A musician of rare artistry, the self-effacing yet charismatic Yo-Yo Ma connects with his audiences with startling effectiveness. He remains devoted to the classical repertoire yet has long roved far beyond the Western classical music canon. Despite his real superstar status and thriving solo career, he has often sought out musicians outside the classical sphere and collaborated with them on fascinating recordings. Above all, he is committed to the ever-evolving musical odyssey of his Silk Road Ensemble, itself part of a broader Silk Road Project aiming to explore the deep and varied artistic connections between East and West. Ma's legions of admirers seek out his musical genius in his recordings. Here they can become acquainted with the energetic and charming Ma himself and trace the trajectory of his unique and distinguished career.

Strings teaching and learning has tended to emphasize performance rather than the quality of experience for the children. School instruction has become rigid and focused on technical accuracy. Alternative teaching strategies must be pursued in order to provide a challenging yet enjoyable experience of playing and learning the bowed string instruments for students. Applying Flow Theory to Strings Education in P-12 and Community Schools: Emerging Research and Opportunities offers a comprehensive reference for string teachers and learners of the instruments in P-12 and community schools to understand the conceptual framework of flow theory-based strings pedagogy. This book addresses critical issues to facilitate children's musical flow and the elements required to construct the pedagogy. Featuring a range of topics such as alternative assessment, musical pedagogy, and teacher training, this book is essential for music teachers, band directors, instructional designers, academicians, educational professionals, administrators, researchers, and students.

Originally published in 1921, this book was written in an attempt to, 'give the serious teacher and student the practical benefit of the knowledge acquired during a lifetime's playing the violin, including mechanical means and technical procedure as well as the ideas and ideals of art'. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Hesperides Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. Contents Include: How I Studied the Violin - How to Hold the Violin - How to Practise - Tone Production - Hints on Bowing - Left hand Technique - Double Stops The Trill - Ornaments - Harmonics - Nuance, The Soul of Interpretation - Style - The Nerves and Violin Playing - The Violin Repertory of Yesterday and To-Day - Practical Repertory Hints

Position Pieces for Cello is designed to give students a logical and fun way to learn their way around the fingerboard. Each hand position is introduced with exercises called "Target Practice," "Geography Quiz," and "Names and Numbers." Following these exercises are tuneful cello duets which have been specifically composed to require students to play in that hand position. In this way, students gain a thorough knowledge of how to find the hand positions and, once there, which notes are possible to play. Using these pieces (with names like "I Was a Teenage Monster," "The Irish Tenor," and "I've Got the Blues, Baby"), position study on the cello has never been so much fun!

Originally published in 1924, this book is the result of many years' quiet thought and observation in connection with the authors own teaching. It focuses mainly on the essential skills of violin playing, rather than on the peculiarities that all players adopt to suit their own requirements. The book contains broad common-sense views, preferring not to concentrate on any particular "school" or "method." It is also written with some humour and in a very colloquial style. Complete with detailed diagrams and photographic plates. Contents Include: Part 1 - Explanation - Argument - Tone - Advice to Beginners - The Left Side of the Body - The Right Side of the Body, (The Bow Arm) - Left Hand Technique - Finger Action - The Third Position - The Second Position - Higher Positions - Sliding - Fingering - Bowing - Sautille - Ricochet or Elastic Staccato - How to Practise Double Stopping - Extensions - Right Hand Pizzicato - Left hand Pizzicato - Harmonics - The Shake - Tremolo or Vibrato - Sight Reading and Memorising - Controlled Movement and Concentration - How to Become a Musician - Musical Development - Conclusion, "Dont's"

Originally published in 1920, this neat little book is the result of the authors desire to tabulate in a concise form, his own ideas on violin playing, with regard to both the technical and the interpretive aspects of the subject. The authors views are placed before the reader in as clear a manner as possible. This little work should prove valuable to a wide circle of violinists - both amateur and professional. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Hesperides Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. Contents Include: Chamber Music, Choice and Care of Violin Strings and Other Accessories - The Lesson - The Left Hand, Intonation - The Left Hand, Position of the Wrist, Fingers, Thumb, Palm - The Left Hand, Scales, Various Methods of Fingering, Hands with Poor Stretches, Trills - The Bow - Spiccato, Martele, Staccato - Arpeggio, Ricochet, Legato - Expression and Interpretation: Variety of Tone - Vibrato - Phrasing - Rubato, Rhythm and Time Generally

This book combines a performance guide for violinists, an analytical study, an exploration of Bach's style, and an investigation of musical form and continuity. J.S. Bach's three sonatas and three partitas for solo violin have been mainstays of the violin concert repertoire since the mid-nineteenth century; their long performance history, evidenced in recordings as well as in editions, offers an opportunity to study the ways in which notions of Baroque style have evolved. Central to the book is the question what type of analysis is best applied to Bach's music: wherever possible, Lester draws his analytical tools from eighteenth-century techniques, developed for this repertoire.

