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If you are learning to play classical violin, you are developing the skills and technique necessary to play any style of music! Some of the greatest jazz violinists were classical violinists first like Eddie South, Joe Venuti, and Stephane Grappelli. The same can be said for bluegrass fiddle and even Texas breakdown. Listen to a recording of Richard Greene playing Orange Blossom Special! You might enjoy Youtube recordings of any of these artists. Scottish and Irish fiddle tun

Andrea Amati, a lute maker in the 16 th century, invented the modern form of the violin. Predecessors to the modern violin were the rebec and vielle from medieval times, and the lira da braccio from the Renaissance era. This instrument was popular in northern Italy and similar to the modern violin. All three of these instruments were bowed. Andrea Amati is credited with founding the school of violinmaking in Cremona Italy, the place where Guarneri and Stradivari made violins

Did you know that written music did not always have a five-lined staff? We don’t know for sure when musical notation was invented, but we have records of notation existing from about the ninth century. At first, the notation was simply little marks called neumes placed above the words that were sung. These neumes indicated whether the melody went up or down and how many notes were to be sung per word. Later, a single horizontal line representing one musical pitch was penned i

What was music like a long time ago? We know that instrumental music has been around for thousands of years. In the book of Genesis in the Bible is a record of a man named Jubal being the originator of pipe and lyre playing. The book of Psalms mentions instrumental music numerous times. Archaeologists have found animal bones with finger holes bored into them to make pipes and flutes. There are ancient cave and wall paintings with people playing musical instruments. We have wr

We are in the holiday season, and this provides a great opportunity for instrumentalists to learn pieces that can be used in family settings as well as holiday performances and church programs. Christmas carols range from the very simple such as “The First Noel” in first position in the key of D Major to the more complex such as “Ring Christmas Bells” and “Patapan.” First year players can learn several. In addition to “The First Noel,” “Joy to the World” and “Silent Night” ca

Strings sometimes break, especially the E-string. Sometimes a string will begin to unravel. These scenarios require replacing the string. Here's how to do it: Make sure you have a replacement string. They can be purchase d at local music stores or online. Choose the same type and preferably the same brand of string as the one being replaced. Some strings have loop ends and some have ball ends. Unwind the old string from the peg. Begin to wind the new string onto the peg. Ins

Listen to music that is like the music you are trying to learn. It will keep you inspired. If you can find recordings of the pieces you are working on, listen to them too! It will get the music into your ear, and you will find yourself learning the pieces better because you will know what sounds you are looking for. You will also work harder to make your music sound the way you want it to. This makes it much more fun!

Look at key signature and play the associated scale. Make note of the time signature. If you got instructions from your teacher, say them to yourself. It’s even better to write them down!. Look through the piece and draw brackets around the hard passages that you will spend most of your time practicing. Don’t just keep playing through the piece. At the end of your practice session, play through the piece for fun and to see how your practice has improved your playing of the pi

1. Practice at the same time, or close to it, every day. This gets your mind ready to practice. 2. Decide how long your practice sessions will be and stick to it. 3. Practice in the same place every day if possible. Your mind will be less distracted. 4. Make a checklist of things to practice that day. Then check them off as you do them. 5. Set your cell phone or other alarm to remind you that it is time to practice.