In the early seventeenth century, enthusiasm for the violin swept across Europe-this was an instrument capable of bewitching virtuosity, with the power to express emotions in a way only before achieved with the human voice. With this new guide to the Baroque violin, and its close cousin, the Baroque viola, distinguished performer and pedagogue Walter Reiter puts this power into the hands of today's players. Through fifty lessons based on the Reiter's own highly-renowned course at The Royal Conservatory of the Hague, The Baroque Violin & Viola, Volume I provides a comprehensive exploration of the period's rich and varied repertoire. Volume I covers the basics of choosing a violin, techniques to produce an ideal sound, and sonatas by Vivaldi and Corelli. Practical exercises are integrated into each lesson, and accompanied by rich video demonstrations on the book's companion website. Brought to life by Reiter's deep insight into key repertoire based on a lifetime of playing and teaching, The Baroque Violin & Viola, Volume I: A Fifty-Lesson Course will enhance performances of professional and amateur musicians alike.

In Violin Secrets: 101 Performance Strategies for the Advanced Violinist, author and violinist Jo Nardolillo surveys the cutting edge of current violin technique, combining tradition and innovation in one volume. Blending traditional strategies that have produced generations of legendary performers with modern ideas, Nardolillo reveals the secrets of today's most sought-after master teachers, garnered through her decade of study at top conservatories across the nation. With more than a quarter century of experience teaching at the advanced level, she has refined and distilled these essential concepts into clear, concise, step-by-step instructions, complete with original illustrations and helpful tips. Violin Secrets is an indispensable resource for any and all serious violinists. The first chapter tackles the toughest challenge on the wish list of every established professional, dedicated student, and passionate amateur: understanding why immaculate intonation is so difficult (and exploring ways to achieve it). Further chapters address the advanced techniques of fingerboard mapping, mastering spiccato, controlling vibrato, playing into the curve, small-hand technique, and navigating comfortably in high positions. An extensive section on practice strategies blends concepts from learning theory, sports psychology, and Zen, and the chapter on artistry offers insight on creating expressive phrases, connecting with the audience, and developing a unique artistic voice. Violin Secrets examines overcoming performance anxiety, choosing the right music editions, being a strong section player in an orchestra, leading productive chamber music rehearsals, and winning auditions. Violin Secrets is beautifully illustrated with original drawings by T. M. Larsen, musical examples from the standard literature, and a violinist's family tree that traces these secrets back through to the founding fathers of violin technique. The Music Secrets for the Advanced Musician series is designed for instrumentalists, singers, conductors, composers, and other instructors and professionals seeking a quick set of pointers to improve their work as performers and producers of music. Easy to use and intended for the advanced musician, contributions to Music Secrets fill a niche for those who have moved beyond what beginners and intermediate practitioners need.

Harps and harp music have enjoyed a renaissance over the past century and today can be heard in a broad array of musical contexts. Guide to the Contemporary Harp is a comprehensive resource that examines the vibrant present-day landscape of the harp. The authors explore the instrument from all angles, beginning with organology; moving through composition, notation, and playing techniques; and concluding with the contemporary repertoire for the harp. The rapid diversification in these areas of harp performance is the result of both technological innovations in harp making, which have produced the electric harp and MIDI harp, and innovative composers and players. These new instruments and techniques have broadened the concept of what is possible and what constitutes harp music for today. Guide to the Contemporary Harp is an essential guide for any harpist looking to push the instrument and its music to new heights.

Notation in Johannes Brahms's sonata scores tells violinists and pianists far more than merely what pitches to play and how long to play them-if read carefully, these scores reveal an immense amount of expression, both of musical and human essences. Joel Lester's Brahms's Violin Sonatas magnifies key passages from these scores, revealing in clear and accessible language how the composer built his themes and musical narratives and how, ultimately, Brahms's music came to sound Brahmsian. Through close readings and annotated musical examples, Brahms's Violin Sonatas guides practitioners to read scores with care and to develop their own informed interpretation of the pieces, eschewing the notion of a single "correct" interpretation of the historical score. By exploring not only the sonatas' musical elements, but also their relationship to important events in the composer's life, Lester shows how subtle components can communicate the gestures, moods, personalities, and emotions that make Brahms's music so compelling. A companion volume to the author's award-winning 1999 study Bach's Works for Solo Violin: Style, Structure, and Performance (OUP), Brahms's Violin Sonatas is a clear and practical guide to understanding and performing Brahms's music in the present.

An addition to the Cello Time series for young cellists, this book provides cello accompaniments to all of the pieces in Cello Time Cello Time Sprinters. The duet part is suitable for a teacher or more advanced student, and this duet book will enhance lessons by providing an alternative accompaniment option for these popular pieces.

