Free Fiddle Sheet Music
Mari's Wedding
Free fiddle sheet music "Mari's Wedding" (also known as "Mairi's Wedding") is a traditional Scottish song for fiddle and guitar. Download two versions with easy guitar tabs for your students, and A NEW ARRANGEMENT with lyrics for singers!
Download Mari's Wedding with lyrics for singers
Here is a fine version of this song by The High Kings (with a long intro... the real music starts at around 30 seconds):
The High Kings is an Irish group, singing a Scottish song.
This song has a repeating, predictable, and yet engaging tune that even beginning singers can pick up easily. As you can see above, I doubled the timing for the sake of beginners who do not read well. I have a few young students who struggle with timing, and this approach works with them.
Now here is a version of Mari's Wedding with standard notation plus guitar tabs:
Download free fiddle sheet music Mari's Wedding
This cute Scottish song uses the same guitar chord progression as "I Love the Mountains": G - Em - C - D (or D7). This is a great exercise for beginner guitar players just starting the "big" G and C chords... I like to set a goal of playing this set of chords with eyes closed, moving from G to Em, then C and D7 with one finger down on the guitar neck at all times (a different finger with each chord).
Below is the easy-to-read version of the free fiddle sheet music Mari's Wedding, with double-time notes for beginning fiddlers and guitar players. I have found that beginning players do very well counting rhythms in this manner that would otherwise be beyond their ability.
(However, if you want to focus on FLAT-PICKING, then it really is more useful to use the version with eighth notes, above. Students can quickly point out the places where UPSTROKES must occur, and you can place a mark there to help the memory.)
Download fiddle music Mari's Wedding with doubled time
If fiddle and guitar want to play together, but the guitarist wants the fun of flat-picking, then have your beginning violinist drone on the chord tones, using a single note. Softly!
For those teachers who may be unfamiliar with violin techniques, that just means the fiddler will stay all on one note, drawing the bow for the duration of that harmony. Measure one needs a G chord, so it is easy to "drone" on the open G string. On the next chord, Em, have the violinist play finger one on the D string for the E drone, not the open E string, which is high and far away from the previous drone note.
Some of my students (part of a group called "The Fiddleheads" here locally) played Mari's Wedding as the second half of a medley, the first half being "Swampwalk" from The American Fiddle Method Book 2. The two pieces are a nice contrast to each other, and were a hit at the Alaska Folk Festival we participated in (I got to play the bass!).
Your students will enjoy this free fiddle sheet music, whether they play fiddle, guitar, or mandolin!
More Folk & Traditional Songs
Ae Fond Kiss - not strictly a folk melody, but it is old - and very lovely!
Colorado Trail - a genuine cowboy song, just one verse, surprisingly lovely
Erie Canal - a vigorous minor melody that kids like, with lots of repeating phrases
Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier - Lovely. Important for breath control and learning to mold a phrase.
Lavender's Blue, a pretty song that is VERY simple to sing! Perfect for young girls.
Loch Lomond, the most famous song of all from Scotland. Still beautiful.
Muss i denn or Abschied (Wooden Heart) - from Germany by way of Elvis, an adorable folk tune!
Once I Had a Sweetheart - another sad, pretty, and image-arousing song, once sung by Joan Baez
Scarborough Fair - an old favorite from England, still lovely
Shenandoah - So pretty, and genuinely American. Long phrases, good breath control practice.
Spanish Ladies - a minor key sea chanty that swings energetically along - boys like singing it too!
The Spanish Lady - Upbeat and energetic, this song is fun to perform with a group.
Star of the County Down - LOTS of fun to sing and play! An excellent ensemble piece.
A perfect read aloud storybook for Christmas for little boys or girls.
The Adventures of Tonsta highlight the travels of a very young boy with a good heart, who goes about helping folk in trouble.
With a red cap on his head and a sack of tools slung over his shoulder, Tonsta seems to meet people in distress wherever he goes.
Lots of trolls in this book.
Recent Articles
-
Hark the Herald Angels Sing Lyrics & Sheet Music
Hark the Herald Angels Sing - an easy Middle C piano arrangement for young students still learning to read notes, and a guitar tab arrangement too!
-
Carol of the Bells Guitar Tab
Carol of the Bells guitar tab for your student who is beginning to stretch their abilities with classical or fingerstyle guitar playing. These tabs are LEGIBLE!
-
Oh Holy Night Sheet Music for Elementary Piano
Oh Holy Night sheet music for elementary piano - NOW with an EASIER secondo part that your intermediate students can play! The easy solo shares the melody between the two hands.
-
Christmas Song Lyrics and Free Piano Sheet Music for Holly and Ivy
Christmas Song Lyrics & sheet music of "The Holly and the Ivy" for your intermediate & now BEGINNING piano players: 3 energetic arrangements with flowing left hand chords and one SIMPLE Middle C arran…
-
Gabriel's Message: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came
Gabriel's Message: "The Angel Gabriel from heaven came" is a beautiful Christmas song that is almost unknown. It makes a lovely vocal duet. - now updated and SIMPLIFIED.
-
Teaching Young Singers Who Have No Music Background
Teaching young singers: what do you do with a non-musician who can't even read their own language, much less music notes? Here is some QUICK ADVICE!
-
Coventry Carol, Also Known as Lully Lullay or Lully Lulla
Coventry Carol, a beautiful and somber English Christmas Carol. With EASY piano duet parts for elementary and early intermediate students.
-
All You That In This House Christmas Sheet Music from England
"All You That in This House" Christmas sheet music is a quick-to-learn song I'll bet you've not heard before! Now with a stirring piano arrangement. This is a beautiful minor melody with 10 verses of…
Sign up for "Take Note!" to see what's new every month.
Comments
Do you have a funny story about this music, or does it remind you of something you'd like to share with other readers? Do you have a question? I'd love to hear it!
Please note that all comments are moderated, and will not appear until I have approved them. Also, IF YOU ARE ASKING FOR MUSIC THAT IS NOT IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, YOUR REQUEST WILL BE IGNORED. That's pretty much any music written in the last 75 years...
Contact About Me Privacy Policy
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Copyright © 2009-2018 Music-for-Music-Teachers.com All rights reserved.
Comments
Have your say... Leave me a comment in the box below.