“I was introduced to Karen’s playing on the Isle of Skye many moons ago. I was blown away by her rhythmical style and a sound that produced movement in even the most leaden footed dancer! She’s steeped in our tradition and that shines through in her new collection. Tune writing is a gift and Karen has been blessed with a knack for writing melodies that sound totally original, but at the same time, completely belong to the tradition. This collection alongside the recordings is a fantastic resource and it’s great to think that in a hundred years from now these tunes will be played at concerts and ceilidhs across…

Bruce MacGregor, Blazin Fiddles

“Karen Steven’s New Scottish Fiddle Tunes” is the Caithness fiddler’s first collection of original compositions. Covering a range of tune types, including marches, reels, airs, and jigs, each of the 50 tunes demonstrates her mastery of the traditional idiom and command as a composer of new and inventive melody. The collection, featuring more than a few modern classics, would make a welcome addition to the bookshelf of any traditional musician or violinist.

Ronnie Gibson, Conductor & Leader of Aberdeen Strathspey & Reel Society

"I’m really looking forward to Karen’s well overdue book of tunes. As a fiddler, she combines great energy in her playing with an infectious rhythmic drive that makes it impossible to sit still and as a composer, she combines the best aspects of the older tradition with catchy new melodies that may end up being earworms (the good kind!). Making up tunes about where we live, what we see, and the people we know, helps make sure that the music has meaning for now and is part of a healthy, living tradition that renews while still maintaining a distinctively Scottish style."

Iain Fraser, Director at merlinmusicacademy.com