Fiddling Around the World

Rating:
Summary: Finally!!
Review: I'm very excited about this book. Mary Ann Harbar does an excellent job in reviewing and explaining many different fiddle styles from around the world--all in one place. You can discover what you like most and then look for more of that style in another place.
My only disappointment was that there wasn't more 'belly dance' type music. I bought "Gypsy Violin" by the same author and found that I actually like the middle-eastern pieces in "Fiddling Around the World" better than the Russian/Hungarian ones in "Gypsy Violin"

She is a great writer/teacher and obviously an awesome musician. The accompanying CD can be played with either background musicians only so you can solo, or you can play along to the solo with the background while you're still learning.
Thanks for a great contribution to fiddle music books!!

Rating:
Summary: An eclectic sampler to broaden your repertoire
Review: If you are a fiddler who wants to expand your musical horizon into ethnic music, this eclectic sampler is the book/CD set for you. Violinist Mary Ann Harbar holds a degree and teaching credential in music and expertly demonstrates the various songs that are written in standard music notation with guitar chords also shown. Most are accompanied with guitar, accordion, or in some cases a full group. The only bluegrass and old-time offerings in the 112-page book are Cattle in the Cane, and Blackberry Blossom. Other North American styles illustrated include Mexican, Cajun, and French-Canadian. I was also familiar with the various Celtic, English/Northumbrian, and Scandinavian styles sampled. I would've enjoyed reading more introductory material about each of the fiddle styles sampled, especially when the book segued to various Eastern European, Middle Eastern and Gypsy styles. A fiddler who wishes to broaden their repertoire with music from around the world is sure to find something of interest in "Fiddling Around the World." The one common thing between all this music is that it is dance music, and it's bound to also get your toes tapping as you learn the various 58 pieces from polkas to horas, jigs to hopaks, reels to hallgatos. I must admit that one of my favorites was the up-tempo Hungarian friss (pronounced "freesh") called Vega Vega Mar. This book/CD sampler is a fun resource for players with musically-diverse interests. This collection will make an especially nice addition to the library of a fiddler who is interested in discovering and exploring a multitude of ethnic styles of traditional dance music. -- Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now magazine