The Fiddle Book

Marion Thede’s The Fiddle Book, published in 1967, collects over 150 transcriptions taken from the playing of traditional fiddlers, largely from Oklahoma. Thede played violin and viola with the Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra, judged fiddle contests, and headed the Oklahoma Folk Council, and the book’s subtitle (the comprehensive book on American folk music, fiddling, and fiddle styles, including more than 150 traditional fiddle tunes compiled from country fiddlers) describes its contents as compiled from country fiddlers. The tunes are grouped into thematic chapters covering bowings, fiddle tunings, railroad tunes, brush arbor revivals, place names, and nature tunes. It remains a principal printed source for Oklahoma fiddle repertoire, including tunes that appear in few other collections. Paul Kirk’s Marion Thede and the Fiddlers of Oklahoma (McFarland, 2025) expands on it with over 125 transcriptions, tune histories, and player biographies.