May 1, 2018

Spring Updates – Some Big News

Greetings again, intrepid readers.  It’s been entirely too long since I posted anything here, and for that I apologize.  Spring is normally a very busy season for us freelance musician types, and this year was even more packed for me.  I have some preliminary plans in place for some new and exciting content which will…

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violinguy

July 19, 2017

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

June 7, 2017

Myths of Classical Music Debunked (Mostly)

For those of us who make our living performing classical music, loving it is a no-brainer.  Explaining it to the uninitiated is another matter completely.  It has become increasingly more difficult for the general population to take the plunge and listen to classical music.  Personally, I think it’s because of one or more of the…

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violinguy

February 15, 2017

How to Learn Your Music Without Your Instrument

Surely one can’t actually learn music without practicing it on the instrument in a practice room.  Well, that is only partly true.  Yes, you have to have your instrument and you have to practice with it to learn music, but there are so many things that can be done with only your sheet music and…

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violinguy

November 30, 2016

5 Pieces for Holiday Gigs String Players Should Know

Ah, the holidays.  Christmastime is here again (cue Vince Guaraldi).  This is when many string players make a nice chunk o’ change.  In order to be successful, you need to know the standard repertoire of holiday performances, and below are the 5 you should definitely know and know well.  I’ll also include some “honorable mentions”…

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violinguy

November 10, 2016

Arranging Music for Any Ensemble

With the advent of music editing software like Sibelius or Finale, I have had a renewed interest in composing over the last 10-15 years.  Composing is more of a hobby for me, but arranging music has become more than that.  I have started making serious money by arranging different music for different ensembles and now…

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violinguy

September 12, 2016

Advice for Youth and Student Auditions

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post giving advice to professional violinists doing orchestral auditions.  Well, now it’s time to get the kids involved.  Student auditions happen many times during a child’s violin education.  There are auditions for school orchestra seating, all-region orchestras (in the US), all-state orchestras (again, US), and other various…

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violinguy

September 3, 2016

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

June 11, 2016

How Does That Make You Feel? – Emotion in Music

Emotion in music is a huge topic.  Music makes people feel all kinds of emotions, and not the same for everyone.  People are always asking, “What’s the most depressing piece of music?” or “What is the happiest symphony?”  These feelings are going to be different depending on who you are.  Below, I’m going to give…

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violinguy

June 8, 2016

Dos and Don’ts of Playing Gigs

Gigs come in many different forms; weddings, symphony work, corporate functions, pit orchestras, and many more.  Below are six tips that every musician should follow so he or she will not only be successful, but get hired again.  For purposes of this article, I will assume you are a freelance musician and not a tenured…

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violinguy

May 10, 2016

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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violinguy