The collection of music for fiddle or fiddle (occasionally flute) duet contains material by the international composers of the day, music by Scottish composers such as McGibbon and Oswald, a wide range of traditional music, and a number of tunes, e.g. ‘The feud’ (folio 29 verso), ‘Giga allegro of Browncastle’ (folio 32 verso) and an unnamed tune (folio 39), by James Knox himself.

Every second opening between folios 1 and 10, and some others, contain extracts on musical theory, precious stones, sea shells, and on the arrangements of a horizontal sundial from ‘Cyclopeadia of arts and science’ (1728) by Ephraim Chambers.