FOR many, learning is a lifelong passion. Even those who are considered expert in their field are often in search for new knowledge that can be grafted to what they already know or that can expand upon themes only lightly touched. For musicians, this quest for new techniques or nuances that can allow them to more fully express themselves – or that can lead to artistic epiphanies – is becoming a well-trodden path.

When Shetland fiddler Jenna Reid sought to widen her experience she looked to the world of classical violin – and more specifically to the work of string quartets and chamber music. For Reid, with four solo albums to her name, as well as her work with fiddle collective RANT and, of course, Blazin’ Fiddles, it was a voyage of discovery which eventually proved to be the genesis of her latest solo album Working Hands.

“I just wanted to push myself, to get out of my comfort zone,” says Reid of the lessons she embarked upon with Robert McFall of Mr McFall’s Chamber, one of the most innovative ensembles of the past 20 years. “I wanted someone to dissect what I was doing and show me where I could do things more efficiently.

“I guess when you’re a musician – certainly in my case as a fiddle player – so much of what you do is about the sound production and the tone and quality of what is coming out of your instrument and how you’re making that happen.

“The smallest details and the smallest changes of, say, bow position or the position of your fiddle can make a difference. So I just wanted to explore that and try something entirely new.”

However, what Reid came away with after those lessons from McFall was something much more tangible. She emerged with a concept for a new album and renewed inspiration.

“Working Hands came out of those lessons with Robert,” says Reid. “Robert was the second violinist with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra for many, many years and alongside that he formed Mr McFall’s Chamber and they have performed music from Frank Zappa to Beethoven – you name it they’ve done it. And their members are really well known – Su-a Lee, Brian Schiele and Rick Standley, they’re all extremely experienced and proficient players.

“So I had lessons with Robert as a fiddle player just wanting to work on my technique and things like that but the lessons inspired me to write again. I’d always wanted to write for string quartet – it’s on my bucket list – so I wanted to write music with them in mind.”

“So I sat down with fellow Shetlander Harris Playfair, who is just one of the most amazing piano players there is, and recorded the music I’d written, and then I invited in McFall’s Chamber.

“I’d written various pieces – a piece for Robert, a piece for Su-a, and pieces that were viola-led and that became Working Hands.”

The switch from traditional music to that of a string quartet allowed Reid to explore more reflective and slower-paced arrangements. It was, she says, something of a revelation.

“I think when you get to the end of making an album and get to the end of that process you’re so tired you think ‘I never want to do that again’. And then the dust settles.

“I began to think ‘well actually I feel really inspired by these lessons and new music is coming to my mind’...

“It’s definitely a more contemplative album than anything I’ve done before.”

Working Hands is certainly reflective. It has a rare and ethereal quality with the piano of Playfair and Reid’s fiddle complemented in intriguing and surprising ways by the addition of McFall’s Chamber.

And while it is generally a slow-paced and emotive affair there are moments of exuberance, such as on the title track, which is a celebration of the tools musicians use every day.

THERE are also moments of exquisite tenderness such as in Su-a Song, written for Lee.

However, despite the intricately woven beauty of Working Hands, the learning will continue for Reid when she returns to her more traditional roots.

“I think I’m now more aware and more mindful of the sound I’m producing,” says Reid. “You almost have to just hone what you’re doing in order to make a purer sound and all of that takes thought. As a fiddle player in a group like Blazin’ Fiddles when we play together it’s pretty thigh-slapping and upbeat but you still need to retain some sort of quality and delicacy. And I think taking time over things, stopping to listen and being more reflective has brought a new dimension to my playing.

“It’s good to always have your learning hat on.”

Despite the recent birth of her second child, Reid has no plans to let up on her other commitments. There are some dates planned for next week with RANT – Reid and sister Bethany alongside Highland fiddlers Anna Massie and Lauren MacColl – while the Blazin’ Fiddles juggernaut shows no signs of slowing. And there are other projects she has in mind – when she gets the time.

“There are always ideas on the back burner. I like to have a theme, though. It helps to focus the mind and give a project some shape from the outset. So there’s a couple of ideas, quite Nordic, Shetland ideas that are forming just now.

“I’m spending some time at home in Shetland this year so I’m hoping to have some time then to start writing again. It’s an inspiring place to be so I’m looking forward to that.”

In the meantime, Working Hands is being given space and time to breathe. And it is an album that rewards repeated listens.

“Reid has created a world of her own with a collaboration that transcends folk music while always keeping her distinctive Shetland fiddle style to the fore. It is,

quite simply, a masterpiece of mood.

RANT play the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh on March 25 while Reid will be joined by Mr McFall’s Chamber in Aberdeen’s Glassel Hall on April 6, Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, on April 7, The Tolbooth, Stirling, on April 27, The King’s Place, London, on April 28 and Perth Theatre, Perth, on April 29.