Hi all, Thanks for joining me in here. Here are your first steps for getting the most out of this community. 1. Copy this format and comment on this post with -your name -where you are from -your musical background and what you are trying to achieve in your playing 2. Create a post, either sharing a cool jazz violin video that you love, a question about learning to play jazz or even an interesting piece of advice you have been given about learning to improvise. 3. Doing all of the above will now mean you are a Level 2 member. You will now have access to all of the free courses in the classroom. (5 simple licks in G, Jazz Bowing, learn Honeysuckle Rose, Jazz Listening List) Bonus: Tell me in the poll below what it is you are interested in improving in your playing (this helps me understand how to help you best)

I'm working on playing the melody of Charlie Parker's "Anthropology" in all 12 keys at the moment. As always, doing it sets of thirds. Today I worked it out in Bb, D and F#(not pleasant!) I find doing this means I can work it out in 3 keys a day and have that cycle of keys to practise in my spare time, rather than starting it in 12 keys and just giving up halfway through. Tell us all in the comments what you are up to!

Over the years I’ve gone through a lot of different stages in my amplification journey as a jazz violinist. In an ideal world, I wouldn’t amplify the violin at all. We spend so much time practising to get our sound from the instrument itself, and when we practise, we’re not plugged in. So it can feel weird when we have to amplify, like it’s not quite the sound we’re used to. I went through a phase of always using a microphone, trying to find a way to get the most natural sound possible. But as we all know, you just end up feeding back all the time and struggling to play. It only really works in the right setting. Nowadays, when I do a gig where a microphone is going to work well, like a concert with a sound engineer and a decent PA, they usually have something for me anyway, like a DPA or a live condenser mic on a stand in front of me. If I’m not in that kind of setting, I use my pickup instead. I set it so the amp is just a bit quieter than my acoustic sound. That way I can still play how I play, without having to change my bow pressure to suit the pickup sound. If I’m in a really loud environment, with a loud drummer, a big band, or playing background in a busy bar, I just embrace the pickup sound and turn it up. I’ve spent a long time working on playing in these situations, practising at home using less bow and getting used to that sound and feel. With that said, these are the current products that I have: - Schertler Stat V - Thomann Violin Microphone What’s your current setup?

Try this technique yourself. It can work for anyone who has been playing for a little while at least. 1. Recorded yourself playing over a tune. 2. Try to learn what you played 3. See how you can make it better. (This could just be technical stuff or even note choice or phrasing) This is great for someone who has been working in jazz for a while and wants to solidify the things that they are already playing.