BECOMING THE BEST MUSICIAN YOU CAN BE - Recommended Sheet music and other resources -
- USEFUL LINKS
Recommended Listening
Listening is a HUGE part of learning music. I'll go as far as to say it's as important for being a musician as is the act of playing music. So dig in; perhaps some of this music will open up some doors to some of your own new listening and playing passions- in which case, I'll be excited to know.
I've provided artist and album names for you to make your own searches. In this day and age I want to encourage people to still buy music, if possible, to support the artists.
A few points about this list:
Roma and Eastern European and Balkan
-the movie 'Latcho Drom'
-Taraf de Haidouks- (anything by these guys, including the self titled album).
-'the flight of Krali Marco'- Ivan Milev (ripping contemporary/folk Bulgarian ensemble music)
- Savina Yannotou- 'Spring in Salonika' (beautiful and slightly new-agey take on traditional Greek songs-features a Greek violinist Kyriakos Gouventas who I had lessons with when I was there.)
- Beth Bahia Cohen 'Weaving the World- layered improvisations' (Beth is friend and wonderful American lady who has steeped herself in Balkan styles)
- 'Gypsies of Turkey' by Ahmet Kusgoz Ve Arkadaslari
- 'Maistori' Grupa Maistori (Bulgarian wedding music)
Classical- ranging early music through to contemporary (list not in historical order)
- Andrew Manze- (for early western music and baroque, anything played by this guy and/or his ensemble 'Romanesca' is great)
- Jordi Savall's ensemble Hesperion XXII 'Ostinato' or anything by these guys!
- Gidon Kremer 'Silencio'
- Lucy Van Dael - solo Bach Sonatas and Partitas
- Takacs Quartet-' Beethoven- late string quartets'
- Kronos Quartet- Peteris Vasks String quartet no.4
- Pekka Kuusisto Sibelius Violin Concerto'
- Maxim Vengerov 'Virtuoso Vengerov'
Original often folk-inspired/often jazz-informed ensemble music with improvisation
-'Bluegrass sessions- tales from an acoustic planet volume 2' Bela Fleck (and other excellent musicians including fiddlers)
-'History, Mystery'- Bill Frisell (great original ensemble music with strings in the ensemble)
-'Five'- Dave Douglas (more great original ensemble music, features Mark Feldman violin, Erik Friedlander, cello)
-'the Goat Rodeo Sessions' an ensemble featuring all-star musicians including Yo-Yo-Ma, Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile
- Tin Hat Trio
Scandinavian
- Pekka Kuusisto and the Luomo Players 'Folk Trip' Finnish folk with a chamber music twist
- Vasen (famous band plays Swedish folk)
- Annebjorg Lein (incredible Norwegian hardingfele player)
- 'Os Fera Liluli' Arto and Antti Jarvela (Finnish folk music)
Traditional American Folk
- Dirk Powell & Tim O'Brien 'Songs from the Mountain'
- Frank Fairfield
- Alison Krauss
- Dirk Powell and Tim O'Brien
- Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys (not a fiddler but had excellent fiddlers in his band oftentimes)
-Tommy Jarrell
Celtic
- Alisdair Frasier (Scottish)
- Natalie Macmaster (Cape Breton/Nova Scotia)
- Eileen Ivers (American who plays Celtic Irish music)
-the Chieftains (Irish)
- Felpeyu (Spanish Band plays traditional Asturian music)
- Eliza Carthy (English)
Indian violinists (these are just 2 of many amazing musicians)
- L. Subramaniam- anything in the classical indian music of his is amazing
- 'Shakthi' the band with John McLaughlin and L.Shankar
Experimental
- 'Ylir'- Claudio Puntin (beautiful improvised clarinet and violin by Scandinavian musicians)
- 'A Rose is a Rose' John Rodgers (experimental abstract improvised violin music)
- 'the Noise' String Quartet
- 'Waver Clamour Bellow' local Portland band featuring expressive experimental viola
- Iva Bittova - self titled album-(this incredible lady plays violin and sings her contemporary/folk all at the same time)
Indie, violin features within songs, vocals
- Andrew Bird
- Sailor Days
I've provided artist and album names for you to make your own searches. In this day and age I want to encourage people to still buy music, if possible, to support the artists.
