Canada has had a long, rich history of fiddle music, from coast to coast and everywhere in between. Scott Woods is set to explore all of them, and his new show “Fiddling in the Key of... Eh?” is a Canadian celebration of our fiddle music.
Woods says that the show captures the way Canada developed as a nation, as each region’s fiddle style grew from where people settled from, bringing their music along with them.
“When the settlers came to Canada they brought fiddle music with them, the traditional styles of their own country. Kind of like a dialect in language, fiddling has a very unique style, often these fiddlers would play the exact same tunes but the way they played the tunes, the dialect part of that, was very different. So that’s what we’re exploring.”
That means that the band is exploring a wide range of styles, including Celtic and Cape Breton style, Acadian, a bit of Cajun, some French Canadian, Metis, and Eastern European styles such as Ukrainian fiddling.
“We are trying to look at all the different influences that make up Canadian-style fiddling, and it’s really quite vastly different from coast to coast.”
Playing in different styles has been a challenge for Woods, as he had to learn styles that are outside of what he normally plays.
“Metis was a tough one, because they often put in an extra beat, an extra bar in the melody line. It’s just a different way of playing.”
He says he wanted to ensure he got it right, because he knows that the people know their styles. Coming to the Yorkton area, he says he’s paying special attention to what people play around here, especially things like the Ukrainian style, because the fiddlers in the audience will know if he gets it wrong and he can’t disappoint them.
“Fiddle players are tuned in to every little nuance in the music, so that’s a little bit nerve-wracking but that challenge is exciting, to make sure that when we go to different areas we are playing those styles specifically as true as possible.”
Going for a wider variety and taking on different styles of fiddling might have been difficult, but Woods says that it also makes it something that audiences can embrace in a way that other shows might not, something that has been reflected in the first part of the tour.
“People have been saying it’s the best show we’ve ever put together, because of the variety. So that makes it all worthwhile. You never know the backgrounds of people sitting in the audience, there’s somebody out there who is from the east or from the west, who has a Scottish background or Irish or French or Ukrainian or whatever. The music will speak to them in a way it doesn’t speak to someone else. As challenging as it may be, it’s really worthwhile.”
Woods has traditions of his own, all built around being as entertaining as he possibly can. He says that he’s going to be known as the flipping fiddler until he can’t flip anymore, and he’s breaking out the stunts again on this tour because it’s something he loves as much as the audience. Another tradition is to make a positive show, and Woods says that sometimes he’ll see couples hold hands during familiar songs which he says is one of the most rewarding parts.
“That really inspires us, that we’re speaking to them through the music... Whatever the music is doing to them, it’s connecting at the heart.”
Western Canada has always been a destination for Woods, and that’s reflected in his touring schedule, which is full. He says it’s good to see that traditional fiddle music isn’t going anywhere, and there’s still a big demand and people who want to see that style of music.
Scott Woods will be in Yorkton on May 13 at the Royal Canadian Legion. Advance tickets are recommended and are available by calling toll free 1-855-SCOTTWOODS.
