Serious practice material

**Jonmiller** · Mar-04-2008, 7:25pm

I play through and enjoy the "Fiddler's Fake Book", but would like to find some books that put me through arpeggios and difficult scale patterns to help me build my jamming skills-what do you use?
# #I wonder if a classical violin book would be of value.

**Brandon Flynn** · Mar-17-2008, 8:09pm

Originally Posted by (Jonmiller @ Mar. 04 2008, 19:25)

I play through and enjoy the "Fiddler's Fake Book", but would like to find some books that put me through arpeggios and difficult scale patterns to help me build my jamming skills-what do you use?
# #I wonder if a classical violin book would be of value.

I would think a violin book would be of great value. I have been playing classical music for a year now and it has improved my playing by leaps and bounds. As far as the scale patterns, the FFcP scales and exercises at Jazzmando.com are a great free resource. There is lots of information and exercises on Jazzmando of great use (although it is mostly Jazz related, it still applies to all music). Lots of good information on improvisation. I'm not sure if you're thinking of classical instruction or the music itself, but #here is a link to Bach's cello suites. I started with #1, you may recognize the prelude. That site, icking music archive, has lots of free classical music, especially Bach. Hope this helps.

Brandon

**Mandobar** · Mar-17-2008, 8:21pm

marilyn mair's new book, the complete mandolinist, is the ticket to learning scales, arpeggios, and all else (no chording though)........working in conjunction with some tune materials i have found this resource invaluable.

**JeffD** · Mar-17-2008, 11:12pm

Originally Posted by (Mandobar @ Mar. 17 2008, 21:21)

marilyn mair's new book, the complete mandolinist, is the ticket to learning scales, arpeggios, and all else

I second that. In the short time that I have worked with it I have had many ahaa moments.

**Ken Olmstead** · Mar-18-2008, 12:09am

Originally Posted by (oflynny @ Mar. 17 2008, 17:09)

here[/URL] is a link to Bach's cello suites.

Wow, thanks for linking THIS!!!

**Brady Smith** · Mar-18-2008, 12:49am

Originally Posted by (Jonmiller @ Mar. 04 2008, 19:25)

to help me build my jamming skills-what do you use?
I wonder if a classical violin book would be of value.

hmmmm...is classical jamming possible?

**Brandon Flynn** · Mar-18-2008, 7:00am

Originally Posted by (tenorbanjoguy @ Mar. 18 2008, 01:09)

Originally Posted by (oflynny @ Mar. 17 2008, 17:09)

here[/URL] is a link to Bach's cello suites.

Wow, thanks for linking THIS!!! #

That website also has all the sonatas and partitas for solo violin. Here is the link for those. This is why I like the internet, I would have had to purchase a collection of these works, but now I just print the selections I want for free!

**mandocrucian** · Mar-18-2008, 8:29am

Here's a list of some of the materials I've worked with over the years. Scales, arepeggios, doublestops, etudes etc.... All in standard notation, no tablature, but if you are really "serious" that's probably not an issue.

Classical violin materials: (they've had 300 years to get their instructional approach together and these are among the time tested standards.)

Sevcik: School of Violin Technics, parts I-IV
#I: Exercises in the First Position
#II: Exercises in the Second to Seventh Positions
#III: Shifting (Changing the Positions)
#IV: Exercises in Double-stops

(etudes, in increasing difficulty)

Kayser: Elementary and Progressive Studies for the violin

Hofmann: Double-stop Studies for the Violin

Rovelli: 23 Caprices for the Violin

Kreutzer: 42 Studies or Caprices

Jazz

Coker/Casale/Campbell/Greene: Patterns for Jazz

Niles Hokkanen

**Sean Greer** · Mar-18-2008, 8:47am

As a new player (3 months or so), I've been looking for the best path to learn the mandolin. Roland White's book was helpful and I worked through the first third or so. I have Marilynn's book, but the fact that I don't read music is a bit of a non-starter. So, I'm now working with "Standard Notation for the Tab-Addicted Mandolinist". My current approach is to stick to what my instructor (Sid Lewis) tells me and use his book, "Survival Fiddle Tunes, Mandolin Fake-Book".

There's just so much material out there that I've found it necessary to put on the blinders and just put in the hours. It's paying off quite well...love, love, love playing and can't wait to jam with others.

**Brandon Flynn** · Mar-18-2008, 3:18pm

Originally Posted by (mandocrucian @ Mar. 18 2008, 09:29)

Sevcik: School of Violin Technics, parts I-IV
#I: Exercises in the First Position
#II: Exercises in the Second to Seventh Positions
#III: Shifting (Changing the Positions)
#IV: Exercises in Double-stops

(etudes, in increasing difficulty)

Kayser: Elementary and Progressive Studies for the violin

Hofmann: Double-stop Studies for the Violin

Rovelli: 23 Caprices for the Violin

Kreutzer: 42 Studies or Caprices

How difficult are the etudes in the books you've listed? How difficult are they compared to Bach's partita's and sonatas (just to give me an idea of how difficult they are relative to something I play).