A similar technique is seen in some American old-time and bluegrass fiddlers, who intentionally move their bridge back a few millimetres closer to the tailpiece, for better double-stops.

The instrument is often highly decorated, with a carved animal (usually a dragon or the Lion of Norway) or a carved woman's head as part of the scroll at the top of the pegbox, extensive mother of pearl inlay on the tailpiece and fingerboard, and black ink decorations called 'rosing' on the body of the instrument.

Well known early fiddle maker Isak Botnen is said to have learned some of his craft from church lay leader and school master Lars Klark, along with the methods for varnishing from pastor Dedrik Muus.

"[10] This happened in Norway, as well as other parts of Europe, and until the 20th century playing a Hardanger fiddle in a church building was forbidden.

Known modern fiddler Annbjørg Lien has played with church organist Iver Kleive,[12] but even she has experienced prejudice before performance from the religious side.

The opening phrase of "Morning" from Grieg's Peer Gynt music is derived from the tuning of the sympathetic strings of the Hardanger fiddle: A F♯ E D E F♯ and so on.

Japan has been one of the countries that has found an interest in the hardingfele and Japanese musicians travel to Norway just to learn to play this instrument.

In 1997, the Australian classical composer Liza Lim wrote the piece Philtre for a solo Hardanger fiddle, and she also includes the instrument in her work Winding Bodies: 3 Knots (2013–14).

[17][18] Her string quartet The Weaver's Knot (2013–14) is inspired by the sound and performance techniques of Hardanger fiddle playing.

Another recent work is "mobius II" for hardanger fiddle and electronics by the British composer Rose Dodd (2011, premiered at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival by Britt Pernille Froholm).

Notable hardingfele players include Lillebjørn Nilsen, Knut Buen, Hauk Buen, Olav Jørgen Hegge, Annbjørg Lien, Sigrid Moldestad, Myllarguten (Targjei Augundsson), Lars Fykerud, Lars Jensen, Nils Økland, Tuva Syvertsen, Benedicte Maurseth, Anne Hytta, Gjermund Haugen and fiddler Kathryn Tickell, the Irish fiddlers Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh, and American players Loretta Kelley, Andrea Een, Dan Trueman and the multi instrumentalist David Lindley.

In March 2010, Olav Luksengård Mjelva won the Spellemannprisen Traditional music/Norwegian folk category (the Norwegian equivalent of the Grammy Awards), for his album Fele/Hardingfele, Røros/Hallingdal.

The use of the Hardanger fiddle in this movie, however, is far from traditional since the theme does not make noticeable use of the usual practice of bowing on two strings at a time for harmony.

It was also used by composer John Powell and played by Dermot Crehan in the DreamWorks film How to Train Your Dragon for the main romantic theme.

Steven Van Zandt used the Hardanger fiddle in the theme song he wrote for the TV series Lilyhammer.