The name "mandolin" was used to refer to two quite different instruments: the gut-stringed mandolino, played with the fingers, and the later metal-stringed Neapolitan mandoline, which was played with a plectrum. This is the first book devoted exclusively to these two early instruments about which information in reference books is scant and often erroneous. The authors uncover their rich and varied musical history, examining contemporary playing techniques and revealing the full extent of the instruments' individual repertories, which include works by Vivaldi, Sammartini, Stamitz, and Beethoven. The book's ultimate aim is to help today's players to produce artistically satisfying performances through an understanding of the nature and historical playing style of these unjustly neglected instruments.

The book is intended to help new and veteran band directors develop an orchestra in their school. It outlines step by step what needs to be done before the teacher meets students, preparing for the first rehearsal and first performance, developing syllabi, handbooks and lesson plans as well as maintaining and growing a viable string program. There is a chapter devoted to using technology in the orchestra classroom to keep students academically and creatively challenged.

(Bass Instruction). A walking bass line is the most common approach to jazz bass playing, but it is also used in rock music, blues, rockabilly, R&B, gospel, Latin, country and many other types of music. The term 'walking' is used to describe the moving feeling that quarter notes create in the bass part. The specific goal of this book is to familiarize players with the techniques used to build walking bass lines and to make them aware of how the process works. Through the use of 90-minutes' worth of recorded rhythm tracks, players will have the opportunity to put the new learning directly into action. This book literally gives bassists the tools they need to build their own walking bass lines.

With the folk-rock movement in full swing, the acoustic guitar hasn't been as much in the spotlight since the Sixties. Artists such as Turin Brakes, David Gray, Damien Rice, Starsailor, Travis and Coldplay have put the acoustic guitar centre stage again. This guide begins by tracing the origins of the instrument through the millennia, from 19th century troubadours, to the unplugged movement of the 90s and beyond. It then takes us on a detailed tour of the players, techniques and kit that has defined the genre over the years. Complemented with a demonstration CD.

Teaching Strings in Today's Classroom: A Guide for Group Instruction assists music education students, in-service teachers, and performers to realize their goals of becoming effective string educators. It introduces readers to the school orchestra environment, presents the foundational concepts needed to teach strings, and provides opportunities for the reader to apply this information. The author describes how becoming an effective string teacher requires three things of equal importance: content knowledge, performance skills, and opportunities to apply the content knowledge and performance skills in a teaching situation. In two parts, the text addresses the unique context that is teaching strings, a practice with its own objectives and related teaching strategies. Part I (Foundations of Teaching and Learning String Instruments) first presents an overview of the string teaching environment, encouraging the reader to consider how context impacts teaching, followed by practical discussions of instrument sizing and position, chapters on the development of each hand, and instruction for best practices concerning tone production, articulation, and bowing guidelines. Part II (Understanding Fingerings) provides clear guidance for understanding basic finger patterns, positions, and the creation of logical fingerings. String fingerings are abstract and thus difficult to negotiate without years of playing experience-these chapters (and their corresponding interactive online tutorials) distill the content knowledge required to understand string fingerings in a way that non-string players can understand and use. Teaching Strings in Today's Classroom contains pedagogical information, performance activities, and an online virtual teaching environment with twelve interactive tutorials, three for each of the four string instruments. ACCOMPANYING VIDEOS CAN BE ACCESSED VIA THE AUTHOR'S WEBSITE: www.teachingstrings.online

for violin duet Fiddle Time Duets is an exciting and attractive collection for violinists of all ages by the award-winning educational composers Kathy and David Blackwell. With repertoire ranging from imaginative original compositions to arrangements of classical and folk music, there is something for everyone in this varied selection. The duets carefully progress from pieces suitable for established beginners through to repertoire ideal for students at approximately Grade 4 and beyond. In addition, there are six mini duet warm-ups exploring different techniques and skills. Some duets have parts of equal difficulty, while others have an easier part and a harder part, making the book ideal for students at different levels to play together. With lively concert repertoire and fun sight-reading material, this excellent resource will develop players' ensemble skills as well as providing much to enjoy!

Improve your sight-reading! Violin Grade 5 is part of the best-selling series by Paul Harris, guaranteed to improve your sight-reading! This workbook helps the player overcome problems by building up a complete picture of each piece, through rhythmic and melodic exercises related to specific technical issues, then by studying prepared pieces with associated questions, and finally by 'going solo' with a series of meticulously graded sight-reading pieces. This edition now includes supporting audio available online for students to check their performances against. The Improve your sight-reading! series will help you improve your reading ability, and with numerous practice tests included, will ensure sight-reading success in graded exams.

