The fiddle is an integral part of folk music — just look at how many fiddle players there are on this site. The difference between the fiddle and violin is debated, with some saying a flatter bridge turns a violin into a fiddle, and others arguing that ‘a fiddle is a violin with attitude’. The critical difference between the two is the style of playing.
There's a great deal of regional variation in fiddle playing and in some countries each town has its own recognisable style.
The modern fiddle emerged in northern Italy in the early 16th century. Its popularity in classical music led to it being adopted by many traditional musicians who found it well-suited to the music they were playing. As the fiddle is not constrained to the well-tempered chromatic scale, the instrument allows many traditional musicians to use their preferred non-tempered tuning system.
Exotic fiddle variations are quite common in world music, like the Norwegian Hardanger fiddle (which has become well-known recently thanks to being featured on the soundtracks of The Lord of the Rings and Fargo), and the Stroh violin.
Fiddle players featured in The Pure Drop:
