The Classics – Gateways to Even Better Music
One of the criticisms I hear a lot regarding classical music is, there is only so much Mozart, Beethoven, or Tchaikovsky out there. While that is true, most novice classical music lovers are usually unaware of the awesome depth of fine music from any one composer. Mozart has 41 symphonies to choose from. Brahms wrote…
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violinguy
Rock and Pop Ripped from Classical Music
I have always said that without church music there would be no secular music (baroque, classical, etc.), and without classical music, there would be no rock or pop music. There are so many great rock and pop artists who write great melodies. Some pop artists are excellent composers in their own right. Paul McCartney wrote…
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violinguy
Final Four – Tournament of Classical Music
Well, here we are. I’ve been out of town performing and that’s made me a little negligent when it comes to writing for my blog. I’m going to fix that with a bunch of posts this week before I go out of town again. Today, we’re going to get our tournament down to the final…
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violinguy
Another Tournament Update – Bach and Mozart
The other two brackets have completed their games so it’s time to get the results. If you missed the other results, you can see them here. Will there be any big upsets like the Stravinsky bracket provided? Will Mozart and Bach have the same drama as the other brackets? Let’s find out. Bach Bracket –…
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violinguy
The Tournament of Classical Music – Overview
I’ve been wanting to do something like this for many years. The Tournament of Classical Music. The NCAA basketball tournament is one of my favorite 3 weeks in sports and it’s coming soon. Sixty-four teams (not including the play-in games) compete for the national championship. There is a bracket which works its way down to…
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violinguy
How to Stay Healthy and Keep Playing
As the summer wound down this year, I had a really hard time staying healthy. I had the stomach flu at the beginning of August, followed by a cold later that month. Then came the stomach flu again (this time without the fever and chills) in September. Had I been more busy, I would have…
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violinguy
Audition Advice for Orchestral Violin Players
I have (update: had – it was cancelled, sigh) an orchestral audition coming up in a few weeks so I thought I would share some of the audition advice I have learned over my many years of playing the violin. I have scoured the interwebs for audition advice and have found some great stuff. There…
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violinguy
Five Activities You’ll Be Good At If You Play the Violin
Learning to master the violin is hard, however the tools you use in learning the violin are very helpful in many other activities. When you play the violin, you are gaining dexterity in your muscles. When you play violin in a group, you are listening and blending in. Learning music helps your brain develop memory. …
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violinguy
The Care and Feeding of your Violin Teacher
Choosing a violin teacher is an important process in finding the perfect match for your abilities. A good teacher will work with what you have, not engage in a futile attempt to get you to do something uncomfortable. A good teacher will be patient most of the time, but tough when called for. Finally, a…
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violinguy
The Wonderful World of Viola
As I have already stated, I play viola in addition to violin. This year, I purchased my first good viola to use for gigs and teaching, and this last weekend, I performed with it for the first time. For years I have been a violinist who can’t resist telling a good viola joke (What’s the…
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