Foxhunter’s Jig – Fiddle Raga

Here’s a fiddle raga performance of Foxhunter’s Jig. If you like this track then download and listen to it while you walk the dog or do the dishes…

It’s an improvisation based around a fiddle melody accompanied by a drone. It’s a term I’ve coined as I’ve explored folk fiddling and Hindustani Indian music.

What is a raga? Super-simple answer: it’s an Indian musical form in which musicians improvise with a drone playing in the background. They use a set of notes which are somewhere between a scale and a melody.

What is a drone? It’s a repeating tone or series of tones that serves as a reference. Drones help you to play in tune but they also can be a nice, hypnotic form of backup when playing alone. I love this form of practice! This performance is a way of sharing variation, improvisation and drone practice with you.

Are fiddle ragas a real thing? Sure! Now they are. I’m not a purist (though I’m glad the purists are out there preserving the music as it’s been played). I love these two styles of music. And they seem to work well together. That is, they’re not the cheesy-fusion-with-rainsticks type of music. But that’s a matter of opinion! Anyway…

Connections:

Irish fiddle variation course

How to play in tune with drones

More performance videos and downloads

Play every day, have fun ? and thanks for taking part ?  

Now, go fiddle with it…?

Fiddlehed