June 19, 2017

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

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

January 11, 2017

The 5 Most Terrifying Violin Passages in Orchestral Music

Next month I am performing a terrific but horrifically difficult symphony, Shostakovitch’s 10th.  This symphony has arguably the most terrifying four minutes in all of the standard repertoire.  Often, these scary passages appear on audition lists, but sometimes they take you by surprise.  You won’t know them until you come across them in your music. …

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violinguy