No comments about David Cerone Performs Suzuki Violin School (Volume 1).

No comments about The Lark Ascending: Romance for Violin & Orchestra: Full Score.

1 comments about Antonio Vivaldi - The Four Seasons, Complete: for Violin and Piano Reduction.

1. This is exactly what I was looking for - violin and piano score with seperate violin liftout score. Good price too!

3 comments about Masterpieces of Italian Violin Making (1620-1850).

1. Violin picture books are usually incredibly expensive. Not only is this one disproportionately inexpensive (for a violin book, which category uses a whole different $$ scale than most people use--$500 books are common) but it's beautifully done, with great photos, and a wide spectrum of important violins from important makers. This one is near the top of my list.



2. This is one of the best violin books that I've seen. It offers beautiful photos and useful (and concise) information. The book features the works of a variety of Italian violin makers. The best part about this book is the price. Most violin books with this quality of photos will run over $500.



3. but any quality violin books of note will be, especially since they are printed in such limited quantity.
   
   Being a lover of the violin art form and the music, and not so much of a player, this book was highly recommended to me by Brian Newman of www.strad.com. I have been buying a few violins, I am learning to play, and may also view it as an investment. As an expert in the makes, makers, and periods of stringed instruments, Brian recommended that I study this book along with a few others to get a true idea and to develope and "eye" for the Italian look and style. Superbly photographed and reproduced, this is a must have for any lover of the violin music or art form.
   
   With countless fakes and worthless copies out there, I have gained a little more insight as to what to look for and what to "look out" for in regards to authenticity.
   
   I'm sure I'll never own an authentic strad or Maggini, but there some wonderful Italian, both early and modern, makers out there worth pursuing.
   
   And being that we are planning another trip to Italy, my wife and I now have a few more places to add to our agenda...Cremona is near the top.

4 comments about Lord of the Rings Instrumental Solos Violin Book: With Piano Accompaniment & CD.

1. This is a great book for the serious player. I would reccomend it for the player who has been playing the saxophone for minimum 2-3 years. It includes some great songs such as Minas Tirith and Into the West! Overall, its an excellent book!



2. Personally, I have really enjoyed this piano book. The pieces are meant to be accompaniments for instruments such as trumpet or clarinet, but they contain enough of the melody that they can be enjoyed on their own. "Concerning Hobbits" has to be the highlight of this collection. I have been playing piano for four years and am concidered intermediate to late intermediate, and this is exactly my level. If you are not that advanced, you can pick through the melody line written above the music. There are some very neat pictures in this book too. I would reccomend this selection very highly. (I would have given it 4.5 stars, but you can't give half stars.)



3. The best I ever played !! Very easy to play and original the film !!!!



4. This is a wonderful score book for violin with piano accompaniment. Inside there is a removable section with just the violin sheet music and it comes with a cd with a demo and back-up music to play along with. I truly recommend this for anyone who plays violin. I enjoy the Lord of the Rings, but I also feel that the music is beautiful on its own.

No comments about Marley Z and the Bloodstained Violin.

No comments about Mel Bay presents Getting Into Gypsy Jazz Violin.

5 comments about Useful Measurements for Violin Makers: A Reference For Shop Use.

1. This little book is worth its weight in gold. It contains every measurement necessary for the correct setting up of instruments. It is an indispensable tool in my workshop. Definitely well worth the money.



2. This is a great book if you work on stringed instruments, from serious repairs to fixing up eBay finds. Even includes measurements for fractional sizes, so you can set up those tiny violins for all the Suzuki students.



3. Somehow, when I was an apprentice, I didn't pay nearly enough attention to standard setup. For years, I've done penitence for my folly by painstakingly collecting measurements from any authoritative source I could find. With some skepticism, I bought this booklet to enhance my collection. On balance, I'm glad I did.

   Strobel's data jibes quite well with what's taught at the Mittenwald school, and what I've learned from personal observation and such sources as Sacconi, Moeckel, the Hill books, and many VSA presentations. It's nice to have it all in one place and the author is free of any odd theories and strikes a sound, reasonable tone throughout. Measurements (in mm) are often given as ranges reflecting accepted practice, rather than a single number, as it should be.

   Now the caveats: For a shop reference, this book is shockingly disorganized. The whole thing has a hobbyhorsiscal do-it-yourself quality, more like a chat with the author and a couple of handouts than a book. You really have to dig to find its nuggets of wisdom, which consist, primarily, of two detailed tables of standard measurements for violin, viola, and cello, and two detailed scale drawings of violin and cello setup. You will also find full-size bridge-curve templates, a reasonable discussion of bridge, bass bar, and sound post fitting, and some hints on eliminating cello wolf tones.

   This material, if collected together, would occupy about nine pages. The rest of the book's 47 folios are filled with what I can only describe as junk, including egregious clip art, cartoons, portraits of Paganini, lists of maker's measuring tools (steel tape!), a table of the frequencies of standard pitches, a 200-word French-German-Italian-English dictionary of luthier's terms, a weak bibliography, and some exceedingly thin information about various historical instruments. Why did the author give us a full page of Ingres' often-reproduced Paganini portrait while cramming both of his valuable setup diagrams into a miserable half page?

   Overall, you can't go wrong for the price, and you might just need to know in a pinch, say, the saddle height for a cello (12.5 mm). But I hope that the author, who seems to have at least eight books to his credit, would consider hiring an editor for his next venture.




4. This manuscript is very well written. I found that it contained a considerable amount of usefull data. I have purchased three of Mr Strobel's books and there is some overlap of data but they all contain information that helps clarify the secrets of the art of violin construction. Highly Recommended for aspiring Luthers.
   
   Larry Kistler GV - AZ



5. Does provide useful measurements, but was not really useful to me in the work I was doing. It has precise but narrow application and is for a person who produces violins- who already has/understands all other information regarding violin making. So, it is aptly titled, but I had hoped it would have a little more general information. I did not expect a comprehensive how-to, but would have liked a little more information on how the measurements are determined, drawn up, etc. I am more responsive to things presented visually rather than only numerically. My rating of it is based more on my expectation and experience of it than on its ultimate value as a source.

2 comments about Jazz Violin.

1. This book would a fantastic way to understanding how six great jazz violinists improvise - if only there was easy access to the recordings. Even when I have found cds available that have the same title as refered to for the transcriptions, they don't always have the track that has been transcribed. What this really needs is to be packaged with a cd recording of all the tracks transcribed in the book. If anyone can suggest an easy way of getting hold of all these tracks please do so. Perhaps Amazon could even compile a list of where to find these specific tracks on cd? Any one wanting a more tuitional guide that you can start using strait away, see Jazz Fiddle Wizzard.



2. I love this book! The interviews are insightful, and Matt Glaser's transcription of the jazz pieces are nothing short of amazing. I have to concur with the other reviewer who said that it would be very helpful to have recordings. I have managed to find a few of them on iTunes, but it's difficult since this book was published in 1981 and a lot of the recordings used are now out of print. Maybe Mr. Glaser can release a new one with different songs on it...I can always hope. This book feels like a great gift...unlocking a mystery. I love the motifs that he included as well...Stephane Grappelli's most used licks. That is SO helpful!

2 comments about Easy Baroque Duets for Violin.

1. This book is wonderful! The easier songs are at the front of the book and seem to get harder as you progress through. My friend and I get together to play duets every week, and we both think this book is fabulous!



2. My two Suzuki students (books 3 and 4), ages 7 and 10, can play many of these duets together. The pieces are very pretty and enjoyable to play.