Fiddlerman

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Fiddlerman

Friday, September 30, 2011

Todays addition to Fiddlerman's free X-Mas sheet-music

"O Little Town of Bethlehem" is a popular Christmas carol. The text was written by Phillips Brooks (1835–1893) Organist, Lewis Redner, added the music. Redner's tune, simply titled "St. Louis", is the tune used most often for this carol in the United States.
In the United Kingdom, and sometimes in the U.S. (especially in the Episcopal Church), the hymn tune "Forest Green" is used instead. "Forest Green" was adapted by Ralph Vaughan Williams from an English folk ballad called "The Ploughboy's Dream" which he had collected from a Mr. Garman of Forest Green, Gloucestershire in 1903. Adapted into a hymn tune, it was first published in the English Hymnal of 1906.
This free PDF can be downloaded, printed, and played for free and includes suggested fingerings and bowings. More free sheet music available on Fiddlerman.com

This and many other X-mas tunes can be found here.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

"O Christmas Tree", or "O Tannenbaum"

Entertain your family and friends this Christmas with free X-mas sheet music available on fiddlerman.com
Todays addition is, "O Christmas Tree", also known as "O Tannenbaum",  a Christmas carol of German origin.
A Tannenbaum is a fir tree (German: die Tanne) or Christmas tree (der Weihnachtsbaum). Its evergreen qualities have long inspired musicians to write several "Tannenbaum" songs in German.
The best known version was written in 1824 by the Leipzig organist, teacher and composer Ernst Anschütz. The melody is an old folk tune (Lauriger Horatius). The first known "Tannenbaum" song lyrics date back to 1550
This free PDF can be downloaded, printed, and played for free and includes suggested fingerings and bowings. More free sheet music available on Fiddlerman.com

http://fiddlerman.com/studies-etudes-and-music/christmas-music/

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg

Happy Halloween - In The Hall Of The Mountain King by Edvard Grieg

Learn to play, "In the Hall of the Mountain King" composed by Edvard Grieg for the sixth scene of
Act II in Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt, which premiered in Christiania on February 24, 1876.
The piece is played as the eponymous Peer Gynt, in a dream-like fantasy, enters "the royal hall of the Old Man of the Dovrë (the Mountain King)." The scene's introduction continues: "There is a great crowd of troll courtiers, gnomes and goblins. The Old Man sits on his throne, with crown and sceptre, surrounded by his children and relatives. Peer Gynt stands before him. There is a tremendous uproar in the hall." The lines sung are the first lines in the scene.
Grieg himself wrote: "For the Hall of the Mountain King I have written something that so reeks of cowpats, ultra-Norwegianism, and 'to-thyself-be-enough-ness' that I can't bear to hear it, though I hope that the irony will make itself felt." This free PDF can be downloaded, printed, and played for free and includes suggested fingerings and bowings. This and much more free sheet music available on Fiddlerman.com

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Instructional Video on Swan Lake for Violin

Watch this instructional video and learn to play the Finale of the "Swan Lake" ballet, op. 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, composed 1875--1876. See how fiddlerman phrases and makes music out of this piece. This sheet-music includes bowing suggestions and dynamics and is a much simpler version than the orginal. Download, save, print and play this and much more free violin sheet music at Fiddlerman.com


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Un_f-4I4oE

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Silent Night. "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht"

Download and learn to play the popular Christmas carol "Silent Night" (German: "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht")  composed by Franz Xaver Gruber. In 1859, John Freeman Young published the English translation that is most frequently sung today. The version of the melody that is generally sung today differs slightly (particularly in the final strain) from Gruber's original, which was a sprightly, dance-like tune in 6/8 time, as opposed to the slow, meditative lullaby version generally sung today. Today, the lyrics and melody are in the public domain.
A version recorded by Bing Crosby is one of the fewer than thirty all-time singles to have sold 10 million (or more) copies worldwide.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Joy To The World for Fiddle

Simple Christmas pieces for fiddle added to Fiddlerman's free sheet music section.
See the Christmas music section.

