Secrets of Jigs – Stewart Hardy.

This book has the very clear and specific intention to fill the gap between written music and traditional music as it is played throughout the British Isles. It offers a concise treatment of jigs; with forthcoming books to cover other popular tune forms such as reels, hornpipes, waltzes etc. The material has been carefully selected to provide a clear and concise route between notation and performance. The player’s interpretational skills are developed so as to be able to extract information from the page and transform it into convincing fiddle music. Listening skills are developed so as to recognize and recreate the techniques that are heard – the techniques that act together to achieve satisfying performances. The book is aimed at two groups of musicians: those competent violin players who can read music but struggle to recreate the style of the traditional fiddle player; and the aspiring fiddle player who understands the sound they are trying to achieve, but is frustrated by an apparent inability to reproduce it when playing material from written sources. The essence of this book is to be a bridge between the written page and authentic fiddle music.

There are three parts to the book. The first focuses on the fundamental structure and bowing patterns of the basic jig. It provides a foundation that is sometimes referred to as the jig groove and will allow the aspiring fiddle player to produce competent renditions of the traditional jig. In part two; building on that foundation, the fiddle player can enhance their performance through the development of articulation techniques. These transform the basic jig into something that is a pleasure to hear and which begins to capture the fiddler’s art. In part three; there is an example of how a seemingly simple and “tired” jig, played in tune sessions the length and breadth of these islands, can be transformed into the delight that is “traditional

Top quality music from Northumberland and Scotland, traditional and original, on fiddle, clarsach , guitar and cello.