Fiddle - Beginning
SKU: MB.21123M
Composed by Drew
Beisswenger. Country,
Bluegrass, Perfect
binding, Solos, Duets and
Ensembles, Tunebook,
American Music. Style.
Book and online audio.
220 pages. Mel Bay
Publications, Inc
#21123M. Published by Mel
Bay Publications, Inc
(MB.21123M).
ISBN
9780786695256. 8.75 x
11.75 inches.
This
book, which includes 308
tune transcriptions, is
organized around
individual fiddlers who
typically combine
Appalachian-style
fiddling with rags, pop
standards, Midwest-style
fiddling and sometimes a
touch of Western swing to
create a style often
identifiable as Ozarks.
Thirty Ozarks fiddlers
and their lives are
highlighted with
biographical sketches,
photographs, and tune
histories. Another 50
great Ozarks fiddlers are
presented in a similar
manner but with less
detail. The book and
accompanying audio with
37 tunes, many recorded
in the field emphasize
the older fiddling
traditions connected to
the square dances and
community events more
than those connected to
bluegrass music and
modern contest fiddling.
Some of the tunes in the
collection are old
standbys such as Bile
Them Cabbage while others
such as Finley Creek
Blues are unique to the
region. The book is the
result of years of work
by two respected
researchers. Gordon
McCann won the
prestigious Missouri Arts
Award in 2002 for his
decades of work
documenting, studying,
and accompanying Ozarks
fiddle music. Drew
Beisswenger, a music
librarian at Missouri
State University with a
Ph.D. in ethnomusicology,
has published three other
works about fiddle music
and is known for his
strong transcription and
analysis skills. Includes
access to online
audio.
