Good Fiddle Books for Beginners?

Hello…I’m a whistle guy and pianist, but own a nice fiddle I inherited, and have just begun toying with the thought of toying with the fiddle.

I have seen many books that promise to teach the basics of trad fiddling; any strong recommendation for or against particular volumes?

Of course I have received the standard chastisement to learn always by ear, not to try doing this if I haven’t a musical bone in my body, and to expect to sound—what was that delightful phrase?–“like a cat with its arse on fire”–for some considerable amount of time.

Many thanks…

Matt Cranitch’s book & CDs, “The Irish Fiddle Book”.

Something you should know about and watch for is that there are many different fiddling styles within the Irish tradition, and you will find conflicting instruction from one book to another, so once you start out on one track, you are best to follow that method/style through until you are proficient. Then move on to other styles if you choose.

djm

Thanks. I will give it a try…