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Explore the musical journey of Roaming Free, indulge your musical passion, lose yourself in the lilting sounds of the Celtic fiddle - enjoy the music and the moment!
Colin regularly plays at Celtic and Folk music festivals around Australia, be sure to check the Roaming Free gig guide for updates on when and where you can catch Colin playing live.
Feel inspired to learn and play the fiddle? Colin is also available to teach so you can make your own merry music.
Take a moment to roam around the site, click on the above tabs to find more information about the celtic fiddle workshops and tutorials, upcoming gigs, listen to Colin playing, read his Celtic fiddle blog, buy a CD, Celtic Tune Book or mp3, or simply get to know Colin and his music.
FIDDLE TUNES AVAILABLE - CDs AND LEARNING TUNE BOOKs
Over many years playing and performing celtic fiddle Colin has collected together some of the most inspirational and beautiful Scottish and Irish fiddle tunes. He has now made these tunes available on CD and in a series of electronic Learning Tune Books that allow everyone to learn and confidently play these tunes on the fiddle.
ROAMING FREE (CD & TUNE BOOK)
 
Visit CD page >> Visit TUNE BOOK page >>
The Roaming Free CD contains a lively and inspirational performance of the tunes below. Colin MacLeod on fidde is accompanied by Rory Sinclair on guitar.
The Roaming Free Learning Tune Book is available in electronic form and contains the following tunes as sheet music, MP3 files, demonstration videos (coming soon) as well as history and notes on how to play each tune.
Tune List
Glen Tilt / The Tourist
Lament for the Revered Archie Beaton/ Earl Grey/ Sir Reginald MacDonald
The Ale Is Dear/ Jenny Dang The Weaver/ The Reconciliation
Sweetness of Mary/ The Famous Bridge/ The Swallow Tailed Coat Reel
Bonawe Highlanders/ The Wife She Brewed It/ The Left Handed FiddlerSweet Biddy Daly (Buttermilk Mary)/ Over The Ocean (Split The Whisker/ Mug of Brown Ale
John Roy Lyall/ Braigh Bhanbh : The Highlands of Banffshire/ Carnie's Canter
The Seagull
79th Farewell To Gibraltar/ The Devil In The Kitchen/ The Kilt Is My Delight
The Mill, Mill'O/ Quickstep
PM Donald MacLean of Lewis/ Farewell To The Creeks
JOURNEY ACROSS IRELAND & SCOTLAND
(PLAY ALONG CD & LEARNING TUNE BOOK)
The Journey Across Ireland & Scotland Series contains an amazing collection of 38 inspirational tunes including jigs, reels, strathspeys and waltzes. This collection of tunes was originally collated as a workbook for the Launceston Youth & Community String Camp in 2011.
The Journey across Ireland & Scotland CDs contain the 38 tunes listed below played at half speed or slower and repeated multiple times to facilitate learning.
The Journey Across Ireland & Scotland Learning Tune Book is available in electronic form and contains the following tunes as sheet music, MP3 files, demonstration videos (coming soon) as well as history and notes on how to play each tune.
 
Visit CD page >> Visit TUNE BOOK page >>
The Shepherd's Wife/ Pet o' the Pipers/ Roaring Jelly
Mackworth, Mrs Helen Robertson/ Glasgow Highlanders
Columcille/ The Kettle Drum/ The Black Boy
Lady Madelina Sinclair/ Captain Campbell/ Miss Maule
Leaving Port Askaig
The Back o' Catafern/ The Wavers of Newly/ The Duke of Gordon's Birthday
Da Slockitt Light/ The Brumley Brae
McFadden's Handsome Daughter/ Tarbolton Reel/ Paddy Fahy's/ The Humours of Lissadell
Josefin's Waltz
My Darling Asleep/ The Humours of Ennistymon/ Tatter Jack Walshe
O'Hare's Reel/ The Fallen Angel/ The Silver Spire
Liverpool Hornpipe/ Greencastle Hornpipe
Sporting Paddy/ Fermoy Lasses
Lark In The Morning/ Doerty's Fancy/ The Frost Is All Over/ A Trip To The Cottage
CELTIC FIDDLE DEFINITIONS
Hornpipe: A hornpipe is a tune which is in 2/4, 4/4 or 2/2 as a time signature. Accent is on the first and third notes of the bar. The tune type is very close to a reel. The Tourist (Set 1 Tune 2) is played as a reel rather than as a hornpipe.
Jig: The jig is very popular is Scottish Country Dance music and at sessions. There are various timings, including, 6/8, 9/8 and 12/8. The pieces played on Roaming Free are all in 6/8 time. There is usually an A and B part to each tune. Some jigs may have three or four parts.
March: Marches have two beats per measure and can be written in 2/4 or 6/8 time. The Marches on the CD are either 2/4 or 6/8. The tunes are characterized by 4 parts, which are each repeated. A lot of the groupings also have the characteristic of longer note followed by a shorter note e.g. a dotted quaver followed by a semiquaver. This is to provide variety for someone either listening to or marching to the tune.
Quickstep: A quickstep is a March for accompanying quick time. It can be written in 2/4 or 4/4 time.
Reel: This is a type of tune which largely consists of quavers. The time signature is normally 4/4 or 2/4. It also normally consists of 2 parts, an A and B section. The first and third beats of the bar are normally accented. When playing a reel, the amount of slurring with the violin bow is normally minimised.
Slow Air: A slow traditional Scottish melody which may have been composed in honour of the memory of a person e.g. John Roy Lyall or a place e.g. The Hills of Lorne. During a Slow Air, the amount of ornamentation used has been minimised, instead trying to concentrate on the notes of the piece.
Strathspey: The Strathspey is one of the most popular dances of Scottish Country dancing and a type of stately tune with a 4/4 time signature. Strathspeys, at one time, were very popular with the Scottish gentry. The tune has an A and B part. It is also characterized by a lot of note groupings where a longer note is followed by a shorter note e.g. a dotted quaver note followed by a semiquaver. This is called a Scots snap. In Scottish music, the strathspey is sometimes played as the second tune in a set of tunes.
- Slow Air/ Strathspey/ Reel
- March/ Strathspey/ Reel
Slow Strathspey: A Slow Strathspey is slower in speed than a strathspey and more majestic in its playing. Amongst other things, Slow Strathspeys were written in honour of people.
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