Jazz Violinist, Producer, Educator

The Violin Harmony Handbook is packed with practical theory, practice exercises, conceptual, intuitive, and analytical tools as well as chord glossaries, and even solo violin transcriptions and charts. There is no guide more useful for beginning to advanced students of jazz violin

For beginning improvisers. This lesson shows how to begin improvising only by using different methods and patterns of continuous 8th notes.

For beginning improvisers. This lesson shows how to being improvising with methods such as changing the melody to familiar songs, changing motifs in common exercises, and improvising techniques to cure technical playing problems

For intermediate improvisers. This lesson shows how to create fast streams of 8th notes using the bebop scale

For advanced improvisers. A continued lesson of the first lesson of bebop scales, this video shows more advanced ways to use the bebop scale to create fast streams of 8th notes while improvising

For intermediate improvisers. This lesson demonstrates the importance of knowing how to arpeggiate chords from all four chord tones, the root, the third, the fifth, and the seventh

For intermediate improvisers. This lesson demonstrates the importance of knowing how to arpeggiate chords from all four chord tones, the root, the third, the fifth, and the seventh

8 videos and 1 PDF “key” teach any musician with basic reading skills ALL the secrets in very easy steps to improvising and composing consonant melodic lines. You won’t believe how easy this is! Start improvising immediately with this video, and if you’re not satisfied we’ll refund your money

1. ‘S I Am

2. ‘Trane’s Maiden

3. Laughing Tango

4. Sock’s Groove

5. Ten Yard

6. Vito’s Melody

7. Ode to Sco’

8. Song For Tony

9. Laughing Song

10. Here’s That Rainy Day

Tracklist:

1. On Green Dolphin Street

2. Ode to Billie Joe

3. Felonious Thunk

4. Jazz for Sale

5. Honeysuckle Rose

6. Skylark

7. Bernie’s Tune

8. We’ll be Together Again

Tracklist:

1. Amorr Case Imposible

2. Blue Monk part 1

3. A Child is Born

4. Blue in Green

5. When She’s Like Water

6. Jazz on Sale

7. Very Early

8. Falling Grace

9. Blue Monk part 2

On his stunning KHAEON label CD debut, Columbus, Ohio-born jazz violinist Christian Howes presents an acoustic trio date with Buenos Aires-born pianist Federico Lechner and the Spanish bassist Pablo Martin, recorded in Madrid in November 2001. On this wide-ranging collection of band originals, and highly characterful arrangements of jazz standards by Thelonius Monk (“ Blue Monk”), Bill Evans (“Very Early’) and Miles Davis (“Blue in Green”), the trio demonstrates a wide range of stylistic influences, from swing and bebop over tango to avant-garde jazz and classical music. “Magic occurred in those first two evening sessions,” remembers Christian Howes. “Nearly all of the performances on this album were first takes, and some were actually first readings of tunes by at least one of the musicians.”

Not yet thirty, Howes has already made an indelible mark as one of the world’s leading jazz violinists, both acoustic and electric. In the widely regarded 2002 Down Beat Readers’ Poll, Howes reached the # 4 position in the Violinists / “Talent Deserving Wider Recognition” category. Howes has performed on the stages of the Newport, Toronto, and Ottawa jazz festivals, in NYC at Birdland, Iridium, the Knitting Factory, the Village Vanguard, as well as in Spain, China and Japan. His performances have earned praise from critics including The L.A. