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My current learning context is Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music's fiddle program, which presents US "old time" music mostly. I am there because of the interactive/social aspects of the program: as I see it, if I don't learn to play with other people, I might as well not bother.
BUT my musical interests are mostly in Eastern European folk music, especially folk dance music, and in the classical material that derives from/meditates on/reworks those traditions. It's not too hard to find the dance music at a level that works for a beginner. Does anybody know of repertoire suitable for very early on in that vein of classical? (Individual pieces OR a compilation, etc.)
(Posting here on the theory that the answers are mostly likely to come from, and be of interest to, folks who teach...)
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Hi Martha (and others). I think that I can help you on that. Years ago I bought a book of Chopin Mazurkas transcribed for woodwind instruments, mostly for flute. I believe that they would be suitable for the violin (certainly for the viola). I will go up to the attic and try to find it.
Success is the progressive realisation of a worthy ideal. —Earl Nightingale.
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@Martha
I'd suggest Bartok.
I recommend this book
http://www.boosey.com/shop/pro.....CD/2235596
It starts at beginners level, so don't let the p.34 sample put you off!
Andrew
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Interesting. For children but some children are virtuosos
I'm actually not familiar with this book.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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@Fiddlerman A book I would love to know about, if one exists, is a graded student book of Bach violin solos. What can you suggest?
Andrew
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You mean the unaccompanied Bach Sonatas and Partitas or something else?
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Fiddlerman said
You mean the unaccompanied Bach Sonatas and Partitas or something else?
Yes, those and anything else more or less originally written for solo violin. ABRSM grade 5 sees this sort of thing slowly creeping into the exam canon.
But since I asked the question, I've been playing a simple Corelli piece and thinking a Corelli book would be worth looking for too. (Your rendition of La Follia is superbly played, although highly romantic - that's sort of a lol - please don't take it as criticism - did you romanticise it or did you find a score that presented it that way?)
Andrew
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Don't worry, I'm not that sensitive.
Normally I like playing Corelli the baroque way but then many people don't think that the instrument is as good. Since that performance was done for an instrument demo I turned up the heat.
I'll play it much less romantically when I play it for myself. 
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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To go along with Andrew, I just purchased Bartok’s 44 Violin Duos (split into 2 volumes). To understand what they should sound like, I have the CD by Angela and Jennifer Chun. My understanding is that all of the music is played in the first position.
Success is the progressive realisation of a worthy ideal. —Earl Nightingale.
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This graded series of four books might interest you.
ABRSM Baroque Violin Pieces. Book 1 is grades 2/3; book 2 is grades 4/5.
ABRSM like you to attempt some 3rd position stuff for grade 3, but I can't see any obvious places where 3rd position is required, although of course I'm not qualified to say, and the book doesn't contain any fingerings.
There are a couple of places that jump an octave from G on string 3 to G (on string 1?) and I wonder if some players might instead change position for that?
Andrew
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Hi Andrew. Just purchased all of your suggestions. My stage of violin training is becoming interesting.
Referencing your message postscripts. I just got done reading Starship Trooper (much better than the movie). The author suggests that a juvenile logically cannot be delinquent, since children by definition owe society no duty.
Success is the progressive realisation of a worthy ideal. —Earl Nightingale.
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Irv said
Hi Andrew. ...
Referencing your message postscripts. I just got done reading Starship Trooper (much better than the movie). The author suggests that a juvenile logically cannot be delinquent, since children by definition owe society no duty.
Lol, in fact my sig is a John Waters quote!
I'm not a big fan of Verhoeven. Indeed Sci-Fi is not my thing, although I read John Varley's Millennium once, and that is very moving. I've got the DVD of Starship Troopers - Im OK with the fact that it's very much tongue-in-cheek, but I doubt if I'll keep it after I've watched it a second time.
I've also got a DVD of Turkish Delight (aka The Sensualist, original title Turks fruit), but it's an original Dutch release without subtitles, and my Dutch isn't really up to it!
Andrew
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Fiddlerman said
Don't worry, I'm not that sensitive.Normally I like playing Corelli the baroque way but then many people don't think that the instrument is as good. Since that performance was done for an instrument demo I turned up the heat.
I'll play it much less romantically when I play it for myself.
I recently bought Grumiaux's Corelli Op 5, but I was very disappointed with it.
If you or anyone else has a favourite recording of Corelli, I'd be interested in hearing about it.
Andrew
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I don't, but I'll keep that in mind when I listen.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Fiddlerman said
Don't worry, I'm not that sensitive.Normally I like playing Corelli the baroque way but then many people don't think that the instrument is as good. Since that performance was done for an instrument demo I turned up the heat.
I'll play it much less romantically when I play it for myself.
Pierre, which edition of La Follia do you recommend? I have the 1914 Schott by Léonard/Barmas, but there are things about it that I'm not keen on. Ugh, in fact I've only just realised it's incomplete, among other things.
Andrew
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I'm not sure. I seem to remember another version that was simplified but the one I play has "Variations sérieusee" Edited and fingered by Leopold Lichienberg. See if you can find that one.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Fiddlerman said
I'm not sure. I seem to remember another version that was simplified but the one I play has "Variations sérieusee" Edited and fingered by Leopold Lichienberg. See if you can find that one.
Thanks, I will hunt for that.
I'm asking because the ABRSM have prescribed some of the variations for their grade 5 exam, and I feel ready to start working on it next month (the material, not the exam). Oddly, they ignore the second section (bars 17-32), and I can't decide if it's because they think it's too simple or too difficult with those positions shifts (what's your opinion on that?). And I'm aware that there are a lot of different fingerings for that section too (some involving harmonics, some not), so having several copies is no bad idea.
But in fact yesterday I realised I had volume 1 of the Baerenreiter op5 because I found it in a charity shop, so I ordered volume 2 - I can't have it incomplete, can I!
And it seems like I did the right thing, as the Lichtenberg seems to be published by Schirmer, and it's unavailable in the UK (I can't imagine why). Abebooks have located a copy in San Diego if I want to pay $60 shipping, lol!
Andrew
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