Contemporary Violinist

Learn how to play in sixteen styles! With the support of audio backup tracks on iTunes, Julie Lyonn Lieberman will guide you through exercises and tunes designed to help you capture the style for playing Latin, Flamenco, Gypsy, Tango, Klezmer, Cajun, Blues, Rock, Swing, Bebop, Country, Irish, Old-Time, Bluegrass, Franco-American, and Scandinavian. Each style chapter provides you with the appropriate left- and right-hand ornaments, warm-ups, an overview of the style (including its background), as well as a quote from a key player of that genre. The front section of the book covers numerous topics, as does the resource section at the back. This book can keep you busy, informed, and entertained for a long time. Each style chapter provides step-by-step practice techniques, a unit on its history, and a tune in the style. The book gradually steps up in level of difficulty and is self-explanatory. In digital form, it can sit on your desktop or digital reader with the audio available to play from your computer or iPod. You can even burn the audio to CD. A comprehensive learning tool, The Contemporary Violinist includes a glossary of chords in all twelve keys, step-by-step details regarding how to capture stylistic elements, cool tips on technique, instrument maintenance, jam sessions, practice tracks, a glossary of double-stops, 13 paradiddles, a ground-breaking new section on rhythmic and pitch permutations, and a full section on pedagogy for improvisation in all styles. There's even a fun section called 'Fiddle Horror Stories' supplied by fiddlers from around the world, a Playing Healthy section, and quotes from a myriad of key players in the field. Quotes from amazing fiddlers! The Contemporary Violinist also includes inspiring advice from Jean-Luc Ponty, Buddy Spicher, Mary Ann Harbar, Matt Glaser, James Kelly, Martin Hayes, Bruce Molsky, Jay Ungar, Mark Wood, Betsy Hill, Joe Kennedy, Jr., John Hartford, Randy Sabien, Claude Williams, Richard Greene, Stacy Phillips, Darol Anger, Michael Doucet, Leif Alpsj Yale Strom, Alicia Svigals, Willie Royal, Donna Hebert, Natalie MacMaster, and Papa John Creach! Features a preface by Turtle Island String Quartet. String teachers: You can use this book as a series of sixteen lesson plans and/or utilize the front material as practice warm-ups with your students.