Warm-ups for the Violist is an adaptation of Warm-ups for the Violinist. It is targeted to help build, strengthen and develop the muscles and techniques needed for viola playing. It is especially suited and created for the more casual violist who is sincerely interested in getting maximum benefit from a minimum of effort.I first tested these scales and exercises on myself for six months, faithfully using them for about 20 minutes as warm-ups to my daily practice. I was rewarded with a definite improvement in my technique. I was actually surprised to see my dexterity grow as I charted my metronomic progress on a calendar. I remember thinking, I will never be able to play faster than this. But then a couple of weeks later I would indeed climb a notch higher!Through the years I have used these exercises in countless workshops and with private students. the letters of thanks and positive feedback from students who were thrilled with improved violin and fiddle technique have brought me great satisfaction. Progress with these exercises is like the progress of a body builder. Body builders do not get up in the morning and think, I am going to develop and build my muscles today, and instantly look like Mr. Atlas. It takes weeks, months and for some, years, to attain results. It must be done over a period of time. Like all diets and exercise programs, determination and dedication are most important to success!I sincerely believe that these exercises, when faithfully practiced, will help violists improve their skills. the exercises will help develop and strengthen muscles used for finger dexterity, clarity of notes, tone, bowing-arm control, intonation, double stops, and a flexible bowing-arm wrist.A companion audio play-along recording is available online.

Aerobics & Warm–Ups for Fiddlers & Violinists is not for the sophisticated violinist with years of classical training. It has been created especially for the more casual player who is sincerely interested in getting maximum benefit from a minimum of effort. Aerobics & Warm–Ups for Fiddlers & Violinists helps to fill this need for technical studies applicable to both the worlds of classical violin and fiddling. I first tested these scales and exercises on myself for six months, faithfully using them for about 20 minutes as warm–ups to my daily practice. I was rewarded with a definite improvement in my technique. I was actually surprised to see my dexterity grow as I charted my metronomic progress on a calendar. I remember thinking, I will never be able to play faster than this. But then a couple of weeks later I would indeed climb a notch higher!Through the years I have used these exercises in countless fiddle workshops and with private students. the letters of thanks and positive feedback from students who were thrilled with improved fiddle technique have brought me great satisfaction. I sincerely believe that these exercises, when faithfully practiced, will help violinists improve their playing skills. the exercises will help develop and strengthen muscles used for finger dexterity, clarity of notes, tone, bowing–arm control, intonation, double stops and a flexible bowing arm wrist.Companion free Audio Tracks available online.

This book presents the most widely played fiddle tunes in easy-to-read arrangements for viola. The viola edition features the same tunes in the same keys as the author’s original The Fiddlin’ Workshop and The Fiddlin' Workshop for Cello, so all three instruments could conceivably jam together. Designed for beginning through intermediate players, the arrangements progress in difficulty with each tune. A few tunes are presented in both easier and more challenging versions. In addition to helpful hints on fingerings and bowing, this collection contains suggested guitar accompaniment chords and a bit of fiddlin’ history and related folklore. Includes access to an excellent online audio recording of the book’s tunes and variations.

For more than a century, violinists have played jazz, swing, blues and similar improvisational styles. With its rich tone, considerable range, and bowed rhythms and phrasing, the violin offers a unique opportunity for a creative and personal statement as a musician. This book presents a broad sampling of the styles of major jazz violinists, from blues to bebop, from jug band to jazzgrass, from big-band swing to Texas swing. Tunes represent the styles of Stéphane Grappelli, Joe Venuti, Stuff Smith, Eddie South, Mark O'Connor, Benny Thomasson, Jean-Luc Ponty, and Darol Anger. Helpful jazz theory sections with exercises alternate with tunes that show how the theory works in practice. This book has two objectives; first, to present a broad, roughly chronological sampling of major jazz violinists and the styles associated with them, and secondly, to introduce the basics of jazz theory as applied to the violin. Whether consciously or intuitively, through critical listening or by practicing jazz patterns and exercises, the more knowledge of jazz you acquire, the better you will be able to think about the content of your playing without being bound by technical and theoretical aspects. This anthology was written to help provide that foundation. Interspersed with pragmatic jazz theory lessons, you’ll find 28 original tunes in the style of various jazz violin luminaries. The book ends with an extensive discography of recommended jazz recordings with a violin focus. Mandolinists as well as other instrumentalists will find a wealth of useful information in this outstanding collection. Delightful broadcast-quality recordings of the repertoire are available online. Includes access to online audio. Wirtten for intermediate to advanced violinists.

Approaching forty, unemployed but well-off, talented but unknown, functional but depressed, former musical actress Cecilia Morrison is in a serious slump. Although she once won leading roles, Cecilia now can't bring herself to audition for parts. She finally—reluctantly— seeks therapy, hoping it will make a difference . . . but in the end a runaway teenager who cons her out of sixty bucks, not therapy, is what changes her life. Whether at the apex of one’s success or just starting out, Warming Up speaks to anyone who’s ever wondered what it’s all about—or who finds themselves doing something they never thought they’d do. Warming Up was a short list finalist for the 2011 William Faulkner -William Wisdom Prize for the Novel. Ten percent of the author’s proceeds are donated to The Night Ministry, which provides temporary housing, transitional living, and parenting services to Chicago’s homeless youth.

From the early days of minstrelsy to Black Broadway, this book is the story of African American entertainment as seen through the eyes of some of its most famous as well as others of its practitioners. The book moves from the beginning of African American participation in show business up through the present age. Will Marion Cook and Billy McClain are discovered in action at the very dawn of black parity in the entertainment field; six chapters later, the young Sammy Davis, Jr., breaks through the invisible ceiling that has kept those before him "in their place." In between, the likes of Valaida Snow, Nora Holt, Billy Strayhorn, Hazel Scott, Dinah Washington, and others are found making contributions to the fight against racism both in and out of "the business."

Includes music.

Vegetable Gardening Made Easy is filled with over 80 quick and oh-so-useful tips for growing a successful organic food garden.