Can a Violin Do That? Swinging in the Holiday

December 9, 2019, 12:26 PM · When my wife "invited" me to make something classical violinists would resonate with, it sounded more like a challenge. So I threw the kitchen sink into this one-minute video. Warning - It's HAPPY. I mean, sort of ridiculously happy...

What you see is the actual performances. No lip syncing. Five actual tracks done live with no edits.

I've tried for 25 years to "explain" the joys of improvisation and contemporary styles, but much is lost in translation. And now things are changing in string education, faster all the time.

My nine-year-old violinist likes 2-set violin. He rarely listens to me. So I won points with him with this. Even my mother-in-law was impressed.
Which all goes to show that, from a marketing standpoint, the audience is all that matters.

We can get trapped in our own heads thinking about the artistic statement we want to make. I've definitely been guilty of this. There may be a way to resonate with our audience and stay true to what we want to say as artists.

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Right now we are gearing up for Creative Strings Workshops that will be offered worldwide, so here is information, if you are interested in
learning to improvise in solo/ensemble settings, and exploring contemporary styles within a fun communal setting. We are offering workshops in: Europe Feb 14-16; NYC Feb 24-25; Toronto May 2-3; Australia/Asia June 1-14; Columbus, Ohio June 28-July 4, Asheville July 7-12. Early registration incentives are up until workshops before December 15th; Click here for more info!

Happy Holidays!

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Replies

Paul Deck

December 10, 2019 at 10:57 PM · I loved it. The late great jazz pianist Michel Petrucciani famously said, "I don't play to people's heads, but to their hearts."

Paul Deck

December 10, 2019 at 11:05 PM · Did you say Asheville??