Fiddle music is plentiful if you play fiddle or any other treble clef instrument.  This music is fun to play, and some of it is even more powerful when played on the cello.  But it can be hard finding anything written in bass clef, which is why I have produced this book.

  Most cellists have learned to play the instrument by reading music.  The same is true for many fiddlers, but there are a lot of fiddlers who only play by ear.  The songs have been passed down through the generations from fiddler to fiddler, and they can change a bit.  There are many versions of the same song, and none is correct.  The songs in this book are adapted for cello, and represent the tune in its basic form.  I have tried to include more common tunes, many of which you will recognize.

  I took up playing the fiddle before I figured out that it could also be fun to do on the cello, which was my main instrument.  I had played for years on and off in local symphonies and string quartets.   It is especially fun to be able to play melodies instead the backup for a change.  Not every song works well on the cello, so I have chosen ones that are very adaptable.  One big difference between violin and cello is their tunings.  In order to play a song in the same key as the fiddle, the cello will be playing on different strings than the fiddle, and that’s where it gets harder.  You may have to go up in position depending on the song.  I have presented some of the songs in a different key as well as in the usual key.  This is so you can play more easily or faster without all that jumping around.  The fiddles are playing these songs in first position for the most part.  At jam sessions, songs are usually played in their traditional keys, but it can be fun for everyone to switch keys.

  There are so many categories for this type of music.  There is Old-Time, Celtic, Cajun, Swing, and Bluegrass to name a few.  This book presents mostly Old-Time fiddle tunes with a few Celtic and Bluegrass tunes thrown in.  In fact, many Old-Time tunes were derived from Celtic tunes brought over by immigrants from the British Isles and Europe.  There are a number of tunes that are claimed by several different fiddle styles, and I have included some of these.

  This book offers the cellist something new and different.  To really gain an insight into how the tunes should sound, it would be helpful to listen to recordings of fiddle tunes.  That way you can put in the syncopation that is needed.  Fiddle tunes are rarely presented with the syncopation written in.  That is something you do yourself, and it is not too hard if you know how the song should sound.  I have a couple of free download samples of music from the book for you to try, and you can also listen to how they are supposed to sound.  So grab your guitar-playing friends and have yourself a great jam session!  Chords are shown on each piece and should work for any chorded type of instrument like guitar, banjo, mandolin, autoharp or even piano. You are about to discover the joys of playing fiddle tunes on the cello.