The Fiddle Book: The Comprehensive book on American folk music fiddling and fiddle styles, including more than 150 traditional fiddle tunes, compiled from country fiddlers Review

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(More customer reviews)I love this book. Marion Thiede not only writes a good story behind the tunes, she also did a wonderful job transcribing the fiddle tunes in both traditional & altered violin tuning in a way a classically trained violinist can understand & includes several pictures of historic, old time fiddlers.
I was expecting the appearance of the book to be like the picture shown, with the black & white cover, etc. Instead, I received an old, hard fabric bound, discarded library book from Loudoun high school library...car dealers call it "Bait and Switch". (thus, only 3 stars)
The description says (I cut & pasted this from the seller's statement) The Fiddle Book: The Comprehensive book on American folk music fiddling and fiddle styles, including more than 150 traditional fiddle tunes, compiled from country fiddlers (Paperback)
I do like (and will keep) the book, but would have preferred that the item I actually received would have been shown on the seller's page.

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The most comprehensive collection of traditional fiddle tunes ever compiled. Over 150 tunes, familiar and obscure, with lyrics. Transcribed from the playing of country fiddlers.

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Log Cabin Pioneers: Stories, Songs & Sayings Review

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(More customer reviews)The back of the book includes a witty epigraph by none other than Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln notes "For those of you who like this kind of a book, this is that kind of book you will like." The tautology rings true! What kind of people might like this book? If you're interested in the history of log cabins, Erbsen provides an interesting historical context for these types of buildings. He cites current authorities in vernacular architecture and even critiques some of the myths of the log cabins. He replaces the inaccurate ideas about log cabins with good information about the cultural context that supported these constructions. There is good information about cabin-raisings, ways that musicians "fiddled up a cabin," and the various construction techniques used in a range of buildings. The book provides special attention to ways in which log buildings continue to provide important themes within old-time fiddle tunes, ballads, and bluegrass music. The book includes the words and music to a number of ballads and folksongs, and readers will also appreciate the way that Erbsen included mountaineers' proverbs, folk-speech, and even recipes. I also like the presentations of clever tall tales, legends, and other narratives that pertain to the life of those who lived in these types of houses. Even though Lincoln wasn't born in a log cabin that he built with his own two hands, the book does provide a good understanding of the types of cabins that Lincoln actually lived in. It even includes some of the actual ballads that he sung as a youngster. As Lincoln stated, this book will appeal to people who like this kind of book: namely, those with an interest in the folklore and history of rural America.


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Step inside the door of Log Cabin Pioneers as Wayne Erbsen takes you on a personal journey of finding and restoring a historic log cabin. By the magic of a crackling fire, he'll introduce you to authentic pioneers who will sing you ancient songs, spin yarns about Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone and Thomas Jefferson, and tell spell-binding tales of bear hunting with moonshine or give you advice on how to buy a mule. Join other settlers in a house raising, hew logs for a cabin, shop in an old-fashioned general store, eat ash cake and dance your socks off at an old-fashioned barn dance. Includes remedies, superstitions, romantic advice, 143 vintage photos, words & music to 19 songs.

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Guitar Pickers Fakebook: The Ultimate Sourcebook for the Traditional Guitar Player, Contains over 250 Jigs, Reels, Rags, Hornpipes & Breakdowns from All the Major Traditional Instrumental Styles Review

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(More customer reviews)This excellent (and scarce!) book is good for all playing situations. It is unquestionably the ultimate source for traditional guitar players.
Invaluable for new, practicing, working, and intermediate players. The addition of the discography, indexed by tune title, lets you locate a recorded source for any tune in the whole book. Brilliant!
The author taught for several years at the School of Fretted Instruments in New York City.
Highly recommended!

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Contains nearly 250 jigs, reels, rags, and hornpipes from all the major guitar traditions. Special introductory materials on regional styles, picking, and ornamentation. Includes an extensive discography.

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The Fiddler's Fakebook Review

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(More customer reviews)Printed in 1983, the Fakebook remains the undisputed champion of music references for fiddlers, and it's aided a fair number of other non-fiddlers as well.
Inside its broad covers you'll find nearly 500 tunes from the various fiddle traditions. Jigs, reels, hornpipes, rags and breakdowns, each clearly labeled for origins (Irish, bluegrass, French-Canadian, old-time, etc.) and including a short list of recordings where the tune can be heard. Just flip it open randomly for a taste of its contents, and imagine the sound of tunes like "Haste to the Wedding," "Leather Britches," "The Munster Buttermilk," "Drowsy Maggie," "The Wind That Shakes the Barley," "Hanged Man's Reel" and "Great Big Taters in Sandy Land."
Eight pages of textbook materials -- music theory, history and culture, style and genre -- give a wonderfully brief overview of the things you'd like to know without loading the book down with endless information which, frankly, can get in the way of the tunes and make it too bulky for carrying. Better still, the book is held together by a sturdy plastic binding which allows you to plop it down on your music stand with ease. There's nothing so frustrating as a music book with tight bindings which make it impossible to play straight from the page.

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