The Contemporary Banjo Player is a unique new tutor from world-renowned banjo player John Dowling. It covers not only the basics of Bluegrass banjo, but also teaches you how to expand and develop your playing and diversify into other musical styles. * Suitable for players of every level. * Packed with Photos, techniques, exercises and full songs to learn. * Covers all the basics from rolls to hammer ons, slides, percussive playing, finger picking guitar style, and so much more! * Downloadable online audio featuring demonstration tracks to aide progression. "John Dowling is one of my favourite banjo players and now he's written a wonderful new book, The Contemporary Banjo Player. It has something for everyone. If you're just starting out, he tells you how to position your hands and shows you basic rolls (finger patterns) so you can be playing music almost immediately. For the intermediate players, he gives tips on improvising, as well as lessons in melodic and single string playing. The advanced picker can graze on fingerpicking guitar style, bass line with melody and Banjo Percussion....plus much more. These pages are a treasure trove of techniques tunes and tips, all delivered to you by one of the most creative banjoists to ever put picks to a string. No home should be without this tremendous tome!" Tony Trischka (world-renowed banjo player known as the father of modern bluegrass).

In A Notebook for Viola Players, Ivo-Jan van der Werff offers a guide to playing the viola with the greatest freedom, dexterity, and ease. It includes right and left hand exercises to build a sound technique, sections on how to practice them, how to hold the viola and bow, how to think about good posture, how to create a good sound, how to play with the least amount of tension, how to deal with anxiety, and thoughts on wellness and practice techniques. Alongside these are photographs and a companion website of video demonstrations of the exercises played by the author, as if in a lesson. Interspersed throughout the book are lively and illuminating anecdotes of van der Werff's own experiences as a student and as a professional musician, as well as a number of blank pages and staff paper for the student to literally 'make notes' and write down their own ideas, offering a space for creative expression using the skills they learn in reading and playing along with the text. Bringing together decades of teaching and performance experience from one of the most respected figures in viola pedagogy, A Notebook for Viola Players is a master class in viola ideal for any player hoping to perfect the fundamental areas of their practice.

This is a performing edition of Walton's String Quartet in A minor, based on the edition published in the Walton Edition Chamber Music volume. The work was first performed in 1947 and later revised as the Sonata for String Orchestra.

Suitable for any keyboard owner, this book demonstrates the use of the keys and their musical notation; proper hand, wrist and finger positioning; as well as basic scales, chords, and songs. Includes a "How-To" CD.

This survey of the string quartet by ten chamber music specialists focuses on four main areas: social and musical background to the genre's development; celebrated ensembles and their significance; and string quartet playing. It reviews aspects of contemporary and historical practice, including "mixed ensembles." Informative appendixes and a full chronology of the mainstream repertory complete this compact guide.

A monumental accomplishment from the age of Enlightenment, the string quartets of Joseph Haydn hold a central place not only in the composer's oeuvre, but also in our modern conception of form, style, and expression in the instrumental music of his day. Here, renowned music historians Floyd and Margaret Grave present a fresh perspective on a comprehensive survey of the works. This thorough and unique analysis offers new insights into the creation of the quartets, the wealth of musical customs and conventions on which they draw, the scope of their innovations, and their significance as reflections of Haydn's artistic personality. Each set of quartets is characterized in terms of its particular mix of structural conventions and novelties, stylistic allusions, and its special points of connection with other opus groups in the series. Throughout the book, the authors draw attention to the boundless supply of compositional strategies by which Haydn appears to be continually rethinking, reevaluating, and refining the quartet's potentials. They also lucidly describe Haydn's famous penchant for wit, humor, and compositional artifice, illuminating the unexpected connections he draws between seemingly unrelated ideas, his irony, and his lightning bolts of surprise and thwarted expectation. Approaching the quartets from a variety of vantage points, the authors correct many prevailing assumptions about convention, innovation, and developing compositional technique in the music of Haydn and his contemporaries.
Going beyond traditional modes of study, The String Quartets of Joseph Haydn blends historical analysis and factual information with critical appraisal in a way that will engage all Haydn enthusiasts.

Featuring thirteen essays covering different traditions, styles, and instruments, this study is written by influential players, teachers and guitar historians. Its coverage allows the guitarist to learn the analogies and differences between traditions and styles. The genres range from baroque, classical, country, blues and rock to flamenco, African and Celtic.

The viola da gamba was a central instrument in European music from the late 15th century well into the late 18th. In this comprehensive study, Bettina Hoffmann offers both an introduction to the instrument -- its construction, technique and history -- for the non-specialist, interweaving this information with a wealth of original archival scholarship that experts will relish. The book begins with a description of the instrument, and here Hoffmann grapples with the complexity of various names applied to this and related instruments. Following two chapters on the instrument's construction and ancestry, the core of the book is given to a historical and geographical survey of the instrument from its origins into the classical period. The book closes with a look at the revival of interest in the 19th and 20th centuries.

340 pages Every chapter of The Violin Lesson is a masterful presentation in which Simon Fischer tackles the obvious and seemingly intractable problems of playing and teaching the violin. Richly illustrated with hundreds of photographs, this book is engaging and candidly narrated. Nobody who is seriously interested in playing, teaching or studying the violin - at any level from professional to amateur, advanced to elementary - can afford not to add The Violin Lesson to their library.

