A selection of 375 tunes for contra dances, Irish sessions, and house parties. The jigs, reels, hornpipes, marches, and waltzes included in this book of traditional tunes come from Randy Miller's collecting trips to Ireland, the north of England, Scotland (including the Hebrides and Shetlands), Cape Breton, and New England.
One-fifth of the tunes are recently composed, from the pens of such musicians as Randal Bays, Sarah Bauhan, Liz Carroll, Richie Dwyer, Jerry Holland, Maurice Lennon, George Wilson, and the author, to name a few. In addition, more than a dozen compositions by the late Ralph Page, dean of New England callers and a fiddler himself, are included, as are 18 tunes from the hand-written manuscript of legendary New Hampshire fiddler John Taggart.
The book's title refers to the rare fiddler's bench or fiddler's throne found in some early New England ballrooms. Pencil drawing of the fiddler's throne is by the author.
Tunes are alphabetized by type with chords for accompaniment included. Index, bibliography, discography, and extensive notes on the tunes also included.
