The Roll (fiddle ornament)

The roll is one of the most common ornaments in Irish fiddle music. In this lesson I describe the fingering required, and suggest some simple exercises to improve your rolls. I use Morrison's Jig to illustrate. I use onscreen sheet music, and a free pdf is available to subscribers. See below for details.
Below are details of further fiddle resources from Chris Haigh
1. Patreon
2. Books
3. Subscription video courses
4. Website
5. Email to request pdf’s.
1. PATREON
This is a platform where anyone can help support creative artists and get closer access to their work. You can join me on Patreon at three levels, for £4, £10 or £40 per month.

At the lowest level you get access to all my pdf’s and tune collections, plus many exclusive tuition videos not available to the public.
At level 2 you can join also me once a month for a group Zoom chat, and can request a backing rack once a month.
Level 3 gives you all the above plus a free lesson once a month, and access to all my backing tracks.
You can find me on Patreon at
/ thefiddlechannel
2. BOOKS
I have seven fiddle tuition books published by Schott, all widely available from the publisher, from Amazon, and many other outlets. All come with audio tracks illustrating the tunes and exercises.
Exploring Jazz Violin
Beginning Jazz Violin
Discovering Rock Violin
Exploring Folk Fiddle
Exploring Klezmer Fiddle
Hungarian Fiddle Tunes
French Fiddle Tunes
Exploring Country and Bluegrass Fiddle (due out October 2021)
You can order from
bit.ly/31ZWmgm
3. VIDEO SUBSCRIPTION COURSES
I have three video subscription courses
MUSIC GURUS- Exploring Jazz Violin. Based on my Schott book
Parts 1 and 2 are each £26 for 26 lessons, covering the first and second halves of the book
Part 1; tinyurl.com/49tfk5ef
Part 2 tinyurl.com/23atebfc
-MUSIC GURUS Discovering Rock Violin. . Based on my Schott book
£35 for 46 lessons
tinyurl.com/2ua2kuxh
ACADEMY OF FOLK
Includes a folk fiddle primer course, with introductions to basic techniques and concepts plus an Irish Fiddle Course and Scottish fiddle course. A monthly sub of $9.99 gives access to all lessons
academyoffolk.com/
4. WEBSITE
My website is probably the most extensive and detailed summary of fiddle styles on the web, as evidenced by the range of top hits on Google for many fiddle styles.
www.fiddlingaround.co.uk
________________________________________________________________________
TO REQUEST PDF’S, or ask any questions, CONTACT ME AT
[e-mail]

[@gwendolynkaren5933]

Wow. What detailed instruction. Some people just like to show off but they don't really break it down for you. Thank you 🎻♥️

[@TheFiddleChannel]

Glad you enjoyed it, Gwendolyn!

[@BrendanPowerMusic]

Thanks Chris. Another video focussed specifically on rolls in reels would be great!

[@TheFiddleChannel]

Good idea, Brendan!

[@BrendanPowerMusic]

I'm somewhat obsessed with the roll myself at the moment! Both the long and short roll are not possible on standard diatonic or chromatic harmonicas at typical session tempos, because they require one or two breath changes. This slows them down and makes them sound choppy. But on my Midi Harmonica I have extra note alteration buttons, which means I can now execute rolls on one breath using two fingers. It's allowing me to play the tunes in a way that's very close to the fiddle, whistle & flute, for the first time. The tunes are taking on a whole new flavour, which I'm enjoying. There's no decent Midi harmonica patch yet, so I'm using other sounds, such as the SWAM violin. It's bloody good!

[@Melvorgazh]

Heyo Brendan, Does Tim Edey teach ornamentations for the guitar? If I remember correctly he taught on Skype. Mise le meas.

[@WEdHarris]

Thank You! Your detailed explanation is very helpful! Subbed!

[@TheFiddleChannel]

Glad you found it useful!

[@wordybitz]

This is great Chris as are all your videos. Thank you for your generosity of teaching. Is there a place one can find out buy back up music?

[@TheFiddleChannel]

Hi Stacy. Glad you're enjoying my videos. All my backing tracks are available if you join me on patreon at level 2 or 3. www.patreon.com/thefiddlechannel

[@j4k9]

Hi Chris, thanks for this illustratitve video! I have but one question that I can't seem to answer by myself: Is a short roll essentially the same as a long roll, just "faster"? (crotched instead of a dotted crotched, as I think you said.)

[@TheFiddleChannel]

Hi Philip. Yes, that's exactly it!

[@Melvorgazh]

@The Fiddle Channel Heyo Sir, Dia dhuit! I play the giotár an I never saw any video on the ornamentations in Celtic trad for the guitar. And I am desperately looking for the roll and cut, but open to any other. I saw cuts and rolls lessons for the flute, whistle and fiddle mostly, but never the guitar which has been present in Celtic trad for over a century. Greetings from Brussels Belgium. Sláinte! ps: Morrison’s is a lot of fun, both flatpicking and backing 😽 I love the Bothy Band version, but generally I prefer the sound of smaller bands, 2-4 musicians. Which versions are yer few favourites? Nice sound here anyway

[@TheFiddleChannel]

HI. I think most fiddle/pipe ornaments (eg the roll) wouldn't work on the guitar. The main ornament for the guitar would be, I guess, the hammer-on.