Learn to play, "Joy To The World" on the violin. The music was adapted and arranged to Isaac Watts' lyrics by Lowell Mason in 1839 from an older melody which was then believed to have originated from Handel. As of the late 20th century, "Joy to the World" was the most-published Christmas hymn in North America. This free PDF can be downloaded, print, and played and includes suggested fingerings and bowings. More free sheet music can be found on Fiddlerman.com

Monday, September 19, 2011

Thousands of Taiwanese children set violin record

TAIPEI — More than 4,600 Taiwanese schoolchildren came together for a mass violin-playing session, breaking a world record that had stood for 86 years.
An official from Guinness World Records witnessed Sunday’s event that brought together 4,645 children aged under 18 at a stadium in central Changhua county, the county government said.
The performance was 30 seconds longer than the required minimum of five minutes, it said.

http://fiddlerman.com/2011/09/thousands-of-taiwanese-children-set-violin-record/

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Learn how to find 3rd, 2nd, 4th and 5th positions on the violin without having to search for it.

Learn to easily your positions right away without having to search for them. The best way to learn to find a position is to have a guideline. Playing a position with your hand between the scroll and body of the instrument makes it difficult to insure you are right until you actually hear the notes and can readjust. Having a guideline will give you confidence even before playing your first note. Practice scales in all positions to reinforce the feeling of being in the correct position.
Begin these shifts with slow slides and have patience. Once you feel comfortable with the positions begin to shift quicker with less slide. Every time you find the correct note try to take a snapshot of the feeling and save it in your brain for future use. Practice reaching up and grabbing the correct note immediately without a slide as well. The more often you can begin in the desired position without fault the more confident you will become starting without test notes.
Lastly, memorize your fingering patterns in all the separate positions for reading purposes. Practice easy works that you know well in different positions regardless of which position works the best, for position practice purposes.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

New piece added to Fiddlermans Free Sheet Music page

Solveig's Song from Peer Gynt, Op 23

Solveig's Song from the play, Peer Gynt, Op. 23 was written by the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg (15 June 1843 – 4 September 1907) in 1875. This simple sheet-music for violin includes bowing suggestions, string indications, dynamics, and fingering. Download, save, print and play this and much more free violin sheet music at Fiddlerman.com

Learning Third Position on the Violin

Learn how to play in the third position on the violin and to find it easily. Positions are used to avoid awkward fingerings, string crossings, and open strings as well as to play higher notes than reachable in first position. Feel the curve of the neck on the violin to locate first position accurately. Learn where your guidelines are on your instrument to shift easily and find the position without having to search or test the notes first. Practice slowly at first then work up your speed. This and many more tutorials available at http://fiddlerman.com

Monday, September 12, 2011

Fiddlerman's 2011 Christmas Youtube video project

All of Fiddlerman's interested members can record themselves individually using a click-track to create a memorable and new yearly Christmas tradition for the Fiddlerman family. Download any or all parts and choose the most appropriate one to record based on your capabilities. If you wish, upload your progress and embed on the forum to receive constructive criticism for improving your performance. Record the finished project and send it to Fiddlerman (details on that to come) Watch this video for help on how to perform this part. Fiddlerman will mix all the parts and post the result on youtube and Fiddlerman.com sometime in November.
The pieces being played are a combination of “Carol Of The Bells” and “What Child Is This” and were voted on by Fiddlerman's members on the Fiddle Talk forum.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Great new additions to the free sheet music page on Fiddlerman.com

Check out all the free beginners to intermediate sheet music that I have written special for violin. Latest additions are Vilja Song and Hello Dolly.http://fiddlerman.com/studies-etudes-and-music/free-etudes-by-fiddlerman/

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Lindsey Stirling, an exciting and unique hip hop violinist and dancer

Lindsey Stirling is a young and unique hip hop violinist that not only plays fun original music on the fiddle but also finds a way to control her bow while dancing, jumping, and performing impressive gymnastic moves. Besides being a fantastic entertainer Lindsey also strives to help others.
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