Participants in the Scottish Fiddling course will be introduced to as many tunes by the Scottish fiddler-composers of the 18th and 19th centuries as time will permit. Through his study with Hector MacAndrew, Dr. Turner represents a direct line to the style of Niel Gow and Scottish Fiddling's Golden Age. In addition, tunes in this style by contemporary composers, Dr. Turner included, will be explored.
Unique in the world of traditional music at the time, Scottish fiddle music was readily available in print over the second half of the 18th and the first quarter of the 19th centuries. Accordingly, we will read through as many tunes as possible during class time. Ability to read music, while not required, will be a distinct advantage for participants. We will also learn a few tunes by ear over the course of the week that may or may not be made available in print.
All ages and levels are welcome, the emphasis on reading through tunes notwithstanding. Beginners need to already know basic violin mechanics (how to hold instrument/bow, names of strings, basic scales, etc.). Participants will have ample opportunities to play during the day and in optional evening sessions as well.
All Students are expected to bring their own instrument.

A prodigious and enduring performer, Master Fiddler John Turner is the only ten-time winner on record of a National Scottish Fiddling Championship. He has played a major role in the revival of interest in traditional Scottish fiddle music over the last three decades. As a recording artist he is featured on eighteen recordings and has contributed tracks to more than one hundred additional recordings. On stage, radio and television, Turner has performed throughout the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Japan and the Middle East. He has performed for six U.S. presidents, members of Britain’s royal family and many other heads of state from around the world. He has been featured on the popular radio program “Thistle and Shamrock”, “BBC Highland”, “Pebble Mill at One” and a host of other programs.
As a composer he has produced more than three hundred tunes, many of which have been recorded by other artists. His recordings and tunes have been used for numerous traditional, modern and interpretive dance programs both on stage and on video. Turner has published six books of music and written numerous articles concerning traditional Scottish music. As a teacher, he has influenced thousands of students of all ages interested in this style of music. He is the founder and director of the Jink and Diddle School of Scottish Fiddling, now in its twenty-eighth season, bringing instrumentalists of all ages to the mountains of North Carolina each summer. He performs regularly in Williamsburg, Virginia and across the U.S., teaches privately, conducts workshops and serves as an adjudicator for fiddling competitions. In 2002 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Performance degree by Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina for his contributions to Scottish culture and the performing arts. Turner also has two earned doctoral degrees.
For more information see www.jinkdiddle.com.