In Praise of Islay (Moladh na Landaidh) Scottish Fiddle tune for early violin

This is a short little 2-liner of a tune that is charming and not too difficult to play in the early months at the violin. It has slurs, varying bow speeds and string crossings (two of them within a slur!) - so take your time and figure out the bits before trying to run it all together.

Edition: "Traditional Tunes for Two Fiddlers, Book 1 Revised; Christine Martin; published by Taigh Na Teud on the Isle of Skye, Scottland; http://www.scotlandsmusic.com. - Looks like you can purchase it from the website but it's buried deep in a vague menu - just enter the name of the volume in the search engine on the site. OR - check with your local music shops! If Celtic fiddling is at all popular in your area, they just might have it.

Fast play-through, quick talk-through (-ish) - talk about a couple of technical bits, then a slow play-through for you to play along with while you're working it out.

For my home studio students, this piece is on the Christmas party list. Have fun!

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• Scottish
• Scots
• fiddle tune
• fiddle
• violin
• traditional
• Allyson's Violin Studio
• Allyson Lyne
• learn
• practice
• play
• method

[jkvideo42]

The Praise of Islay tune is a traditional Scottish piece inspired by

the natural beauty of the island (of Islay) - a large island north of Scotland (pop about 3,000). The tune seems to be a "listening tune" in Scottish fiddle parlance. Publisher is Harpspring House or Taigh Na Teud. Excellent source for such. Smithsonian Folkways has a 1955 recorded version by Tom Angus MacDonald from the album Songs from Cape Breton Island. (and the tempo matches your playing pretty well !)

[AllysonsViolinStudio]

@jkvideo42 - Thank you for posting the information - I'll look for the recording. Are you down in Nova Scotia? I'm in Edmonton, here.

[jkvideo42]

Thank you so much for posting ! Your instructions are clear - with excellent hints on the mechanics of playing this tune. I live to the east of you - pretty far I expect - would consider asking for lessons if the distance wasn't so great. (I am a student of Scottish fiddle). Thank you very much for posting. I'll try to post abit about that tune - if you don't mind.

[AllysonsViolinStudio]

@jkvideo42  - Thank you! It would be lovely if you have a bit more info about the tune.