Weve discussed fiddling many a time and youve expressed how much you love it. Id like to recommend a great book to you, its called :

Fiddle : one woman, four strings, and 8,000 miles of music by Vivian Wagner

Its about a 40 something violinist and her journey to become a fiddler. Its not just a great story,but full of insight as well. One of my favorite parts in the book is when she attends her first bluegrass festival and after the show she walked up and introduced herself to the fiddler and said she played violin, he says "so you read music then? " and she replies yes of course,dont you…"nope, play it all by ear"

http://www.amazon.com/Fiddle-W…..0806531223

above is a link and below is a description

Fiddling suddenly seemed vitally important, even necessary, for me to learn. Perhaps it had to do with grief for my mom's death, and with the fact that I was just starting to feel the inklings of a midlife crisis coming on. All I knew consciously, though, was that I had to learn it.

After a chance encounter with fiddle music, Vivian Wagner discovered something she never knew she had lacked. The fiddle had reawakened not only her passion for music, but for life itself. From the remote workshop of a wizened master fiddle maker in the Blue Ridge Mountains to a klezmer band in Cleveland, from Cajun fiddle music in Katrina-ravaged New Orleans to a fiddle camp in Tennessee, Vivian's quest to master the instrument becomes a journey populated by teachers and artisans--and ultimately creates a community that fortifies her through an emotionally crushing loss.

Intimate and enlightening, this is a story about the unique gifts of the fiddle, the redeeming power of music, the freedom of improvisation--and the importance of knowing that even though a song may reach its end, there's always a new tune to learn