Exploring Folk Fiddle with Chris Haigh

For over 30 years, Chris Haigh has ventured deep into the fiddle scene, exploring its rich traditions and unique and obscure niches. From discovering folk music through a 1970s hit, to mastering an astonishing range of styles such as traditional folk and bluegrass, Indian jazz fusion, and Scandinavian avant garde, Chris's journey has been anything but ordinary.

In this interview, Chris shares stories of unexpected gigs, offers insights into improvisation, and touches on his latest book, "Beginning Folk Fiddle", a comprehensive method that introduces a beginner-friendly introduction to the world of folk fiddle. Dive in to learn more about Chris's fascinating career and the musical moments that have shaped him!

Chris Haigh on the Art of Folk Fiddle & His Musical Adventures

You’ve been a professional fiddle player for over 30 years, but your musical journey started with classical music. What was the moment that made you fall in love with folk fiddle?

I think it was when I heard the single by East of Eden called Jig-a Jig, in 1970. It was a strange fusion of jazz, folk and rock , featuring the violin of Dave Arbus (who also played the killer solo at the end of Baba O’Riley by The Who). I was 13 at the time, and learning violin at school, and not much enjoying it. Jig a Jig showed me that there was more to the violin than just classical music!

At the beginning of your folk fiddle journey, you sought out obscure and unconventional niches within music. What’s one of the most unexpected or unique musical genres you’ve explored, and what made it so compelling to you?

I was struck by the complex rhythms of Balkan music which, strangely, came to me via the Irish folk band Planxty. At the time (mid 1970’s) I was very much into prog rock, with all the adventurous time signatures. It seemed very strange to hear the same rhythms coming not from middle class London hippies but from traditional Bulgarian musicians playing for dancing.

Chris Haigh Talks Fiddle Styles, Improvisation & More

You’ve played an astonishing range of styles, from bluegrass to klezmer to Indian jazz fusion. Is there a particular genre that feels most like ‘home’ to you?

I particularly like Western Swing. It’s very little known in the UK. It originated in Texas in the 1930’s and 40’s, and is an unlikely fusion of country music with jazz. It involves a big line-up, often including twin fiddles, pedal steel and brass. The best known artist of the time was Bob Wills and his Western Playboys. Currently Asleep at the Wheel are the best contemporary band. I’m lucky in playing with one of the very few bands in the UK, The Bootheel Playboys.

Having played for royalty, celebrities and even for the Mafia, what’s the strangest or most unexpected gig you’ve ever had?

I have indeed played some bizarre and unlikely gigs. One of the most memorable was a private party on board the Orient Express, travelling overnight from Paris to Venice. We were a 20’s jazz band, and all the guests were dressed up in period costume. A businessman had hired the whole train for his birthday guests. When we got to Venice they were then entertained by Kylie Minogue and Ronan Keating!

Improvisation is a key part of folk fiddle playing. What advice would you give to classical musicians who want to break free from the sheet music and start improvising?

The improvisation in folk music is mostly on a small scale- different ways of phrasing or ornamenting part of a melody. As soon as you want to leave the melody behind, the easiest way in is definitely by using the pentatonic scale. I always use this when doing workshops for beginners. I play a backing track with an easy chord sequence, then get the participants to play randomly around the pentatonic scale. With very little effort they find themselves improvising freely.

What’s a common misconception people have about folk fiddle music that you’d love to correct?

Classical musicians tend to look down on folk music, considering it too easy and not at all challenging. True, a good classical player can sight read almost any folk music with little effort. However, what is not immediately obvious, is that the written music is only the beginning of the story. You need a great deal of knowledge and experience in order to interpret the basic melody effectively and authentically.

Your latest Schott publication, “Beginning Folk Fiddle”, is the long awaited prequel to your best-selling publication, “Exploring Folk Fiddle”. What can violinists expect from your latest book and how does it differ from your previous publication?

"Exploring Folk Fiddle" was an ambitious book trying to explain folk music in the widest terms, looking at many different traditions through contexts such as rhythm, mode, ornamentation, variation and so on. "Beginning Folk Fiddle" has less theory and background, gets straight down to business, and concentrates on the tunes themselves, based mostly around Irish tunes, and starting with very easy tunes.

Learning Folk Fiddle with Chris Haigh

Beginning Folk Fiddle - A Beginner's Guide to Folk Styles and Technique on the Violin Chris Haigh This long-awaited prequel to “Exploring Folk Fiddle” provides players with a clear, structured foundation, starting with simple tunes before introducing progressively complex pieces and techniques. Every tune in the book is available as an audio download, recorded at a slow to medium tempo to allow players to master ensemble playing. The audio tracks aid the learning experience of the player by providing an example of how to play each tune which in turn allows players to hear and emulate different folk styles and techniques. Ideal for anyone wanting to learn folk fiddle in a fun and engaging way!   View in store

In addition to publishing books, you’ve also taught workshops, and composed music for TV and film. What’s been the most fulfilling part of your career so far?

As with many musicians and creative people, the period of lockdown was pivotal to my career. I had been gigging endlessly. Always enjoying it, but it was something of a treadmill, and many of the gigs were not at all fulfilling. Lockdown gave me lots of time to think about how to continue being creative from home, and I came up with The Fiddle Channel, my YouTube channel where I create free tuition videos covering the full range of styles that I play. These proved to be very popular, and through Patreon I was able to make a living from the videos. I constantly get people from all over the world telling me how much they appreciate what I’m doing, which is very satisfying.

If you could only play one tune for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

A tune like "Old Joe Clark" is remarkably simple. It could easily be the first tune a child learns, with only one octave, 16 bars, two chords and about eight notes. But once you understand shuffles, ornaments, variation, blue notes, drones, bluegrass licks and so on there’s really no limit to the musical possibilities. I could indeed play this for the rest of my life!