lovely collection of jigs, reels and strathspeys with a few airs and marches; many of the more popular Scottish tunes but some unknowns as well. And being able to listen to the tunes is most helpful! Chords are with the music as well.

A Fiddler's Book of Scottish Jigs $!5.95

Selected by Charles Gore

Tunes by 18th and 19th Century Scottish tunesmiths. With guitar chords.

Alexander Walker: A Collection of Fiddle Tunes $16.95

Alexander Walker

First issued in 1866, Paul Cranford has acted both as editor and arranger in republishing these tunes, many of which are now popular in the Cape Breton repetoire. According to Paul,"If I felt it was possible to improve a tune I have done so. Some of these new arrangements contain ideas heard from Cape Breton performers, but because I had to make compromises in order to present what I felt was the best from all sources, I take full responsibility for these new arrangements. If a few Walker tunes get back into circulation because ofmy efforts then they will have been worth while."
Clear, easy to read notation, as are all of Paul Cranford's publications which have been re-released and made widely available in the States from Mel Bay.

Aly Bain 50 Fiddle Solos Book and CD $24.95

Shetland and Scottish tunes played by renowned fiddler of the Boys of the Lough. Very clearly laid out and easy to read.

Contemporary and Traditional Music for the Highland Bagpipe Vol 1 and 2 $17.95

Bruce Gandy

Tunes from modern and traditional Bag pipers.

Marshall's Scottish Melodies $13.00

Brought to us by Randy Miller and Jack Perron

Compiled from four volumes published separately in the 19th Century by various houses. At the time of publication of the present volume, earnest and diligent effort was being made to contact the surviving heirs of William Marshall, for the purpose of general coorespondence and other gratuities. In the event no heirs are forthcoming, an appropriate doantion (from the proceeds of this book , if any) will be made to a suitable organization dedicated to Scottish Traditional Music.
My only complaint about the book is that since it has been reduced to a 6X8 format (with spiral binding) the print is quite small, making it especially difficult for those of us over 40 (+ or-) who have trouble reading the fine print! However, this is the only place that these grand tunes are available, so as my old dad use to say you pays your money and you makes your choice!

Northumbrian and Border Folk Songs for Fingerstyle Guitar $19.95 with CD

Bill Brennan

Includes CD.

Scottish and Cape Breton Fiddle Music in New Hampshire $15.00 with cassette

Harvey Tolman and Jason Little

A republication of a long-out-of print collection from Jason and Cousin Harv.

Scottish Encyclopedia $19.95

Bonnie Rideout

The title of this book may be misleading. While the word "encyclopedic" refers to a collection of works or information that is extensive and thorough, this book is neither. It is a collection of tunes compiled from thirty five years of work by one fiddler, Bonnie Rideout. It is essentially her repertoire from recordings, sessions and classrooms. As a part of the Mel Bay Encyclopedia series it was put together to offer fiddlers direct access to the gems that she plays. The tunes are listed by key signature, as they are in Paul Crandford's publications from Jerry Holland and Brenda Stubbert, however Bonnie's book does not contain accompanying chords. It is full of Skinner, Gow and Marshall tunes, and a few of her originals as well as unattributable traditional Scots reels, strathspeys and jigs. At least a hundred tunes, I would highly recommend this easily readable volume to anyone playing Scots or Cape Breton Fiddle. A great addition to the library indeed!

Scottish Fiddlers' Session Tune Book $$22.95

Compiled and arranged by Christine Martin and Anne Hughes

The compilers state:"In compiling this collection we have tried to reflect the current repetoire of 'sessions' in Scotland. No one book can represent a complete repetoire, and indeed this varies from area to area, but in this volume we have gathered a great collection includes the popular tunes of today which should stand the test of time. Some of the material included is fairly tricky and should offer a challenge to the increasing numbers of excellent fiddlers." Published in 1999.

The Beauties of the North $15.00

Ed. Bill Hardie

50 Scottish fiddle tunes compiled by Bill Hardie. Includes material from J. Scott Skinner, Hector MacAndrew, Patrick S. Shaw and the author.

The Caledonian Companion Book $25.00 / Cass. $10.98

Ed. Alastair J. Hardie

112 tunes, contains an in-depth survey of Scottish fiddling with historical notes and accompanying tutorial explanations.

The Fiddle Music of Scotland $35.00

James Hunter

Annotated collection of 365 tunes by Gow, Skinner, Marshall and others. Collected by James Hunter. Nice historical intro and section on technique.

The Fiddle Music of the Scottish Highlands Vol 5 & 6 $22.95

Ed. Christine Martin

Ibid for Vol 1 &2 above. What happened to Vol 3&4? It is a mystery yet to be solved. This series from Harpstring House in Scotland is quite lovely, beautifully layed out with celtic design borders around the tunes, easily readable with chords and bowing suggestions for all the tunes.

