THE FIDDLER'S THRONE

by Randy Miller

Randy Miller’s pencil drawing on the cover of this tune book shows the fiddler's throne in the ballroom of the 1805 Mack Tavern in Deerfield, New Hampshire. Few such antique yet practical dance halls remain in New England.

Fortunately, fiddlers from many musical cultures still abound in the northeast and beyond, and will undoubtedly enjoy this collection of 375 jigs, reels, hornpipes, marches, and waltzes. Selected and edited by fiddler and piano player Randy Miller, the book includes tunes from New England, Ireland, Scotland, Shetland, the north of England, and Cape Breton. Many of the tunes may be played for contra dances.

A fifth of the tunes are recently composed by musicians such as Liz Carroll, Jerry Holland, Billy McComiskey, Martin Mulhaire, Randal Bays, Ronnie Jamieson, Brendan Taaffe, Sarah Bauhan, Sean Ryan, George Wilson, Josephine Keegan, and the author, to name a few. Also included are more than a dozen compositions by the late Ralph Page, dean of New England callers and a fiddler himself, and more than 20 tunes from the manuscript of New England fiddler John Taggart (1854-1943). Chords included.

Includes composer index, bibliography, discography, and background notes on the tunes.

Listen to selected tunes from this book played on the fiddle by Randy Miller