Cape Breton Island Fiddle Music:
A Link to Scotland

Place Names Cape Breton Island Scotland

In some ways, fiddle music on Cape Breton Island is like fiddle music in Scotland. This is because so many settlers on the island came from Scotland and brought their music with them. But once the music came to its new home, it changed in some ways because life here was a little different.

One thing that is the same about fiddle music in the two places is the books the music is written in. Some of these books are called the Atholl Collection and the Fraser Collection. These books are popular with fiddlers from both places. Because the books are the same, fiddlers on Cape Breton Island and in Scotland can choose the same piece of music to play.

Another thing fiddle music from the two places share, is that the music is often used for dancing. Fiddle players on Cape Breton Island and in Scotland know which tunes are fun for dancers. These tunes are often lively and bouncy. If a dance is made just for a certain tune, this affects how the fiddler plays it. He or she knows the dancer is depending on them to play the music exactly right.