Scottish fiddling

This led to stylistic cross-pollination with Shetland and Ireland; the Donegal fiddle tradition is notably more characteristically Scottish in style.

The original home of the strathspey, these tunes were characterized by staccato and the use of the Scotch snap, as well as the arrow stroke (also known as the driven bow).

West coast fiddlers include Angus Grant (Senior), Iain MacFarlane (Glenfinnan), Archie MacAlistair (Campbeltown), Alasdair White (Lewis), Allan Henderson (Mallaig), Eilidh Shaw (Taynuilt) and Eilidh Steel (Helensburgh).

Double-stopping, playing two strings or notes together, is commonly found in hornpipe music; such compositions are often written for two or more fiddlers.

[8] Due to migration from rural Scotland, to industrial areas and to other countries, many players have returned again over time with certain traditions intact and some evolved through the melding of various styles.

Notable fiddlers from Scotland today include Aly Bain, Bruce MacGregor, Johnny Cunningham, Duncan Chisholm, John Martin, John McCusker, Chris Stout, Iain MacFarlane, Charlie McKerron, Eilidh Shaw, Douglas Lawrence, Gregor Borland, Catriona MacDonald, Alasdair White, Paul Anderson, and Aidan O'Rourke.

Key performers in the USA include Alasdair Fraser, Hanneke Cassel, Ed Pearlman, Bonnie Rideout, John Turner, Elke Baker, Melinda Crawford, Colyn Fischer, and David Gardner.

Another culturally significant style is that of County Donegal, Ireland (just a short boat journey away), which is not strictly Scots but Irish.