Carl Flesch "Cliff Notes" - Simply Violin - Violin Scales & Arpeggios in One, Two, and Three Octaves

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Many of us who have taught from the violin scale book by Carl Flesch have wished for a "Cliff Notes" version -- one that includes the familiar fingerings but without all the extra material, such as octaves, tenths, and parallel thirds. Of course, these have their place. But most students could benefit from a more simple (and portable) version.

Most violin scale books other than Flesch are lacking in several areas. First, they do not use the Flesch fingerings, which are widely considered to be standard in America as well as abroad. Most also lack arpeggios. Finally, they are often hard to read and/or densely spaced on the page. For these reasons, many (if not most) advanced students continue to study from the Flesch book, even though they may never use the majority of its pages.

I have also wished that a "progressive" book would come available -- one that included scales in one and two octaves rather than just three octaves. Even better would be a book including arpeggios with fingerings that are consistent not only within octaves, but between them as well.

Simply Violin: Violin Scales and Arpeggios in One, Two, and Octaves (based on Flesch) solves many of these problems. This book employs consistent fingerings. Plus, the notes are well spaced and there is ample room for the teacher to change fingerings if desired.

The two octave scales in this book are particularly nice for students who are auditioning for an intermediate youth orchestra. Further, all of them use the same fingering pattern, which allows the student to memorize them easily.

In this new book, I believe that I have found a viable alternative to Flesch that I can recommend in my shop to violin teachers who are looking for a more user-friendly version of Flesch. And, the book contains scales in one and two octaves, allowing for students of any level to begin scales and progress to Flesch fingerings in a logical and progressive way.

Glenn Letsch's Bass Master Class - Book Review

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This book - a follow up of sorts to Bass Lessons With The Greats (which I've also reviewed) is written by Glenn Letsch. It features short 'master classes' with bass players Mike Chapman, Larry Graham, Jaco Pastorius, Rocco Prestia and upright bass player (and no relation:) Ben Wolfe. For those of you on your journey learning how to play bass here's a more detailed review of each of the masterclasses in this book.

Let's look at the individual lessons:

Lesson With Jaco Pastorius

This lesson is hosted by Glenn Letsch - and is a transcription of Jaco's solo on a tune called All American Alien Boy by The Ian Hunter Band. The transcription is also accompanied by a detailed analysis, and some of the historical background of how the tune came to be recorded. If Jaco is someone you study, this lesson will be right up your bass playing street.

Lesson With Larry Graham

Larry Graham is the father of slap bass - so it's no surprise that this lesson focuses on slap bass. There are some examples of Larry Graham bass lines including It Ain't No Fun, I Believe In You (two different sections), If You Want Me To Stay, Got To Go Through It, Dance To The Music, and a 'power ballad' example with a flanger, an octave divider example, Thank You, Pow, Can You Handle That, Higher, a 'train groove, and Release Yourself.

This lesson is aimed at intermediate and advanced players - there are some serious grooves to cop in this lesson.

Lesson With Ben Wolfe

Ben Wolfe is an upright bass player - and his lesson looks at some ways of developing walking bass lines. He starts off with 'playing in 2' in both scalar and triadic fashion and then proceeds to chromatic approaches. Then he moves to a more traditional 4 beats to the bar walking approach and discusses some ways of expanding your walking

Lesson With Mike Chapman

Mike Chapman is a Nashville Session Master - and his lesson talks about the bass requirements for players in the Nashville scene. This ranges from an explanation of the Nashville style 'Number Chart' to comprehensive set of examples of specific playing situations ranging from country waltzes to western swing to zydeco to 8th notes and more. All the examples can be heard on the accompanying CD.

Lesson With Rocco Prestia

This is a finger style funk lesson. The lesson looks at specific Rocco riffs and patterns, notably Believe It, Miss Trouble, Mr Toad's Wild Ride, Squib Cakes, This Time It's Real, Get Your Feet Back On The Ground, You're Still A Young Man, Down To The Nightclub and Credit. All these examples can be heard on the accompanying CD.

Summary

Like Glenn's other book - Bass Lessons With The Greats - this book is also out of print. Although it is not as good as Bass Lessons With The Greats it still has lots of useful information in. My recommendation is that you set up alerts at Internet sites and when a second hand version comes up for sale that you grab a copy. You won't regret it.

If you want more bass related info, head over to my how to play bass website where you'll find video lessons, articles, reviews and much more. There's also a monthly ezine you can sign up for - in return for signing up you'll get a PDF file with 5 cool bass lines in - and each month's ezine features a bass line in music notation and bass tab. http://www.how-to-play-bass.com/

Van Morrison - Master Extraordinaire

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One certainly does not need to embellish or imagine when presented with the task of writing about Van Morrison. He is legendary and yet he is very real. I suppose that is the essence of Van Morrison, born George Ivan Morrison, on August 31st, 1945. He is at once both mystical and real. His music is today and always has been his soul's extension riding on a raw and fundamental talent such as is rarely seen in this world. His list of credentials and certifications is simply daunting. Van Morrison has amassed a collection of music that is without rival in all of recorded history. He has accomplished things in the musical world that have never been done before. His legacy is to have influenced all succeeding generations of musicians and songwriters of all genres, today and for many years to come. Van Morrison has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1993) and the Song Writers Hall of Fame (2007). Rolling Stone magazine placed him twenty-fourth in 100 of the greatest singers of all time in the November 2008 list.

Mr. Ivan Morrison is the master of the poetic phrase full of esoteric allusions. Although some may think that these are meant for the few, the whole world may differ. He has added to his list of accomplishment, blues and R&B. His accomplishments also include pop music, jazz, rock, folk, country, gospel, Irish folk and traditional, big band, new age and classic. I told you it was daunting.

Curiously enough, Van Morrison has worked with another legendary master of the esoteric vintage- Roger Waters. Morrison played "Pink" a character in the 1990 release of "The Wall" that was produced by Roger and his long time friend Ken O'Neill. True to form, Rogers and Morrison create an epic event. Roger Waters lead a star studded cast in a colossal performance of his acclaimed concept. The Wall was produced in support of The War Memorial Fund for Disaster Relief. The setting is Berlin, Germany, less than a year after the destruction of the hated Berlin Wall. This is an excellent example of the kind of work that he submerges himself into. Highly original and influencing ideas which developed future events are his hallmark.

Herb likes to read about music topics. Please check out his website that contains tattoo removal prices information as well as tattoo removal balm information.