Listen to the new 3 Hardanger Fiddles from Hollywood Fantasy Strings 🎧 Perhaps Norway’s most prized musical contribution, the hardanger fiddle is similar to a violin but with a more vibrant, brilliant quality owing to its body construction and doubled strings — it often sounds like two violinists playing at once! Some of its most stunning uses in modern music are in Howard Shore’s Rohan theme from Lord of the Rings and Bear McCreary’s traditional string arrangements in God of War. Try it out on

The Hardanger fiddle has a long history, dating back to the early 1600s in Norway. Bud Larsen of Brainerd, Minnesota, has been playing and building these instruments since his youth. Now he's happy to be passing on his knowledge to new generations of Hardanger fiddle enthusiasts. | Prairie Public