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.

The revised edition for Suzuki Violin School, Volume 6 is now available. Like the other revised violin books, the music has been edited by the International Violin Committee. Titles: La Folia (A. Corelli/S. Suzuki) * Sonata No. 3 in F Major, HWV 370 (G. F. Handel) * Allegro (J.-H. Fiocco) * Gavotte (J. Ph. Rameau) * Sonata No. 4 in D Major, HWV 371 (G. F. Handel).
Other features include:
* New engravings in a more easily readable 9 x 12 format
* New editing of pieces, including bowings and fingerings
* Newly edited piano accompaniment
* Available together with the revised part for $19.95
* CD recorded by William Preucil, Concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra
* Piano accompaniments recorded by Linda Perry

The theoretical and musical background to the relationship between the piano and orchestra in Mozart's concertos. The interactive relationship between the piano and the orchestra in Mozart's concertos is an issue central to the appreciation of these great works, but one that has not yet received serious attention, a gap which this new study seeks to remedy by exploring the historical implications and hermeneutic potential of dramatic dialogue. The author shows that invocations of dramatic dialogue are deeply ingrained in late-eighteenth-century writings on instrumental music, and he develops this theme into an original and highly positive view of solo/orchestra relations in Mozart's concertos. He analyses behavioural patterns in the concertos and links them to theoretical discussion oflate-eighteenth-century drama and to analogous relational development in Mozart's operas Idomeneo, Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail, Le nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni. Mozart's piano concertos emerge afresh from this new approach as an extraordinary medium of Enlightenment, as significant in their way as the greatest late-eighteenth-century operatic and theatrical works. SIMON P. KEEFE is James Rossiter Hoyle Chair of Music, University of Sheffield.

In 1720, Antonio Stradivari crafted an exquisite work of art-a cello known as the Piatti. Over the next three centuries of its life, the Piatti cello left its birthplace of Cremona, Italy, and resided in Spain, Ireland, England, Italy, Germany, and the United States. In 1978, the Piatti became the musical soul mate of world-renowned cellist Carlos Prieto, with whom it has given concerts around the world. In this delightful book, Mr. Prieto recounts the adventurous life of his beloved "Cello Prieto," tracing its history through each of its previous owners from Stradivari in 1720 to himself. He then describes his noteworthy experiences of playing the Piatti cello, with which he has premiered some eighty compositions. In this part of their mutual story, Prieto gives a concise summary of his own remarkable career and his relationships with many illustrious personalities, including Igor Stravinsky, Dmitry Shostakovich, Pablo Casals, Mstislav Rostropovich, Yo-Yo Ma, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. A new epilogue, in which he describes recent concert tours in Moscow, Siberia, and China and briefer visits to South Korea, Taiwan, and Venezuela, as well as recent recitals with Yo-Yo Ma, brings the story up to 2009. To make the story of his cello complete, Mr. Prieto also provides a brief history of violin making and a succinct review of cello music from Stradivari to the present. He highlights the work of composers from Latin America, Spain, and Portugal, for whose music he has long been an advocate and principal performer. The print edition of this book includes a CD of fourteen recordings by Carlos Prieto, including works by J. S. Bach, Dmitry Shostakovich, Astor Piazzolla, and Eugenio Toussaint.

The Hal Leonard Ukulele Method is designed for anyone just learning to play ukulele. This comprehensive and easy-to-use beginner's guide by acclaimed performer and uke master Lil' Rev includes many fun songs of different styles to learn and play. Includes: types of ukuleles, tuning, music reading, melody playing, chords, strumming, scales, tremolo, music notation and tablature, a variety of music styles, ukulele history and much more.

Improve your sight-reading! Viola Grades 1-5, by renowned educationalist Paul Harris, is designed to help viola players overcome sight-reading problems, especially in the context of graded exams. Step by step you build up a complete picture of each piece, firstly through rhythmic and melodic exercises related to specific technical issues, then by studying prepared pieces with associated questions, and finally 'going solo' with a series of meticulously graded sight-reading pieces.

Pick and roll your way through bluegrass banjo basics The banjo nearly defines the bluegrass sound, and you'll be playing your own favorite tunes--or maybe writing some new ones--with the help of this book. Bluegrass Banjo For Dummies is the place to start if you're ready to start learning banjo or upgrade your skills to play in the bluegrass style. Written by an expert musician and educator, this book makes it easy to start plucking your 5-string banjo using common bluegrass techniques. You'll also have access to over 100 online audio files, and 35 video lessons, so you can see and hear the techniques in practice. This book serves as your first step to becoming a bluegrass banjo player, even if you're completely new to playing musical instruments. Choose the right banjo, pick up the basics, learn classic banjo licks, and more--the easy way. Learn how to read banjo tablature and perform on a five-string banjo Get insight on playing as part of a bluegrass combo band Practice with classic bluegrass tunes and banjo licks Create banjo solos that will wow your audiences This friendly For Dummies guide is great for fledgling banjo players interested in the bluegrass style. Whether or not you already play another instrument, you'll pick up the banjo basics you can show off at your next local bluegrass festival.

