Creative Variations Vol. 1 (Violin)
Composer: Malcolm Miles, Jeffery Wilson
Catalogue no: CM235 | ISMN M-57034-235-8
This is a very innovative volume guiding students into ways of improvising. Ten jazz- influenced songs are included. A CD with 21 tracks accompanies the sheet music and aids the musician in taking an improvisatory approach. The first track provides an ‘A’ for tuning and then there’s a demo track for each piece which is then repeated without the violin part so that the student can play along. The Introduction states that “Creative Variations provides musicians with the opportunity to explore and develop their own musical ideas in the preparation and performance of contemporary compositions.”
Each piece has a Performance Note such as: “The pianist should improvise a texture similar to the example shown using the given chords. The soloist should rework the rhythm of the melody and improvise using the pentatonic scale over the repeated vamp.” Examples of vamps, embellishment of the melody and realisation of the piano score are suggested for each work. No.1 Gospel Joe reminds one of a Negro spiritual; No.2 Arriving Home is Gershwinesque; No.7 Hey Joe-Let’s Meet reminds one of Dave Brubeck’s Take Five but is in 3/4 and should be played with an idiomatic ‘swing’. Two Blues complete the volume. While much of the violin writing can be played in the first position, the whole collection is fun to play and a wonderful introduction to improvising.
ANDREW LORENZ - AUSTA STRINGENDO
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