Originally published in 1930, this little book is not an exposition of the art of violin-playing, nor does it claim to teach a system of technical study. The authors aim was to help students and less experienced teachers through some of the more frequent problems from which they will, almost inevitably, be faced. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Hesperides Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. Contents Include: Posture and the Holding of the Instrument - 'Bow Measurement' - On Bowing Generally - Intonation - Various Difficulties - Playing of Chords and Chord Passages - Shifting and the Portamento - The Playing of Octaves - Double-Stopping - Harmonics - 'Artificial' Harmonics - Vibrato - Tenths and Fingered Octaves - Memorizing, Playing From Melody - Conclusion, Inspiration, A Repertoire Always Ready

Domenico Dragonetti (1763-1846) was the most famous double-bass player in history. He dominated the English musical world for just over half a century. This critical biography explores his extraordinary career as musician, composer, entrepreneur, and pedagogue.

Meeting the existing need for a resource on Spanish violin and viola music, this guide provides the teacher and performer with information on approximately 300 works for violin and viola in solo, with piano, and with orchestra. The annotated entries provide practical information with regard to level of difficulty, musical language, and duration and number of movements. An overview of Spanish music in this century, including a brief examination of violin and viola activity in Spain, places the work in historical context and introduces major names in Spanish musical history. Short biographical sketches on composers complement the historical information presented about Spanish viola and violin music of the 20th century. Each entry contains a list of the composer's compositions and is annotated with information pertaining to the publisher, musical style, and date of the premiere. Musical scholars with interest in Spanish music and viola and violin music will appreciate this informative volume, complete with appendices and index.

The appeal of the banjo has been shown to be timeless and universal---adaptable to almost any form of popular music. It was one of just a few instruments that could be faithfully reproduced in the early days of sound recording, and its recording history dates back to 1889. Heier documents that history on cylinders and 78-rpm disks in the pre-LP era ending in the mid-1950s. The book offers a comprehensive compilation of all such recordings on which the banjo plays a solo role or dominant part. Organized by performer or performing group, the recordings are listed chronologically with location, date, matrix number, and take-digit as available, as well as manufacturer and catalog number. Biographical information on the banjoist is provided wherever possible, and all performers anywhere in the world known to have recorded any type of music on banjo are included even if no data on the actual disks is available. Introduced in a foreword by British discographer Brian Rust, the discography also includes a narrative account of the banjo in phonograph recording history by Lowell Schreyer and an essay on the history of the banjo itself by Robert Lloyd Webb. In addition to the discography proper, the editors have provided a preface, A Quick Look at the Banjo Family, identifying the instruments; an extensive bibliography of sources; an index of all tune titles; and reproductions of 92 recording labels. These elements all combine to make this volume a true discopedia of the banjo.

A practical guide for guitarists searching for new repertoire that includes women composers, this unique work lists musical works by instrumentation followed by biographies of each composer. The format first leads users to available pieces in possible ensembles and then to the biographical section, which introduces them to the composers, many of whom have been completely unknown in the guitar world. Appendixes list addresses for composers and publishers. Indexes cross reference composers with their works. Instrumentation entries include titles, composer names, publisher names, specific instruments, and length and description of the piece for indication of style. In the biographical entries, sources are given to guide the reader to more complete information about the composer. These features, combined with valuable appendixes, indexes, and cross-referencing capabilities from section to section, make this work easy to use.

Originally published in 1911. This book will prove indispensable to the student of the violin.Contents Include: The Left Hand, Strings and Tuning The Right Hand, The Bow and Bowing Faults and their Correction Scales and their Importance A Course of Study Harmonics, Octaves etc Violin Makers The Italian, French, German and English Schools Recollections of The Three Choirs Festivals Smaller Festivals etc.Keywords: Violin Makers Three Choirs Festivals Octaves Harmonics Bowing Recollections French German Faults Scales Strings

Originally published in 1896.Contents Include: Great Violinists of the Italian School Leader of the Royal Violins Cherubini as a Violinist Paganini Violin days of Balfe Charles Auguste de Beriot Souvenier of Sivori Two Josephs of Cremona Violin Recital in Mongolia Valuable Violins The Stradivarius Olaus Bull The Child Violinist The Orchestra and the Singer Secrets of the Cremona Violin Trade Neuilly Violin School The Soul of the Violin The Bridges, Strings and Bow Henri Vieuxtemps.Etc.Keywords: Cremona Violin Paganini Violin Violin Recital Violin School Valuable Violins Violinist Henri Vieuxtemps Italian School Souvenier Violinists Stradivarius Neuilly Cherubini Bridges