The Fiddle Music of the Scottish Highlands Vol. 1 and 2 $22.95

Ed. Christine Martin

This collection of Scottish Highland fiddle tunes represents some of the most popular music played in Scotland today and can be heard on many recordings of the most popular Folk, Dance and Pipe bands. Many of the slow airs in the book were originally Gaelic songs, some from ancient collections.The pipe jigs, reels, strathspeys and marches can be used for the very popular Ceilidh Dancing. Some of the tunes are unpublished and many were previously available only in bagpipe tunings.

The Fiddle Music of the Scottish Highlands Vol. 3 &4 $22.95

Ed. Christine Martin

Why Volume three and four came out after Volume five and six is a mystery to my, but none the less we're glad to finally have it! It contains tunes from today's Highland traditional repetoire, many previoulsy unpublished. Chords and basic bowings included.

The Frazier Collection $15.95

Edited by Capt.Simon Fraser

Another reissue from Paul Cranford, this one taken photographically from the original. According to the title page, this volume contains "The Airs and Melodies Peculiar to the Highlands of Scotland and the Isles. Communicated in a Original Pleasing & Familiar Style making the Lively Airs Introduced as Medleys to Form a Sequence to Each Slower Movement (take a breath) with An Admired Plain Harmony for the Piano Forte, Organ or Violincello. Intended to Preserve Simplicity than loud with embelishement." But clearly not Verbosity.Spiral bound. How could you resist?

The Gathering of the Clans Collection $18.00

Barry Shears

Pipe Music from Novia Scotia

The Harp and Claymore $19.95

J. Scott Skinner

In memory of a Romantic and Partiotic Past. A volume of music original, selected and traditional comprising pastorals, marches, strathspeys, reels, hornpipes, lament and songs, etc. for voice, violin, babpipe, pianoforte etc. By Scotland's most famous an beloved fiddler and composed. Boy those old boys sure loved their lists!

The Kilted Fiddler $19.95

167 fiddle tunes compiled and arranged by Alan Lerwick from the Scottish repertoire. Includes historical notes, playing tips and photos.

The Scottish Ceilidh Collection for Fiddlers $18.95

Compiled and Arranged by Christine Martin and Anne Hughes

The SCCFF is a lively collection of tunes for dancing taken from the popular music played by traditional musicians all over Scotland. These are some of the popular dances and songs one would hear at a Scottish ceilidh. This is one of a series published by Taigh Na Teud on the Isle of Skye; the others include "The Scottish Folk Fiddle-Third Position", "The Scottish Fiddler's Session Tune Book", "Fiddle Music of the Scottish Highlands", and "The Scottish Folk Fiddle Tutor", all of which are desribed in this list.
The reason I mention these all together is that not only do they contain wonderful tunes and are layed out in one of the nicest fashions I've seen, but all contain detailed bowing instruction. Now bowing is both dependent on the individual fiddler and the style he or she is playing, so many tunes that are played across traditions will be bowed differently depending on whether one plays Irish, Scottish or American Old-Timey. Bowing is not generally learned from written music, because bowing is usually not discussed in most tunebooks. So to find a series of tune books with careful bowing indications is a great treasure that I wanted to let you all know about.

The Scottish Folk Fiddle Tutor $19.95

Christine Martin and Anne Hughes

Beginning fiddle book for Teens or Adults. Mostly Scottish tunes with a CD for listening. Nice, clearly written book.

The Scottish Folk Fiddle: Third Position $12.95

Christine Martin

Always wanted to go up the neck? This lovely little collection demistifies the third position and gives you tunes to do it with. I'll be trying it soon!

The Scottish Violinist $22.95

J. Scott Skinner

Reprint of the original compositions of J. Scott Skinner, the finest and best known of all Scottish violinists. Consisting of strathspeys, reels, pibrochs, marches, hornpipes, pastoral airs, violin solos, slow airs, etc., etc., these mostly very difficult tunes form the core of the traditional Scottish repetoire.

The Skye Collection $17.95

Compiled and arranged by Keith, Norman and MacDonald

The first edition of the famous Skye Collection appeared in 1887 and has been out of print for many years; even the second, imcomplete edition has been unavailable for over half a century. The tunes have been reindexed in order to include all the melodies from the two earlier editions. Thanks to Paul Cranford for reproducing this work! Spiral bound for easy use.

Traditional Scottish Fiddling $22.95 with CD

Ed. Christine Martin

This is one great book Over 220 tunes and tons of technique. Almost every tune has some notation concerning history or demonstrates a particular bowing or ornamentation. It also identifies, both with tunes and technique, some of the particular features of West Coast, East Coast, Orkney, Borders, and Shetland styles. 68 CD tracks recorded by the appropriate fiddler represent each of the regional styles, albeit putting so many tunes on one CD limits their length to one turn through! This book has more technical detail in it than any other book that I've seen. At the same time it is clearly written, notated and easy to understand. A treasure but definitely not for the uninitiated!!!