A few points about this list:
- This list will grow!
- It doesn't even include a few genres including jazz (yet).
- Or a lot of the more really really famous violinists (yet).
- And it doesn't include some more obscure music that is my favourite (yet).
- All the music in this list features violin/fiddle in it. Not to ignore the oceans of incredible music that doesn't involve this instrument. Because we're learning violin/fiddle!
- Perhaps you'll even have suggestions for this list?
Roma and Eastern European and Balkan
-the movie 'Latcho Drom'
-Taraf de Haidouks- (anything by these guys, including the self titled album).
-'the flight of Krali Marco'- Ivan Milev (ripping contemporary/folk Bulgarian ensemble music)
- Savina Yannotou- 'Spring in Salonika' (beautiful and slightly new-agey take on traditional Greek songs-features a Greek violinist Kyriakos Gouventas who I had lessons with when I was there.)
- Beth Bahia Cohen 'Weaving the World- layered improvisations' (Beth is friend and wonderful American lady who has steeped herself in Balkan styles)
- 'Gypsies of Turkey' by Ahmet Kusgoz Ve Arkadaslari
- 'Maistori' Grupa Maistori (Bulgarian wedding music)
Classical- ranging early music through to contemporary (list not in historical order)
- Andrew Manze- (for early western music and baroque, anything played by this guy and/or his ensemble 'Romanesca' is great)
- Jordi Savall's ensemble Hesperion XXII 'Ostinato' or anything by these guys!
- Gidon Kremer 'Silencio'
- Lucy Van Dael - solo Bach Sonatas and Partitas
- Takacs Quartet-' Beethoven- late string quartets'
- Kronos Quartet- Peteris Vasks String quartet no.4
- Pekka Kuusisto Sibelius Violin Concerto'
- Maxim Vengerov 'Virtuoso Vengerov'
Original often folk-inspired/often jazz-informed ensemble music with improvisation
-'Bluegrass sessions- tales from an acoustic planet volume 2' Bela Fleck (and other excellent musicians including fiddlers)
-'History, Mystery'- Bill Frisell (great original ensemble music with strings in the ensemble)
-'Five'- Dave Douglas (more great original ensemble music, features Mark Feldman violin, Erik Friedlander, cello)
-'the Goat Rodeo Sessions' an ensemble featuring all-star musicians including Yo-Yo-Ma, Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile
- Tin Hat Trio
Scandinavian
- Pekka Kuusisto and the Luomo Players 'Folk Trip' Finnish folk with a chamber music twist
- Vasen (famous band plays Swedish folk)
- Annebjorg Lein (incredible Norwegian hardingfele player)
- 'Os Fera Liluli' Arto and Antti Jarvela (Finnish folk music)
Traditional American Folk
- Dirk Powell & Tim O'Brien 'Songs from the Mountain'
- Frank Fairfield
- Alison Krauss
- Dirk Powell and Tim O'Brien
- Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys (not a fiddler but had excellent fiddlers in his band oftentimes)
-Tommy Jarrell
Celtic
- Alisdair Frasier (Scottish)
- Natalie Macmaster (Cape Breton/Nova Scotia)
- Eileen Ivers (American who plays Celtic Irish music)
-the Chieftains (Irish)
- Felpeyu (Spanish Band plays traditional Asturian music)
- Eliza Carthy (English)
Indian violinists (these are just 2 of many amazing musicians)
- L. Subramaniam- anything in the classical indian music of his is amazing
- 'Shakthi' the band with John McLaughlin and L.Shankar
Experimental
- 'Ylir'- Claudio Puntin (beautiful improvised clarinet and violin by Scandinavian musicians)
- 'A Rose is a Rose' John Rodgers (experimental abstract improvised violin music)
- 'the Noise' String Quartet
- 'Waver Clamour Bellow' local Portland band featuring expressive experimental viola
- Iva Bittova - self titled album-(this incredible lady plays violin and sings her contemporary/folk all at the same time)
Indie, violin features within songs, vocals
- Andrew Bird
- Sailor Days
