Laurie Hart

The Series 

My project Scandinavian Fiddle Tradition consists of 5 albums and a tunebook of 140 traditional dance tunes from Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, with their beautiful harmonies and compelling rhythms.  The first 3 CDs are available now.  CDs 4 & 5 will be out in 2023, with the tunebook coming soon as well.

I am setting out to create the resources I wish I had had when I began learning to play and dance to Scandinavian music in the mid-1980s.  The tunebook contains all 140 tunes on the 5 CDs, with background info on the tunes, style tips, maps, photographs, and transcriptions including harmonies and chords, with lots of beautiful tunes at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels on fiddle, hardingfele and nyckelharpa, perfect for learning, teaching, harmonizing, performing, playing for dancing, and jamming. 

The musicians & instruments of SFT's five volumes

Stefhan Ohlström is a Riksspelman ("fiddler of the realm"), a winner of the prestigious silver medal in Swedish traditional fiddling in 1983.  Stefhan grew up in Uppland, lived in Västmanland many years, and now lives in Dalarna.  He performed with Ceylon Wallin & other great musicians of the folk revival, and continues to teach & play for dancing in both Sweden & the USA, where he made his home for 15 years. What are the chances a riksspelman would turn up 5 minutes from my house?  I was privileged to play with Stefhan regularly all those years, to enjoy his dry sense of humor, and to have his help in every aspect of this project, from new tunes and performing together, to photography, history, Swedish language and nyckelharpa repair. He is in demand for his beautiful & skillful harmony playing on fiddle & viola, which you will hear on all 5 albums.