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Permalink Reply by Paul Ivory on January 18, 2013 at 16:36

Hi Ian,

When I started, I learned the following:

The Kerry Polka

The Three Note Jig

Anything For JohnJoe (Reel)

 

I would Highly recommend Paul McNevin's "A Complete Guide To Learning The Irish Fiddle" and  "The Irish Fiddle Book" by Matt Cranitch.  They both take you from the very basics through to some fairly advanced tunes. Both also have cd's so you can hear the tunes being played.

 

Paul

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Permalink Reply by Bert van Dommelen on January 25, 2013 at 18:20

Paul is right, both are excellent books. Apart from explaining lots of technical and musical aspects of playing Irish fiddle, they also include lots of 'must know' tunes. And of course, if you hear a tune you like and you want to try to play it, you can nearly always find the sheet music at thesession.org

 

Good luck! Bert 
 
Paul Ivory said:

Hi Ian,

When I started, I learned the following:

The Kerry Polka

The Three Note Jig

Anything For JohnJoe (Reel)

 

I would Highly recommend Paul McNevin's "A Complete Guide To Learning The Irish Fiddle" and  "The Irish Fiddle Book" by Matt Cranitch.  They both take you from the very basics through to some fairly advanced tunes. Both also have cd's so you can hear the tunes being played.

 

Paul

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Permalink Reply by MacDara Ó Raghallaigh on January 29, 2013 at 23:44

Fig for a kiss, slip jig.

 

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Permalink Reply by Kierah Raymond on February 2, 2013 at 3:05

Absolutely - St. Anne's Reel, Swallowtail Jig, Irish Washerwoman. Devil's Dream, Mason's Apron.....they are fairly easy and lots of fun. I would suggest having a look at my book "Kierah's Collection" written for all levels of playing. Lots of fun tunes written for all levels of playing and they play perfectly into traditional tunes! www.irishmadness.com

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Permalink Reply by Ian Wilson on February 3, 2013 at 0:15

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. They make a nice change from
Suzuki Book 1 :-)

I bought Paul McNevins book as well (why do they bind music books this way!? It won't
stay open without clothes pegs!)

Ian

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Permalink Reply by Paul Ivory on February 3, 2013 at 9:57

I got a Kinsman music stand. It has little wire gadgets for keeping books open. You should be able to get one for less than 20 quid. Either that or do a load of photocopying!!

P

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Permalink Reply by Vicki Gish on February 6, 2013 at 3:37

The Sunny Banks & The Blacksmith's Daughter are simple reels that have a lot of room to grow with you. I love them! I learned them in a workshop that had beginners to advanced fiddle players, taught by Sean Clohessey.

 

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Permalink Reply by Michael McCollum on February 7, 2013 at 7:09

I take my music books to an office supply store where they convert them to spiral bound for about 5 dollars. Money well spent!

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Madden on February 10, 2013 at 20:26

I have taught for many years on the fiddle and I always try to get them playing simple tunes to get a good rhythm into the music as this is essential

tunes like Rosemary Lane, Paddy's Return, trip to athlone as jigs keep it simple

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Permalink Reply by Jack Healy on February 12, 2013 at 9:44

Hi, I'm learning fiddle too and the Paul McNevin DVD is really good, you can get it in Waltons on George's St Dublin.

Does anyone know of a good fiddle teacher in Dublin (city centre)?

Thanks

Jack

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Permalink Reply by Paul Ivory on February 12, 2013 at 17:08

Hi Jack,

Why not give Paul a shout.  He's based on the North side, not too far from the city centre.  Here's a link to his web site http://www.irishfiddle.ie/contact/

 

Paul

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Permalink Reply by allan cairns on February 23, 2013 at 18:20

i use magnets but might not work on thick books

allan

Ian Wilson said:

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. They make a nice change from
Suzuki Book 1 :-)

I bought Paul McNevins book as well (why do they bind music books this way!? It won't
stay open without clothes pegs!)

Ian

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