In his typically thorough but straightforward way, he addresses technique, musical artistry and psychology as manageable and interconnected units, often illuminating the problems from new and unexpected angles and transforming even the most intimidating matters into inviting subjects with clear solutions. In Background Essentials, Fischer covers seldom-discussed essential elements of musicianship, technique and how to practice. The chapter on Avoiding Aches and Pains offers understanding of the causes of injuries, as well as new and effective remedies and prevention practices.

This book contains nine pieces from ABRSM's Grade 3 Violin syllabus for 2020-2023, three pieces chosen from each of Lists A, B and C. The pieces have been carefully selected to offer an attractive and varied range of styles, creating a collection that provides an excellent source of repertoire to suit every performer. The book also contains helpful footnotes and, for those preparing for exams, useful syllabus information. Inspiring recordings of the nine pieces featured in this book, plus piano accompaniment tracks, are available. These can be purchased as part of the Violin Exam Pieces with CD package or as audio downloads (see https://shop.abrsm.org/audiodownloads for more details).

Double Bass Solo Techniques combines the dual function of a technique book and a collection of orchestral excerpts. The techniques are introduced in a logical order, and each is preceded by a short explanatory note, providing technical advice and tips on performance. The repertoire has been carefully selected to showcase the technique in its real musical context, and the pieces cover all major styles and genres. Ideal as preparation for auditions and exams.

Making Master Guitars is a craftsman's handbook about the exciting and challenging pursuit of making classical guitars, a craft that the author reveals to be surprisingly accessible by following his instructions. The book is unique in that it includes nine separate detailed plans of instruments constructed by internationally famous guitar-makers. The author has had the rare opportunity of examining these instruments in detail, and has made many replicas of each one. Superbly illustrated by Adrian Lucas. Part one: The Master Makers and their Guitars is devoted to separate chapters on each famous maker, including Antonio de Torres, Hermann Hauser, Santos Hernandez y Aguado, Ignacio Fleta, Robert Bouchet, Daniel Friederich and Jose Romanillos. The reader will find historical information about the life of and influences on each makers, as well as detailed sets of working drawings for their guitars. Also included are rare photographs of the guitars. Part two: Workshop, Tools and Materials provides essential information about the tools, working environment and material needed by the guitar-maker. Part three: Guitar Construction - The Spanish Method comprises a step-by-step method of guitar construction, illustrated by numerous photographs and drawings. The method of making a guitar is presented with great clarity. So that even the newcomer to this fascinating craft will be able to produce a superb instrument. This book will be essential for the guitar-maker and the historian, providing as it does a unique record of the different methods of guitar design and strutting systems that have evolved since Antonio de Torres first defined the essential characteristics of the modern classical guitar in the 1850s.

In this book, Steve Khan shares his approach to chord construction on guitar, an area in which he has become famous. He has taken a complex subject and broken it down into simple building blocks and small study units. Players will learn to extend their sense of harmony by the superimposition of chord forms which are familiar, as well as a world of new ones. With two CDs full of performed examples, play-along tracks, and five completely new compositions by Steve Khan available only in this package.

(String). This publication combines three books of Violin Technics with the added bonus of the Scale Studies into one affordable volume.

This handbook provides a historical account of the development of the violin, viola and their close relatives as well as a practical guide to playing techniques and principles of interpretation. It aims to help performers to play in a historically appropriate style and to guide listeners toward a clearer understanding of the issues that affected string performance during this series' core period (c.1700-c.1900). Its six detailed case studies, which include Bach and Beethoven, will assist readers in forging well-grounded, period interpretations of major works from the repertory.

(Misc). Starting from basic studies in the physical nature of both the human body and the instrument, author Wolf develops step by step an increasingly complex system of exercises which includes all technical and mental aspects of making music. Topics include bow technique, fingerings, shifting, vibrato, effective practice, intonation and the preparation for performance. Softcover textbook in German and English.

(Music Sales America). Since 1901, Otakar Sevcik's works have formed the basis of many schools of string playing around the world. Thousands of players continue to find Sevcik an invaluable aid to technical development. In practicing Sevcik, as in playing scales, etudes, or pieces there are always four main headings to consider: purity of intonation, evenness of tone, exactness of rhythm and physical freedom and ease. Opus 1 Part 1 focuses on exercises in the first position.

Violin Star is a three-book series offering beginner violinists a refreshing and inspirational choice of pieces to help build confidence and musical skills. The repertoire is imaginatively tailored to develop specific techniques through an exciting range of musical styles. This Accompaniment book includes separate piano and violin accompaniments for every piece featured in the Student's book (available separately). The Student's book contains the solo violin parts, along with colourful illustrations, activities and a playalong CD. Key features of the series include: an approachable progression from beginner level to Grade 2; playalong CDs with each Student's book, which contain specially created instrumental arrangements to convey style and mood; and original compositions and arrangements by Edward Huws Jones.

This new edition contains all the scales and arpeggios required for ABRSM's Grade 7 Violin exam. Includes all Grade 7 scales and arpeggios for the revised syllabus from 2012, with bowing patterns and suggested fingering, along with a helpful introduction including advice on preparing for the exam.

This new edition contains all the scales and arpeggios required for ABRSM's Grade 4 Violin exam. Includes all Grade 4 scales and arpeggios for the revised syllabus from 2012, with bowing patterns and suggested fingering, along with a helpful introduction including advice on preparing for the exam.

This new edition contains all the scales and arpeggios required for ABRSM's Grade 5 Violin exam. Includes all Grade 5 scales and arpeggios for the revised syllabus from 2012, with bowing patterns and suggested fingering, along with a helpful introduction including advice on preparing for the exam.