Driven by a passion for music, for excellence, and for fame, violin soloists are immersed from early childhood in high-pressure competitions, regular public appearances, and arduous daily practice. An in-depth study of nearly one hundred such children, Producing Excellence illuminates the process these young violinists undergo to become elite international soloists. A musician and a parent of a young violinist, sociologist Izabela Wagner offers an inside look at how her young subjects set out on the long road to becoming a soloist. The remarkable research she conducted - at rehearsals, lessons, and in other educational settings - enabled her to gain deep insight into what distinguishes these talented prodigies and their training. She notes, for instance, the importance of a family culture steeped in the values of the musical world. Indeed, more than half of these students come from a family of professional musicians and were raised in an atmosphere marked by the importance of instrumental practice, the vitality of music as a vocation, and especially the veneration of famous artists. Wagner also highlights the highly structured, rigorous training system of identifying, nurturing, and rewarding talent, even as she underscores the social, economic, and cultural factors that make success in this system possible. Offering an intimate portrait of the students, their parents, and their instructors, Producing Excellence sheds new light on the development of exceptional musical talent, as well as draw much larger conclusions as to ""producing prodigy"" in other competition-prone areas, such as sports, sciences, the professions, and other arts. Wagner's insights make this book valuable for academics interested in the study of occupations, and her clear, lively writing is perfect for general readers curious about the ins and outs of training to be a violin soloist.

This book shall provide you with the basis and the knowledge to build your own electric guitar. It has been created for beginners and for advanced practitioners, focusing on the essential. To build a guitar on your own, you should enjoy working with wood, sawing, sanding, refining, soldering, assembling and adjusting your masterwork.

Canada’s Prince Edward Island is home to one of the oldest and most vibrant fiddling traditions in North America. First established by Scottish immigrants in the late eighteenth century, it incorporated the influence of a later wave of Irish immigrants as well as the unique rhythmic sensibilities of the Acadian French, the Island’s first European inhabitants. In Couldn’t Have a Wedding without the Fiddler, renowned musician and folklorist Ken Perlman combines oral history, ethnography, and musical insight to present a captivating portrait of Prince Edward Island fiddling and its longstanding importance to community life. Couldn’t Have a Wedding without the Fiddler draws heavily on interviews conducted with 150 fiddlers and other “Islanders”—including singers, dancers, music instructors, community leaders, and event organizers—whose memories span decades. The book thus colorfully brings to life a time not so very long ago when virtually any occasion—a wedding, harvest, house warming, holiday, or the need to raise money for local institutions such as schools and churchs—was sufficient excuse to hold a dance, with the fiddle player at the center of the celebration. Perlman explores how fiddling skills and traditions were learned and passed down through the generations and how individual fiddlers honed their distinctive playing styles. He also examines the Island’s history and material culture, fiddlers’ values and attitudes, the role of radio and recordings, the fiddlers’ repertoire, fiddling contests, and the ebb and flow of the fiddling tradition, including efforts over the last few decades to keep the music alive in the face of modernization and the passing of “old-timers.” Rounding out the book is a rich array of photographs, musical examples, dance diagrams, and a discography. The inaugural volume in the Charles K. Wolfe American Music Series, Couldn’t Have a Wedding without the Fiddler is, in the words of series editor Ted Olson, “clearly among the more significant studies of a local North American music tradition to be published in recent years.”

This books for children ensemble. Six different songs playable together. These songs are Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Lightly Row, Long Long Ago, Song of the Wind, Ode to Joy and Lullaby. Instruments are two violin, piano and violoncello. Enjoy

Let's face it. The violin is incredibly difficult to play. It is even harder to play fast If you are a speed demon, than you need to know what this book has to tell you...

Jack Batts was a violin maker in Southern Illinois, who, until his death in 1988, made fine quality instruments for members of some major American symphony orchestras. He is believed to have made up to 150 fine violins and 5 violas. He was very generous with his time, and dedicated to his craft. He thus assisted to prepare this work in 1975, but time, and the vagaries of the publishing world did not permit its publication until now. The work tells how this master made the sound of his instruments, not simply "the wooden box" that produces those sounds. It includes copies of his detailed hand made records of about 20 instruments made till the date of research. The author also discusses the context of the man, and of the shop within the history of his region, the southern highlands - coal country - of Southern Illinois.

Mandolin Dead Man's Tuning is back with a new Christmas Edition. This book is over twice the size of the original Mandolin Dead Man's Tuning book, and also in FULL COLOR This book is destined to become a holiday favorite. Learn over 30 Christmas songs, read lots of interesting trivia about the songs and enjoy the bright holiday photographs. Like the original, this book includes both sheet music and tabs that allow anyone from beginner to advanced player to get something enjoyable out of this book. Included are beginning, intermediate and advanced arrangements for solo and duet mandolins, or if you're a violinist or fiddle player, DDAD tuning will also work for your instrument as well Also included are guitar or piano chords for many of the songs so you can play along with other musicians. And just like the original, there are many chords and picking advice included. And one final thing that every Christmas book needs, a discussion on modes is included to help you better understand some of the more obscure songs. Merry Christmas from Mandolin Dead Man's Tuning and Willy Minnix