Fiddle Studio Book 1: Fiddling for the Complete Beginner

It’s never too late to start fiddling!

Updated in 2025, the second edition of Fiddle Studio Book 1 fixes errors, updates links and product info, and adds even more easy, beginner fiddle tunes.

Learn the fiddle from scratch from setting up to play and holding the instrument to playing easy tunes. In this book Megan Beller, the founder of Fiddle Studio, takes the tunes and techniques from a whole year of fiddle lessons and puts it all in one place.

It’s the information you need to start with no experience, and you can reference it again and again. Megan covers the common questions and concerns and answers with her expert perspective from 25 years of teaching.

Over 30 fiddle tunes are organized in an intuitive order that builds new skills one at a time. Each tune is presented first with fingerings and strings, and then in standard notation with chords.

You do not need to read music to learn the tunes in this book!

Book 1 topics (links and prices updated in 2nd edition): fiddle, bow, accessories, tapes, rosin, tuning, bowgrip, set up, hand position, bowing, reading, high and low fingers, tension, the pinky, highway, hitting the right string, playing by ear, singing, string care, listening, playlists, the mirror, mutes, finger care, slow practice, writing in, teacher ears, breaks, playing with others, sessions per week, and planning practice.

Book 1 scales and tunes (tunes updated 2nd edition):
A major: Boil Them Cabbage Down, Cripple Creek in A, Britches Full of Stitches, Candy Girl, Steamboat Quickstep, Jenny's Gone to Linton, Speed the Plow, Jessica's Polka, Margaret’s Waltz
A Major Modal: Old Joe Clark, Sandy Boys, June Apple
D Major: Kerry Polka, Angeline the Baker, Spotted Pony, Julianne Johnson, Daniel of the Sun, John Ryan's Polka, Off She Goes
A minor: The Bear Dance, Star of the County Down, Griffin Road, Hommage Led Zepplin, Frosty Morning
G Major: Mari’s Wedding, Golden Slippers, Rakes of Mallow, Rebel Raid
D Major Modal: Bill Harte's Jig
E minor: The Wren, The Dancing Bear, The Butterfly, Drowsy Maggie
Plus: St. Antoine's Reel, and All the Rage

For teachers: Megan brings a unique perspective from studying classical violin and music education at Eastman, Suzuki training, and growing up fiddling. If you teach violin and are looking for authentic fiddle tunes your students will love, this book has all the tunes you need for students in Suzuki Book 1 and 2. If you are a fiddle teacher looking for a classical perspective for your students, this book covers topics in depth such as bow grip, left wrist, gear, and practicing.

Megan Wobus Beller plays and teaches fiddle and violin. She is the founder of Fiddle Studio, including books for learning to play the fiddle, a podcast, a YouTube channel, and video courses based on 25 years of teaching children and adults.​​​​​​​Megan started classical violin at the age of three and went on to major in Violin Performance and Music Education at the Eastman School of Music. She also grew up fiddling in the New England tradition and later branched out Quebecois, Irish, Old-Time, Contra, and Klezmer fiddle.