6 Fiddle Ornaments

Adding ornaments to Irish or Scottish fiddle music is an exciting and fun way to spice up even the most basic tunes. There are several different types of ornaments, but in this article, you’ll learn 6 of the easiest and most common ones.

Cut

A cut is an upper grace note. The cut can be either a half step or a whole step above the written note depending on the key signature. To perform a cut, start on the note above the one that’s written and quickly descend to the written note.

Tap

A tap is the opposite of a cut: a lower grace note. A tap can be either a half step or a whole step below the written note, depending on the key signature. To perform a tap, start on the note below the one that’s written and quickly ascend to the written note.

5 Note Roll

There are a few different types of rolls, including 3-note rolls and 4-note rolls, but 5-note rolls are the most common. To perform a 5-note roll, start on the written note, then play the note above, the written note, the note below, and end on the written note. The first and last notes of the roll should be elongated.
When performing a 5-note roll starting on the first finger, many players choose to use the third finger for the second note rather than the second finger because the third finger is generally stronger and creates a clearer sound.

Drone

A drone is a long sustained tone played at the same time as the melody. To add a drone to a tune, simply play a double stop with the melody and an adjacent string. It is most common to drone the string below the melody, but droning the string above the melody is also acceptable.

Burl

A burl is a bowed triplet. To perform a burl, start with a fast down bow from frog to tip. At the tip, play 2 smaller and faster bows. Finish with a fast up bow back to the frog. Since burls require more time to play, they should only be used on longer notes.

When just beginning to add ornamentation, I suggest planning out what ornaments to use and when during your tunes. Once you become more familiar with both the tunes and the types of ornaments, you will be able to put them in on the spot.

Watch the video below for a further explanation and demonstration of these 6 fiddle ornaments and leave a comment letting me know which one is your favorite!