Exploring Jazz Violin

An introduction to Jazz Harmony, Technique and Improvisation

Jazz is one of the biggest challenges a violinist can face, with the idea of improvisation likely to strike fear into even the best classical players. This book de-mystifies the whole process, taking you step by step through everything you need to know about playing jazz violin. Chris Haigh’s style has been described as humorous, entertaining and addictive. This book is anything but dull! Key areas covered include analyzing a chord sequence; bowing; chord symbols; how to construct your own solo and how the various different branches of jazz, including gypsy jazz, bebop, modal and fusion are explored. This book is packed with ‘bite-sized’ musical portions, all explained and placed in context. As well as a treasure chest full of licks and riffs to use in your improvisations, there are sample tunes with examples of solos. The accompanying CD has 65 tracks to listen to and play along with.

Content
– Introduction
– 1: It Don’t Mean a Thing
– 2: Starting to Improvise
– 3: Pentatonic Scales
– 4: The Blues
– 5: Chords Part I
– 6: Chords Part II
– 7: Masters of Swing
– 8: Stéphane Grappelli
– 9: Running Wild
– 10: Other Styles, Other Players
– 11: The Big Night
– 12: Final Thoughts