*A RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK* 'Utterly enthralling - a beautifully-written voyage of discovery that takes us deep into the heart of music-making' Deborah Moggach From the moment she hears Lev's violin for the first time, Helena Attlee is captivated. She is told that it is an Italian instrument, named after its former Russian owner. Eager to discover all she can about its ancestry and the stories contained within its delicate wooden body, she sets out for Cremona, birthplace of the Italian violin. This is the beginning of a beguiling journey whose end she could never have anticipated. Making its way from dusty workshops, through Alpine forests, cool Venetian churches, glittering Florentine courts, and far-flung Russian flea markets, Lev's Violin takes us from the heart of Italian culture to its very furthest reaches. Its story of luthiers and scientists, princes and orphans, musicians, composers, travellers and raconteurs swells to a poignant meditation on the power of objects, stories and music to shape individual lives and to craft entire cultures.

This new edition contains all the scales and arpeggios required for ABRSM's Grades 1-5 Viola exams. Contains all scales and arpeggios for the revised syllabus from 2012, with bowing patterns and suggested fingering, and a helpful introduction including advice on preparing for the exam.

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 Student's book contains the solo violin parts, along with colourful illustrations, activities and a playalong CD. The Accompaniment book, available separately, includes piano and violin accompaniments for every piece. 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 volume contains valuable practice material for candidates preparing for ABRSM Viola exams, Grades 1-5. Includes many specimen tests for the revised sight-reading requirements from 2012, written in attractive and approachable styles and representative of the technical level expected in the exam.

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.

80 Graded Studies for Violin Book 2 is a must-have resource for teachers and students. Studies are an established part of every instrumentalist's training. They place technical problems in musical contexts, and can be invaluable aids for development. 80 Graded Studies for Violin brings together, in two books, a broad selection of repertoire in a variety of styles, including well-established technical studies, folk, jazz and contemporary works plus some original compositions. The studies in Book 2 are arranged in order of increasing difficulty, according to a carefully planned technical progression from Grades 6-8.

Construction methods, woods, varnishes, known instruments, types of instruments, life, special features. 93 illustrations, plus 4 color plates.

These books of studies provide invaluable practice material for the building of technique. The three sets of Elementary Progressive Studies, each of which contain 24 studies, comprehensively explore violin playing in the various positions indicated and a note at the head of each study shows further the technical skill to be developed. All of the books contain a good variety of finger technique, keys and bow strokes, and helpful fingerings and bowings are given.

collection for cello and piano, with audio tracks online Solo Time for Cello is a two-volume series of concert pieces for the intermediate to advanced cellist. Featuring arrangements and original pieces by the composers of the award-winning Cello Time series, these graded collections provide a diverse range of repertoire from the Baroque to the modern age and introduce players to exciting new arrangements of amongst others, Amy Beach, Florence Price, Teresa Carreno, and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

Superstart Cello, part of the Superstart series is a break-through for beginner cellists up to Grade 1 level, full of exciting music and fun activities from the very first lesson to inspire and stimulate pupils and teachers. Mary Cohen is one of Britain's leading string teachers and this new edition is a distillation of her many years of teaching and research - a core method now in one book. Complete Cello technique is introduced from the start, providing a solid foundation and taking the player up to grade one level. Carefully structured, each unit covers a clear technical point through expertly written pieces, providing the student with a true musical experience at each tiny step. Mary takes an imaginative child-orientated approach throughout, encouraging interaction and the exploration of new sound worlds through a superb variety of music. The accompanying CD provides all the piano accompaniments, with unique cue entries to help beginners get started. A separate accompaniments book for cello is also available. For extra flexibility, most of the pieces in Superstart Violin, Superstart Viola and Superstart Cello book are compatible, making this a great resource for individual or group teaching.

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.

Viola Time Joggers is a landmark book in the popular Viola Time series, which is enjoyed by students and teachers all over the world. It contains Kathy and David Blackwell's trademark attractive and engaging compositions that appeal to learners of all ages. This book contains viola accompaniments for the tunes in Viola Time Joggers. These fun, characterful duet parts are suitable for a teacher or more advanced student, and will enhance lessons by providing an alternative accompaniment option for these popular pieces.

collection for cello and piano, with audio tracks online Solo Time for Cello is a two-volume series of concert pieces for the intermediate to advanced cellist. Featuring arrangements and original pieces by the composers of the award-winning Cello Time series, these graded collections provide a diverse range of repertoire from the Baroque to the modern age and introduce players to exciting new arrangements of amongst others, Amy Beach, Florence Price, Teresa Carreno, and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.