English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Fiddle Tunes

Rating:
Summary: a world of music in a nutshell
Review: This is the book that got me into Celtic music in the 1970's, following Robin Williamson from his "Incredible String Band" days into a type of music I've loved ever since. The included little floppy record (hope you have a turntable!)shows that his personal playing style is a bit eccentric compared to more traditional players I've heard since, but this book is a wonderful, accessible, concise, broad and sweeping introduction to traditional instrumentals of the British Isles. Short backgrounds are given for each tune, and the settings are keyed for real instruments. I can honestly recommend this book as an excellent value for any newcomer to the subject. Experienced players could only wish for MORE tunes!

Rating:
Summary: a world of music in a nutshell
Review: This is the book that got me into Celtic music in the 1970's, following Robin Williamson from his "Incredible String Band" days into a type of music I've loved ever since. The included little floppy record (hope you have a turntable!)shows that his personal playing style is a bit eccentric compared to more traditional players I've heard since, but this book is a wonderful, accessible, concise, broad and sweeping introduction to traditional instrumentals of the British Isles. Short backgrounds are given for each tune, and the settings are keyed for real instruments. I can honestly recommend this book as an excellent value for any newcomer to the subject. Experienced players could only wish for MORE tunes!

Rating:
Summary: Great book, but quirky and unconventional, like Mr Wiliamson
Review: This is the first fiddle book I bought, some 10 years ago, and I still go back to it for something different on occasion. It has 100 or so tunes, a lot of which are rare these days. This is not a book that will help you to play in celtic music sessions, as the tunes are mostly obscure, and if they are common, Robin always has to throw in some wild variation, or change the tune slightly. His choice of chords is better than anything I've seen in more conventional celtic fiddle books. He teaches the basic ornamentation, and each tune has a paragraph written about it. The record, now a cd, is helpful to learn his stylings and the tunes but only covers a small amount of the tunes printed, 20 maybe. This book has great personality and is much more interesting than the sterile massed produced tune books of today.
My only complaint is that I wish it had more tunes in the book and more tunes on the record.