Pfft, all the cool people play VIOLIN!

Awesome, I'll look out for those songs! Thanks  <img src="images/smiley_icons/icon_smile.gif" border=0 alt="Smile">

Hello luniepoo - all the really really cool people play fiddle!  Fiddlers can jam and add an exciting 'zing' to a combo.  Violinists, on the other hand, definately do not jam - they are strictly 'paper-trained' and are frozen with fear if they don't have pages of notes in front of them.

Check out this Wikipedia article for some great links to the world of fiddle music:

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiddle" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiddle</a>

There is tons of stuff on the web for 'fiddle' players.  You can use Chordie to find songs you like, and then round up a guitarist or two to play with you.  There are lots of tabs for melodic lines on many songs - Translating from guitar tabulature to violin-user tabs is probably a do-able thing.

Yeah...I play violin too!!! It's actually the first instrument I learned to play.  I am the concertmaster of my school orchestra, so a lot of the stuff I play is in the Baroque/classical/romantic genres, but I do like to find some rock stuff now and then. Stairway to heaven is a really good play, but I really don't know where to find it on the internet.  It is really hard to find free sheet music(well, as far as I know at least).  I also found this arrangement of purple haze, but it was kinda crappy.  Also, if you are into the contemporary praise music scene, you could get involved with a praise band with your violin. You don't have to follow sheet music, you can use the guitar chords...just hold out some long notes of what the chords are, and as you get used to it add in some variation.  It's a lot of fun!

Hello juliamarie - and touche'! My comments were made in jest . . . I started my discovery of music playing bassoon.  I also played braritone sax in the stage band in high school.

Even though I could read and play all the notes on the page, I never could improvise on the sax (or bassoon) - I just couldn't make that leap of faith off the written page.

Went off to college thinking I wanted to be a Music major, but soon realized that I did not have the dedication to spend at least 4 hours in a practice room every day perfecting my technique - so I switched majors and music became a hobby rather than a career goal.

I love classical (or "serious" music) and am lucky to live in a small town that has a major univeristy, so we can hear accomplished musicians ply their trade.

However; I see an irony in that most classically-trained musicians are incapable (or unwilling) to step out and improvise. They are excellent technicians, but seemingly lacking in the spark it takes to play music that is not written.

On the other hand, there are the vast hordes of self-taught musicians who love to improvise but who are unable (or are uninterested in learning how) to read music.

I believe that anybody who enjoys making music will benefit from learning as much as they can about how to do it better.  If you know the technical stuff - then learn how to play beyond the written notes.  If you already don't require written notes - then learn how to read music and whole new world of wonderment will open to you.

I've got a good friend who plays cello and I've been trying to get him to play with me - but he is terrified of not having a full bass line written out. . . I'll keep working on him though and wear him down eventually.

and in response to the two of you ,lol

My wife can improvise along with my playing, " wild rover, irish rover, fileds of athenry, black velvet band, and a few rock songs.

She has been playing for about 18 months or so.

NOW, her violin tutor who has been playing for maybe 30 years says she cannot improvise and is jealouos of Lynda ( me mrs). Her tutor is the head person in a orchestra calleed Bearsden Fiddlers. The dont play fiddle music though, the yall read from the notes in front. Some experienced players have said they are lost without the music in front of them and indeed my wife is when she tries to play the scottish songs that the Bearsden fiddlers play.

Also ( not a stringed instrument) I know a woman that is in the scottish national orchestra that plays the flute fantastically but she cannot improvise at all, eventhough she has tried and tried. She gets thru about half a song at most then stops.

So I would say for some people on certain types of music, some people need the music in front, others dont.

Ken

Most definately - anybody who can make a double bass sing a sweet song of seduction or thunk out a fat-nasty beat has got magic in their fingertips and voodoo in their bones . . .

For some, the bass is a sacred calling - - not a chore.

Hello Jikklop and welcome to chordie!  If you google up 'free sheet music cello' you can find various sources.  However, locating sheet music for contemporary music is difficult since music publishers (the ones who have the rights to print songbooks for various groups) take offense at somebody stealing their thunder.  So, getting free Greenday sheet music for your cellist friend might be tricky.

However, there are bass tabs available on the net - your cellist friend would have to learn how to understand tab notation, but that is a fine challenge for a young musician.  Likewise, melody lines for the violin could be transcribed using guitar tabs - a little trickier, but also do-able challenge.  With a little creativity you could work out a nice arrangements together.

On a historical note: way way back it was not unusual for cello and double bass parts to be only 'suggested' and not fully notated on musical scores.  These 'continuo' or 'figured bass' lines were sort of improvised by the cellists and bassists.  Have your cellist friend ask their teacher about 'continuo' or 'figured bass' playing.

If nothing else, the three of you can compose your own pieces - cello is a marvelous and highly versatile instrument.  Likewise, violin/fiddle is fabulous.  Sorry my response is so long, but encouraging young musicians to explore and create is important.  James

Hey Mr. McCormick,
Thanks a lot for your suggestion! I haven't found any yet, but there are a lot of promising links.
Again, thank you so much,
Jikklop

I play the violin and cello. I've been playing since I was 6. I find it really hard to improvise as well. I think we classical players are taught too rigidly when we start and every little mistake is seen as a flaw. Those little mistakes are actually what helps us to improvise and explore new sounds. The need to be perfect is drilled into us and the beautiful art that is music is systematically forced into a regimine of scales and lessons that we have to master. I don't argue that theory is a definate advantage when learning any instrument but I think it's worse to bury yourself under a mountain of theory and forget about the music itself. My husband has never had any lessons and cannot read music (despite my years of trying to teach him!) and he makes my cello sing! Not Bach or Motzart...Aerosmith, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presly! He even does a great double bass on my cello!