Chamber Music – The Best Way to Play
There are three basic categories of classical music that performers can choose from – orchestral music, solo music, and chamber music. Obviously within those categories are infinite sub-categories and genres, but when we perform, we do so in one of those three ways. I have loved chamber music since the tender young age of 13…
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violinguy
Strong Habits for Young Violin Students
A great many blog posts and ebooks have mimicked the great book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Too many really. I’m not going to copy that other than to say that below are some habits that will make young violin students more successful and therefore happier. I began playing the violin at age…
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violinguy
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
5 Things to Remember Now That Summer Is Here
Summer is here (at least in Georgia where I live) and that means school is out, kids run wild, and the weather is nasty. High temperatures mean sunburn and dehydration while you’re in the pool or at the beach. You need to be aware of the ways hot weather and sun can hurt you. You…
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violinguy
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
Parents and Violin Lessons – How to Help
No matter what method is being taught to a child, the parents still play a key role in that child’s success. As a teacher, I teach Suzuki method with my youngest and beginning students. I stress the parents’ role from the beginning. One or both parents must be involved in a child’s musical development from…
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violinguy
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
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
5 Music Collections Every Advanced Student Needs
As a violin student goes from cute-for-playing-for-neighbors-and-relatives to serious advanced student, the music he or she needs increases. Below, I give you the five absolutely essential sheet music collections that every serious violin student needs. There are no elite violinists in the world that haven’t studied these works or learned these etudes. If you want…
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violinguy
Five Things All Gigging Musicians Need
Greetings intrepid readers. You may have noticed (or not, which is more likely) that I haven’t written any articles lately. There are a few reasons for that, and today I’m going to focus on the main reason – lots of gigs and no time to write. I’ve also been sick (see my last post on…
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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
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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