Learn to play the fiddle? Easy.

Tackling a new instrument can be intimidating, but with this easy-to-use guide, you'll have no trouble at all From selecting, tuning, and caring for your fiddle to mastering various music styles, "Fiddle For Dummies" walks you step-by-step through everything you need to start playing the fiddle like a pro. You'll discover how to hold a fiddle, master fundamental techniques, and take your skills to the next level. This title also features companion audio tracks and instructional video clips hosted online at Dummies.com to help further enhance your skills.

The fiddle is a popular instrument across many continents, and is a favorite for many because it is small and portable. Playing the fiddle can expose you to a range of musical styles from all over the world, such as Irish, Scottish, Celtic/Cape Breton, country, folk, bluegrass, and more. Plus, if you're already a violin player, you'll impress yourself and fellow musicians as you unlock your instrument to open up a whole new world of sounds.Learn fiddle techniques and fundamentalsSelect, tune, and care for your fiddleJoin the folk instrument movement and master the fiddlePlay fiddle music from all over the world

Whether you're a complete beginner or a violin player looking to branch out and try something new, "Fiddle For Dummies" will have you fit as a fiddle in no time.

Mozart's Clarinet Concerto is of supreme importance as his last instrumental work. Yet there are a number of special problems surrounding the piece, since the autograph is lost and the unique instrument for which it was written has not survived. This book presents a wealth of background information, an analysis of the Concerto, discussion of performance practice and details of surviving relevant instruments.

Mozart's Clarinet Concerto is of supreme importance as his last instrumental work. Yet there are a number of special problems surrounding the piece, since the autograph is lost and the unique instrument for which it was written has not survived. This book presents a wealth of background information, an analysis of the Concerto, discussion of performance practice and details of surviving relevant instruments.

Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra has proven to be one of the most popularly successful concert works of the twentieth century. It is seen by its champions as an example of Bartók's seamless blend of Eastern European folk music and Western art music, and by its detractors as indicative of the composer's artistic compromise. This book contains a discussion of the historical and musical contexts of the piece, its early performance history and critical reception. It also includes the first complete movement-by-movement synopsis of the Concerto, as well as detailed technical information about the work.

Vivaldi's celebrated Four Seasons are among the most popular works of all time and these, with the rest of the concertos in Op. 8, represent the composer's remarkable innovation in the field of the Baroque concerto. This detailed guide examines the work's origin and construction in a way that enables the reader to distinguish what is extraordinary about the Seasons, at the same time providing an ideal introduction to Vivaldi's music in general.

Vivaldi's celebrated Four Seasons are among the most popular works of all time and these, with the rest of the concertos in Op. 8, represent the composer's remarkable innovation in the field of the Baroque concerto. This detailed guide examines the work's origin and construction in a way that enables the reader to distinguish what is extraordinary about the Seasons, at the same time providing an ideal introduction to Vivaldi's music in general.

Best of Paco De Lucia contains guitar transcriptions by David Leiva, allowing guitarists of all levels to enjoy the genius of one of the world's greatest flamenco guitarist.

Improve your sight-reading! Piano Grade 5 (Intermediate) 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.

Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony is in many ways his most startlingly original. It has a programmatic content, it is in five movements, and its mood is quite different from the usual barnstorming image of the composer. Why did he want to compose such a work? Why did it take him five years to realize his vision? What was he hoping to communicate? How did he achieve it? Finally, how was the work received? David Wyn Jones addresses all these vital questions in a fascinating account of this popular work and the context in which it was written.

Improvisation was a crucial aspect of musical life in Europe from the late eighteenth century through to the middle of the nineteenth, representing a central moment in both public occasions and the private lives of many artists. Composers dedicated themselves to this practice at length while formulating the musical ideas later found at the core of their published works; improvisation was thus closely linked to composition itself. The full extent of this relation can be inferred from both private documents and reviews of concerts featuring improvisations, while these texts also inform us that composers quite often performed in public as both improvisers and interpreters of pieces written by themselves or others. Improvisations presented in concert were distinguished by a remarkable degree of structural organisation and complexity, demonstrating performers' consolidated abilities in composition as well as their familiarity with the rules for improvising outlined by theoreticians.

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.

This book is the first comprehensive guide to Holst's orchestral suite The Planets. It considers the music in detail and places the work in its historical context, describing the circumstances of its composition and its meteoric rise to popular acclaim. Starting with Holst's particular interest in astrology, Greene reveals a profound statement of human character and Holst's own psychological journey toward the mystical state. Using parallels in the verbal and visual arts, Greene weaves here a fascinating tale of musical communication.

La Mer stands at the center of Debussy's achievement. Described by the composer as "a seascape without figures," it is arguably the greatest and most original French symphony. In this study, La Mer is considered in the context of Debussy's personal and musical development. Detailed discussion of performance styles draw on current recordings, and two analytical chapters trace the growth of ideas through the work. Studies of rhythm, motif and tonality show how Debussy generates "narratives" across the three movements.

This is a pocket sized collection of Bob Marley hits presented in chord songbook format. It includes lyrics and guitar chords.

Berlioz's "dramatic symphony" Roméo et Juliette is regarded by many as his finest work; it is certainly among the most original. This book summarizes the complex genesis of the work before examining the music closely and always with a view to understanding its dramatic implications. Julian Rushton quotes and discusses the early and later critical reception and concludes by suggesting a way of hearing the work that recognizes the value of its mixed genre. The complete libretto is provided in both English and French.

This book explores the emerging area of microtonality through an examination of the tuning theories of Erv Wilson. It is the first publication to offer a broad discussion of this influential theorist whose innovations have far-reaching ramifications for microtonal tuning systems. This study addresses the breadth and complexity of Wilson's work by focusing on his microtonal keyboard designs as a means to investigate his tuning concepts and their practical applications. Narushima examines materials ranging from historical and experimental tunings to instrument design, as well as musical applications of mathematical theories and multidimensional geometry. The volume provides an analysis of some of Wilson's most significant theoretical ideas, including the Scale Tree, Moments of Symmetry, Constant Structures, and Combination-Product Sets. These theories offer ways to conceptualize musical scales as patterns with structural integrity and whose shapes can be altered to produce infinitely varying forms. The book shows how these structural properties can be used to map scales onto a microtonal keyboard by providing step-by-step guidelines and clearly illustrated examples. Most importantly, it brings together theoretical and practical methods of tuning to enable composers, performers, and instrument designers to explore previously uncharted areas of microtonality, making a significant contribution to the fields of music theory, composition and music technology.

A bare-bones, beginner's approach to music theory as applied to the guitar. Discusses half and whole-tones, enharmonics, scales as played across the strings or up the neck, the four types of triads, inversions, chord voicings, arpeggios, diminished 7th chords, intervals, and chord progressions. Contains blank chord grids and neck diagrams for student annotations. This is a book to be read and studied rather than played.