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New to violin
Hey folks, I picked up a violin a couple months ago and I was wondering if there are any gypsy jazz specific resources for beginning violin players. All I've seen on this forum is a post from Michael from 9 years ago and I was hoping there might be something new since then 
Outside of resources, does anyone have any advice about how I should go about studying the violin? All the great gypsy players seem to have learned by ear. Should I just start trying to learn solos? That seems like it would be painfully slow-going since I'm new to the instrument. Any suggestions are welcome.
Thanks!
Outside of resources, does anyone have any advice about how I should go about studying the violin? All the great gypsy players seem to have learned by ear. Should I just start trying to learn solos? That seems like it would be painfully slow-going since I'm new to the instrument. Any suggestions are welcome.
Thanks!
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Also I know Tim gives lessons, and of course there is the Grappelli camp.
I am sure there is some great material from other great violinists, but unfortunately I dont know it.
I worked very hard at it for about 12 years and was OK, I played a few gigs as a violinist and doubled Guitar /Violin on most of my musical work.
So I guess I'm qualified to reply.
I have a background in music. I came to fiddle late, I was 45. I got the best fiddle I could afford set up by the best guy I could find at that moment , found a teacher who found me a bow and studied for several years. I practiced 3-5 hours a day .
I would suggest you get an instructor of the highest level who will accept you as a student. Learn how to hold the fiddle and bow and do whatever they tell you to do.
Don't worry about "style" yet. Just learn fiddle. While your learning how not to suck, you can be listening to all your favorite music and attempt to find that on your fiddle by ear, but your primary goal should be to learn fiddle. If you get the right teacher you should be OK.
I found Julie Lyon Leiberman who was teaching in NYC at the time. She was cool and fun and very helpful. Then I had a guy in Jersey, Zoran Yokovcich. A good guy, but he didn't know any Roma music. Too bad for you Zoran ! Then I got Matty Braun from the New York Phil. to torture me for a few years.
I could play a few legitimate things and a bunch of Yiddish music and Jazz. It was OK not great but OK, Oh and I could improvise, because thats what I do.
If you really want it you can probably find a way to do it !
Get a teacher. Learn fiddle. Get an iPod , listen to music. Once you put the two together you should be OK.
Also don't go full bow all the time. Its easy to injure your bow arm. You want playing to be a pleasure not excruciating. So take it easy at first.
Teachers love young students. They adapt very quickly if they have talent . Older students are a bit more set in their ways. Guitar players have a challenge as they are used to hitting the guitar with the pick or fingers. Theres not a whole lot of hitting going on with fiddle , so be prepared to retrain those muscles.
Good Luck !
(Thinking that people who play Roma music are self-taught is a mistake. They may not go to a school for music or pay a teacher but they are not self taught , they are taught by their family and friends . Especially in the last 60 years , people go to schools, get taught , learn things , know theory. Go to conservatories. Especially in Russia. So this whole idiot savant thing has got to go ! ) Sorry for the mini rant.
Every possible scenario of learning and living is represented in every group.
http://www.djangobooks.com/Category/swing_violin_books
We also have Tim Kliphuis' DVDs:
http://www.djangobooks.com/Item/tim-kliphuis-dvd-set
which you can play mostly in first position. GJ requires a nice vibrato and a
real knowledge of the fingerboard . The violin is very challenging, but very
rewarding also. Good luck.
If you are having trouble improvising, Martin Norgaard's book is good, but you'd be better to work through Grappelli Licks first, as Martin's book requires a bit more doing and focus(I've put it aside for now, YMMV).
As to positions, you will mostly need 3rd and 5th, and rarely 2nd pos. Look at Suzuki Book 4 for some help, or Essentials Book 3.
There's some useful information to be found on FiddleHangout forums, but it's mostly geared to Old-Timey style.
I'm still searching for the ideal jazz strings, but just now I'm still using Thomastik's Precisions mediums. I find the steel-core strings seem to work better with mics and pickups, again YMMV.
Hope this helps!
Also re-read Al's post and caught the bit about the "idiot-savant" thing, totally agree. True idiot-savants are pretty rare, and these young folks who start at age 6 are going to easily out-do us old guys who started at 25 (or older). It is to sigh, and keep fiddling.
Al, I'm curious as to why you quit playing violin. I'm starting at 40 - the tone I read from your post implies that violin was too hard and you have to start young to be really good. I've heard that sentiment before.
I haven't stopped. Still play. I did stop for about 2 years . That was due to an injury sustained in a car crash to my right shoulder. I had damaged it but kept playing for a year with the injury. The pain became unbearable. So I finally had to put it down.
Kept playing guitar as that was no problem.
It is difficult or impossible to attain the highest level of proficiency starting late on fiddle.
Some things will never be right. Some passages I have been told will never be correctly intonated unless mastered by the age of 12. Certain segments of Mozart concertos . The purity will be unattainable. That was the case for me and in fact its an axiom that seems to hold true. I was told that although I had the necessary talent and determination , it was a bit late in the day to hope for complete success in that arena. I don't resent that. In fact my body finally gave up before my mind did. Same thing happens to many professionals. Yahudi Menuhin's bow arm failed him in his early 50's and he never really fully recovered his earlier abilities. Things happen. Maxim Vengerov has also sustained a shoulder injury that has sidelined him, he now coaches and conducts.
If your trying to play pop and country and jazz for your own pleasure its all fine. Enjoy your self, but be aware that people with a sophisticated ear will know that there is something amiss.
I'm sure there have been exceptions to every rule and this fact does not imply that an older learner is talentless , only that the body and muscles will not allow the player to adapt to the needs of the task.
Its best to be objective about such things to avoid raising unattainable expectations.
When I was beginning friends of mine who were professional violinists warned me of the pitfalls,which I was happy ignore for the first several years.
Finally most folks will hit the wall and simply ignore it.
Play for pleasure and you'll have no problems, but if you hope to compete with professionals temper your enthusiasm or be prepared to face disappointment .