BENNY THOMASSON FIDDLE TRANSCRIPTIONS BY PETER MARTIN One of the most influential fiddlers of recent times, Benny Thomasson was one of the inventors of Texas Style fiddling. Players who have been inspired by Bennys music are numerous. Now you can learn what made him such a revered player! Benny Thomasson Fiddle Transcriptions .......... $18.00 CLICK HERE TO ORDER

"Benny Thomasson Fiddle Transcriptions is an extremely accurate compilation of some common and not-so-common tunes played by Benny."
Fiddler Magazine Review, Fall 1997

"We feel that everyone who obtains this book will be well pleased with the superb material it contains."
Devil's Box Magazine Review, Fall 1997

This 100 page book contains accurate transcriptions from Benny's recordings and jam session tapes. There are breakdowns, waltzes, rags, reels, show tunes, and hornpipes common to Texas style playing. In addition there are many lesser known oldtime tunes, some in open tunings.

There are other tune books which contain these tunes, but most have inaccurate bow markings or simplified versions. However "Benny Thomasson Fiddle Transcriptions" contain accurate note for note transcriptions from recordings, including accurate bowing notation. This way you are certain of learning the tunes as Benny played them. Many of these versions are only available from this book.

FIDDLER MAGAZINE, Fall 1997
Benny Thomasson was, arguably, one of the best Texas-style fiddlers ever. His tune engineering and intricate bow work have been emulated by more fiddlers than any other single player. Finally, someone has accurately transcribed some of Benny's best work. Peter Martin has recently released his collection of 17 tunes. Benny Thomasson Fiddle Transcriptions is an extremely accurate compilation of some common and not-so-common tunes played by Benny.

Martin's easy to use book is primarily for the intermediate to advanced fiddler. He covers everything from extended fourth fingers to shift changes to bowing patterns as well as basic chords for backup.

Martin's selection of tunes is a true Benny-lover's list. Benny's "Apple Blossom," "Don't Let the Deal Go Down," "Sally Johnson" and "Forked Deer" are signature Benny tunes. Even more inspiring are "Bonnie Kate's Reel," "Steeley's Rag," and "Morpeth's Hornpipe," tunes that Benny often played but did not professionally record.

With so many disappointing fiddle music books on the market, Martin's Benny Thomasson Fiddle Transcriptions is an excellent illustration of a great fiddler's best tunes. Tim Hodgson

THE DEVIL'S BOX, Fall 1997
This collection is devoted entirely to the superb tune arrangements of the great Benny Thomasson.

In the introductory text, Peter Martin indicates that “This book is a collection of fiddle tunes transcribed from the playing of Benny Thomasson. It contains Texas style breakdowns, waltzes, rags old time tunes and other pieces. I have transcribed the notes and bowing from the original recordings as accurately as possible. The tunes are not presented in order of difficulty, some are more difficult then others, but none are for the beginner. This book is advised for intermediate and advanced players.”

With regard to working up numbers from this book, Mr. Martin says, ”When learning each tune, play through the music slowly and closely watch the bow directions! If you have the recording, listen many times and try to copy Benny’s sound.” We think this is very good advice!

There is, of course, no way to fully comprehend the tremendous contribution of Benny Thomasson to the art of fiddling in general and to the contemporary style of contest playing, in particular. In fact, when you start going over the tune arrangements in this book, we think you will be able to actually hear and feel the “ever present” influence of this truly legendary fiddler. In this regard, it would also seem that each time a tune is played at one of the major contests, there will be something in the rendition that can be traced back to Benny.

A lot has been said about Benny Thomasson’s uncanny ability to improvise and thus create a seemingly endless variety of variations on each and every tune he played. We think all of this wonderful musical energy and excitement has been captured by Peter Martin in these skillfully constructed tune transcriptions. This book is indeed a fitting tribute to the genius of Benny Thomasson.

With regard to the individual tunes in this collection, we like them all very much. However if we had to pick a favorite, we would select JACK OF DIAMONDS because it is a classic example of the style of this all-time great player and tends to reflect his musical personality. I could go on and on about this tune collection. I must say that the sheer musical beauty of the APPLE BLOSSOM transcription is very impressive. In addition, the two waltzes included here (FORTY YEARS AGO WALTZ and OOK PIC WALTZ) both contain a very melodic note sequence.

Now, just as the author says in his opening remarks, some of these transcriptions are quite demanding from a technical standpoint. However, when you stop and think about it, there is an ever growing number of highly skilled players in the United States and abroad who are eager to tackle material such as Peter Martin has assembled in this collection.

We feel that everyone who obtains this book will be well pleased with the superb material it contains. In fact, the time and effort spent on working out any of these tune transcriptions is sure to be a very rewarding musical experience. This tune collection is, of course, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Frank Maloy

THE OLDTIME HERALD, Spring 1998
Benny Thomasson was one of the originators of Texas-style fiddling, and many think he was the best of them. He was possibly the most imitated fiddler in the western United States and his influence changed the whole sound of western fiddle contests. He inspired countless young people (including his most famous protégé', Mark O'Connor) with his beautiful fiddling and his generous and friendly manner, not to mention his and his students' ability to excel in competition.

Benny's arrangements of tunes involved intricate variations which (unlike many of his imitators) somehow never lost the essence of the original tune, and which often added lyricism and deep feeling. Many of his variations were carefully worked out, and appear over and over again in different performances. Other variations were spur of the moment improvisations which occasionally got him into a hole that he would have to fiddle his way out of.

Peter Martin is a musician and music teacher from Seattle, Washington, and a true aficionado of Benny's music. He has even established a great Benny Thomasson home page. Pete has done an excellent job of transcribing 17 of Benny's performances in standard music notation, with bowings and fingerings indicated. Basic backup chords are also included. The tunes in this book were transcribed from the Voyager Weiser Reunion cassette, the County LP's Country Fiddling From the Big State and Texas Hoedown, and from jam session tapes.

As far as I know, there are no films or videos of Benny playing, so it's impossible to say if the bowings and fingerings are perfectly accurate - besides, Benny was pretty free in varying the way he played his tunes, especially in jam sessions. But I listened to some of the originals, and compared what I heard with what's on the paper, and it looks very accurate to me.

We all know that simply playing the same notes that another fiddler plays will not make you sound like that fiddler. Even doing the fingerings and bowings the same isn't enough. I've listened to plenty of Benny's playing, and I consider myself a pretty good sight reader. But when I propped the music up in front of me and read through some of the tunes, (surprise!) I didn't sound like Benny. However, I was able to understand better how he put all those notes together, and what went into producing that inimitable Benny Thomasson sound.

This book is an invaluable resource for any student of Benny Thomasson's style. We are fortunate that we can reap the benefits of Pete's dedication to the painstaking task of transcribing these wonderful and challenging fiddle tunes. Vivian Williams

"I sat down last night and read through all three books (Texas Style Fiddle Transcriptions, Volume 1 and 2, Benny Thomasson Fiddle Transcriptions). All I have to say, as I've said before is "WOW". Thank you for taking the time to compile these books. As I was telling one of my students last week, a lot of recordings I have are not available any more. I've been fortunate to meet great players and be around Texas style fiddling. A lot of people don't have that privilege and opportunity. However, a few good books are available now. If you can read music, you're well on your way. Your books are a wonderful resource for the aspiring Texas style player. It's a wonderful teaching resource for me. I look forward to using it in the future with my students. Thanks once again! I'm going to do my best to promote your books at Mark's camp." Daniel Carwile, Grand Masters Fiddle Champion, many time teacher at Mark O'Connor's Music Camp