Violin Jazz on a Winter's Night is a Christmas album of stylish, swinging arrangements for violin and piano. Favourite Christmas carols and songs are given the complete jazz treatment, with rhythm, embellishment, grooves, and solos all carefully notated. The expertise of the arranger, a celebrated jazz musician and composer, guarantees an authentic jazz sound, and a range of styles from Nat King Cole to John Coltrane. While paying homage to American Christmas jazz, the collection also reflects a European tradition, in such time-honoured classics as 'In the bleak mid-winter'.

This fun and innovative collection introduces cellists to a range of pop and rock styles. Building on the trail-blazing approach to cello playing that he developed in Ten American Cello Etudes and Ten International Cello Encores, Aaron Minsky presents the intermediate student with attractive new pieces that explore a number of technical and musical challenges.

How did a small, humble folk instrument become an American icon? How did the guitar come to represent freedom, the open road, protest and rebellion, the blues, youth, lost love, and sexuality? In this intensely personal memoir and informative history, National Public Radio commentator and essayist Tim Brookes recounts his quest to build the perfect guitar. Pairing up with a master artisan from the Green Mountains of Vermont, Brookes sees how a rare piece of cherry wood is hued, dovetailed, and worked on with saws, rasps, and files. As his prized instrument takes shape, Brookes also narrates the long and winding history of the guitar in the United States. Arriving with conquistadors and the colonists, the guitar has found itself in an extraordinary variety of hands: miners and society ladies, lumberjacks and presidents' wives. In time, the guitar became America's vehicle of self-expression, its modern soundtrack. "Guitar" is a rare glimpse of one man's search for music. It is sure to resonate with musicians and non-musicians alike.

These witty, instrument-specific stickers in packs of 6 sheets are great fun and a useful tool for teachers.

These witty, instrument-specific stickers in packs of 6 sheets are great fun and a useful tool for teachers.

These witty, instrument-specific stickers in packs of 6 sheets are great fun and a useful tool for teachers.

Authorized by du Pre's husband, Daniel Barenboim, this is the fullest account yet of the life of the brilliant cellist, struck down in her prime by multiple sclerosis. Charting her career from her early identification with the sound of the cello, through her debut at sixteen to the achievement of international stardom by her early twenties, Elizabeth Wilson examines the origins and nature of Jackie's prodigious talent - having talked to nearly everyone in musical circles who knew her well - and assesses her lasting importance as an interpreter. She describes her transformation from coltish girl to woman, and her marriage to the brilliant Daniel Barenboim, concluding with a sensitive account of du Pre's decline, when, no longer able to play, she struggled bravely against the ravages of her illness, until her death in 1987.

The Sheku Kanneh-Mason Cello Collection combines the artist's renowned performance repertoire with his own inspirational compositions, all as performed by Sheku himself. Suitable for the intermediate cellist and beyond, this dynamic volume is sure to spark a desire to perform. With commentary from Sheku revealing the stories behind the pieces and his own expert advice, this collection is a must-have for all aspiring cellists.

Cello Globetrotters brings together toe-tapping original tunes in styles from around the world - from Arabic to Chinese and from klezmer to the Argentinian tango - for the budding cellist. This unique book presents a kaleidoscope of musical traditions, with supporting background information and backing tracks that capture each sound-world. To help with technique and interpretation, every piece includes tailored warm-ups and stylistic tips from the author. With options for cello or piano accompaniment, and an inspirational CD, Cello Globetrotters is the ultimate resource for aspiring cellists looking to go travellin'...

This is an exceptional collection of ten original etudes by Aaron Minsky. First published to international acclaim as Ten American Cello Etudes, these captivating pieces are now available to violinists in this adaptation by editors Daryl Silberman and Danny Seidenberg. For intermediate to advanced players, these dynamic and lively etudes are equally suited to performance and study.

for solo harp and strings Suite Lyrique is a work in six movements for harp and strings, with music taken from the composer's Suite Antique of 1979 for flute, harpsichord, and strings. The six movements - Prelude, Ostinato, Aria, (Jazz) Waltz, Chanson, and Rondeau - explore different moods and exploit the harp's sound world and capabilities to the full to create a highly attractive and joyful concert work. The harp part and full score are available on sale and string parts and scores available on hire.

Violin and piano reduction of Walton's Violin Concerto, based on the edition published in the Walton Edition Violin and Cello Concertos volume. Commissioned by Jascha Heifetz, the work was completed in 1939 and premiered by Heifetz later that year. Walton revised the concerto in 1943 and it is this version which is presented in the current edition. Orchestral material is available on hire.

In this collection you'll find fun and accessible piano accompaniments for the 32 well-known Christmas carols and pieces featured in the Fiddle Time and Viola Time Christmas melody books. Accompaniments are labelled with the relevant instruments and the differences between violin and viola melodies are indicated throughout. Essential for teachers and musical parents, this book will help motivate all young violin and viola players as they learn to play.