Burlington is home to a thriving traditional fiddling culture. The folk violin is present in most cultures and is used to perform a range of traditional dance melodies which are called “fiddle tunes.” Fiddle tunes are also played on other instruments and are the common repertoire of members of the community. Since we are preparing musicians to participate in their shared culture here are some common tunes for students to learn.

Here are three lists representing my priorities for shared repertoire of use to Burlington musicians. The tunes are linked to sound files and charts depicting the tunes as I understand them. To truly understand these tunes you mus

Burlington is home to a thriving traditional fiddling community. The folk violin is present in most cultures and is used to perform a common repertoire of traditional dance melodies which are loosely called “fiddle tunes.” These tunes are also played on other instruments and are performed at informal gatherings called “sessions.” Our commonly played local repertoire is the legacy of Vermont’s immigrant groups. It is also assembled, adapted and contributed to by local musicians.

Since we are preparing musicians to participate in their shared culture, here are some extremely common tunes of local importance which will be useful for students. To understand how and why these tunes are performed locally, students should learn under the guidance of local master musicians. As a supplement to this in-person learning process, the LE books include sheet music and backup tracks for three groups of commonly played tunes.

These charts are intended to give a student general familiarity with the tunes. Actual performance in groups and at dances may vary significantly from what is printed here. In addition to the fiddle books, separate books are available giving fingerings, transpositions and other technical info for mandolin, guitar and Bb Horn them from a master musician and understand how and why they are performed.  However we all have to get started somewhere and for some this list and the accompanying sound files will be useful.

Get the books! Learn the tunes!