Hey you cool cats and kittens (that intro doesn’t date this article at all…) – this post is response to a really good question from one of my students asking about building up finger dexterity. One of the biggest mistakes a developing violinist can make on their way to mastery is approaching technique with too…
Tag: violin
An Exercise for playing in all 12-keys
Hey violin friends! Here’s an exercise that can help with a very important skill that can be one of the main things that can really help take your playing up to the next level, enable you to perform with different kinds of musicians, and discover new ways to express your musical voice confidently – the…
A String Player’s Celebration of 2019 – Nicola Benedetti
Nicola Benedetti is a 32-year-old Scottish violinist and rising star who plays with unparalleled virtuosic energy. Wynton Marsalis is a 58-year-old jazz trumpeter from New Orleans noted as an advocate for preserving and helping others appreciate the profundity in traditional styles of jazz as a way of grounding the richness of American music. The cover…
A string player’s celebration of 2019 (first part)
As we come upon a new year (and new decade), many music enthusiasts are constructing their “Best of 2019” lists. I decided to try something different. Here’s a non-hierarchical, subjective list of some of the albums, books, and other learning opportunities that inspired my own musical journey over the year. This will be the first…
Lessons from “Itzhak”
The world-renowned violin soloist Itzhak Perlman needs no introduction for many people who love the violin or classical music. I grew up with his name spoken with a reverent tone; among my teachers it went undisputed that he was one of the best living violinists. Very early in my violin studies, I was privileged to see…
Before you play a note… – Violin warm-up exercises
Playing a musical instrument engages many parts of the brain, but it is not only a mental activity. Violinists, perhaps especially, are being continually reminded of our embodiment – that we play music with our physical selves. The noise we make uses almost every part of our bodies, and so violin playing involves a focus…
The sheet music reader’s guide to chord charts
Music is, in many ways, is a language. It has its own grammar (structure for melody to follow) and vocabulary (motifs, “riffs” or “licks” that cluster sounds together). Also like music, language (with the exception of signing) is first and foremost aural communion. (What matters is one person’s mouth reaching someone else’s ear). However, that…
Mark Wood and Lindsey Stirling – a comparative review
Whether it was mourning the loss of George Martin, Prince, and David Bowie, or awaiting new releases from Beyoncé, The Julie Ruin, and Itzhak Perlman, 2016 has been a very noteworthy year for music. On top of everything else –two of the most widely recognized names in the non-classical violin world released new albums within…
the gift of permission to fail
One of the main challenges of learning the violin is the lack of instant gratification. You will not be able to play perfectly after one lesson. Or two, or a month’s worth. As a student, you may spend several weeks practicing nothing but bow holds, or playing a single note on an open string…
10 Violinists Worth Getting To Know…
The violin is an incredible versatile instrument, and can express itself a wide variety of musical styles, emotions, and contexts. A creative and competent player will pour all of her or his culture, ideas, and personality into the instrument. The simple physical motions of dragging a bow across strings can tell a story of where…
How to play “I’ll Keep It With Mine” (or the string parts for any pop song)
Here are a few string players you might not have heard of before, but have probably heard their music. John Cale of the Velvet Underground, Scarlet Rivera with Bob Dylan, David Ragsdale of Kansas, Boyd Tinsley of the Dave Mathews Band, Miri Ben-Ari with a variety of hip-hop artists, including Kanye West. All these artists…
free and creative from the beginning
A teacher is always continuing to learn, and must always be open to new ideas and challenges. Learning is a lifelong process of continuous evolving and tweaking how we do things. I once heard in a class that one of the more important sentences for a teacher is, “I used to think ___ but now…
Violin Lessons with Michael Fox 