Pedro de Alcantara's The Integrated String Player: Embodied Vibration is a practical guide for all string players: violinists and violists, cellists and bassists, but also gamba players and anyone who makes music drawing a bow across a string. Dozens of exercises, supported by a dedicated website with 80 video clips, cover all the basics of string playing, including left-hand articulation, vibrato, changes of position, double-stopping, sound production, string crossings, and many other techniques. Each exercise, however simple or complex, can become a meditation with the goal of integrating the musical, technical, and metaphysical aspects of a player's practice. Part I is devoted to the fundamentals of coordination, rhythm, and listening in depth. Part II focuses on the left hand, with an emphasis on healthy gestures that are charged with musicality and meaning. Part III covers the bowing arm, exploring innovative concepts such as expressive gesticulation, mechanical intelligence, and the use of the bow as the player's voice, both literally and symbolically. Part IV covers the integration of analytical thought and sensorial practice, providing an extensive study of the harmonic series, the circle of fifths, Tartini tones, and many other sonic aspects that are essential to a string player's musical freedom. In addition, the conversational, linguistic, compositional, and improvisatory dimensions of string playing are discussed and supported by multiple practical exercises. The Integrated String Player is addressed to players of all abilities and from all aesthetic backgrounds: students and professionals, teachers and performers, classically trained musicians and jazz players, chamber-music players and orchestral players.

'All my life my Stradivarius had been waiting for me, as I had been waiting for her . . .' At 7 years old Min Kym was a prodigy, the youngest ever pupil at the Purcell School of Music. At 11 she won her first international prize. She worked with many violins, waiting for the day she would play 'the one'. At 21 she found it: a rare 1696 Stradivarius, perfectly suited to her build and temperament. Her career soared. She recorded the Brahms concerto and a world tour was planned. Then, in a train station cafe, her violin was stolen. In an instant her world collapsed. She descended into a terrifying limbo land, unable to play another note. This is Min's extraordinary story - of a young woman staring into the void, wondering who she was, who she had been. It is a story of isolation and dependence, of love, loss and betrayal, and the intense, almost human bond that a musician has with their instrument. Above all it's a story of hope through a journey back to music. 'The hours fell away as I read this spellbinding tale of love, loss and above all devotion to art' - Susan Cain, author of international bestseller Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

This book contains all the scales and arpeggios required for ABRSM's Oboe exams at Grades 1-5. It features all the new requirements from 2018, arranged in grade order.

This book contains all the scales and arpeggios required for ABRSM's Flute exams at Grades 6-8. It features all the new requirements from 2018, arranged in grade order

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.

Over the years, many examination pieces have captured the imagination of teachers and students, but the stars of past syllabuses are often forgotten. The Best of Grade 5 Violin brings together best-loved grade 5 pieces, including Pleyel's Sonatina in B flat, Faure's Sicilienne and Wedgwood's Survivor. See Jessica talk about a piece from the Grade 5 book here. Containing fresh editions of folk and classical masterpieces alongside contemporary favourites, all pieces have been rigorously researched by violin expert Jessica O'Leary. Online audio of performance and accompaniment tracks is available to download, as are useful practice tips. This book includes pieces from current and past Trinity and ABRSM syllabuses. Jessica O'Leary has a successful career as a teacher, professional violinist, ABRSM examiner and seminar presenter. She has toured and recorded extensively as a member of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and has performed with Madonna, Led Zeppelin, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Opera House. She teaches violin and viola and directs string ensembles at St Paul's Girls' School, Eltham College and Junior Guildhall London.

Titles: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star Variations (Shinichi Suzuki) * French Folk Song (Folk Song) * Lightly Row (Folk Song) * Song of the Wind (Folk Song) * Go Tell Aunt Rhody (Folk Song) * O Come, Little Children (Folk Song) * May Song (Folk Song) * Long, Long Ago (T.H. Bayly) * Allegro (Shinichi Suzuki) * Perpetual Motion (Shinichi Suzuki) * Allegretto (Shinichi Suzuki) * Andantino (Shinichi Suzuki) * Bohemian Folk Song (Folk Song) * Etude (Shinichi Suzuki) * Minuet No. 1, Minuet III from Suite in G Minor for Klavier, BWV 822 (J.S. Bach) * Minuet No. 2, BWV Anh. 116 (J.S. Bach) * Minuet No. 3, Anh. II 114/Anh. II 183 (J.S. Bach) * The Happy Farmer from Album for the Young, Op. 68, No. 10 (R. Schumann) * Gavotte (F.J. Gossec) * Practice Suggestions (Doris Preucil).
This title is available in SmartMusic.