Hi all, There are two main streams into jazz violin: Classical and Folk. I’ve spoken a bit about how you can use your classical mindset to excel in jazz, but I wanted to see if anyone wants to weigh in on what folk music can bring to the table in terms of transferable skills for jazz. I find that learning folk music is extremely beneficial, as it’s often about learning tunes and focusing on style and small musical intricacies. The way I learn a folk melody is similar to how I approach a transcription, looking at the small details and trying to replicate them. Anyone else have any thoughts?

Welcome to Learning Jazz Violin. This is a place of support and community for people who are, well… learning jazz violin. Please introduce yourself to the rest of the group by posting in the community discussion board. I’m Matt Holborn, a jazz violinist based in London UK. A lot of what I do is within the Django and Stéphane style, but I’m also passionate about straight ahead, swinging jazz, and different forms of folk music. I also play in musical comedian Bill Bailey’s live band. In this community you will find: • A free discussion board for posting about anything jazz violin related • 2 free courses in the Classroom section (Bowing, and Learning Honeysuckle Rose) There are also lots of different paid courses (which you can currently access by signing up to a paid tier). Each of them is designed not only to give you information but to help you get into the mindset of a jazz violinist. I teach by ear with videos, technical exercises based on jazz language, and assignments based on opening up your violin playing with harmony and improvisation. I don’t have a one-size-fits-all method because that just isn’t how jazz works for me. My teaching is about showing you how many jazz musicians think, and how you can use that to shape your own musical voice in jazz. I hope you enjoy using this space with us! Matt