[@Melvorgazh]

ps: Hi Chris, I haven’t see a C chord in this gorgeous (me top3 favourite póirt dúbáilte) E dorian tune, on that B part. I remember I tried it and it sounded odd to me. I know that many backers use strange chords with a dash / and I believe some have a hard time naming them. Celtic harmony theory is very tough 😅 even after some years of practice. is this C a C major natural or some sus or modal chord in fact? Nye from Sheffield (Folk Friends)teaches on YT much but it’s a long way...

[@TheFiddleChannel]

I think I know what you mean. Many Celtic minor tunes alternate the minor chord with the VII major chord, such as this one, which has E minor to D major. Probably in the 60's and 70's, folk musicians started using the movement C-D-Em at the end of a line. It is an import from rock music. Probably shocking the first time it was done, but now rather old fashioned. I think the C in question is usually a normal major chord.

[@saoirsepaddy]

Hi Chris Question does Irish or Scottish fiddlers ever play Cranns ? I know Irish pipers, Flute & Tin whistlers use long & short Cranns I got pretty good flatpicking long & short Cranns on my Irish Cittern. Great book to have The Essential guide to Irish flute and tin whistle by Grey Larsen printed by Mel Bay The cut & strike/grace notes are played with pull off & hummer-on on long, short rolls & long , short Cranns it's pretty easy to do once you get the hang of it. I never see any flatpickers play any long , short rlls or cranns . But Celtic Fingerpickers they love using ornaments

[@TheFiddleChannel]

I'm certainly no expert on the Crann. As I understand it, it's like a roll but done on an open string melody note, using 01310. It's a direct and deliberate imitation of a pipe ornament. There is some discussion of it among fiddlers on The Session, but I've rarely heard it discussed or demonstrated elsewhere.

[@saoirsepaddy]

@@TheFiddleChannel Very very Interesting Arte Johnson would say from Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. Crann's are very rare use except for pipers.flue & tin whistlers. I would have images fiddlers would use this Crann ornaments and wouldn't brake a sweat.Unlike flatpickers/ guitar, cittern/irish bouzouki & mandolin players. Most Flatpicker Irish Guitar Books for example Steve Kaufman explain how to do long Roll jumping the strings back again . See why no one does long or short roll with that techniques. Irish tin whistler can't do a Long /short on low D so he/she embellish the long roll. The long crann is comprised of four slurred note: an eighth note, two sixteenth notes, and another eighth notes. second, third & fourth are cut. For use string players hitting the Open D note hitting the E note pull off and getting open D note. Hitting F# note pull off onto open D then hitting E note pull off onto open D again. Hit & pull. If you hit the F not the F# its doesn't matter that grace is a slurr/ghostly whisper for main notes. There are some other ornaments like condensed long & short double cut rolls I bet money on you can play them Chris double cut rolls might be called some else . Your playing Christ blow my mind and we getting a small example of your playing . I was thinking some of these thrasher guitar techniques could be useful embellishing /ornamented these Celtic Fiddle tunes in the right way specially with these insanely fast double cut rolls . I didn't play around with those thing yet on the Cittern. Thanks You Chris I love your video's Cheers

[@TheFiddleChannel]

@@saoirsepaddy I can see you're really into technique and ornamentation! If you haven't seen it already, I think you would enjoy my video which looks at this whole question across many styles; kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXq3qoJ9q75pa8U

[@saoirsepaddy]

@@TheFiddleChannel Thanks Chris I'll check it out :)

@@TheFiddleChannel Hi Chris. I was wondering if you were going to show an example of an open string roll. Although I haven't learned this from anywhere in particular I figuered it must be done by other fiddlers. I do it as 03010, or perhaps 0310 as it is very fast. Anyways it serves the purpose well when I need a roll on an open string. Perhaps it's not the same as the roll showed here. Hello from Québec by the way!

[@gwendolynkaren5933]

Is that like a trill in classical music?

[@TheFiddleChannel]

No, more like a turn.

[@gwendolynkaren5933]

@@TheFiddleChannel okay thank you. I have really been enjoying studying and branching out

[@colmmurphy1878]

Also, 03101

[@JimViolin]

Good explanations there, Chris. Your rolls come out quite nice and crisply too. Just one point - at 01'48 you say most people use the 3rd finger because it's the strongest, but isn't the 2nd finger the strongest?

[@TheFiddleChannel]

Hi Jim. For me, the third finger is faster and more accurate at that particular movement. Though of course 40 years of third finger rolls may have something to do with that!

[@JimViolin]

@@TheFiddleChannel Interesting! Mine's my 2nd finger. We're all different, I guess. Plus I know some classical players who have pinkies like heavy hammers.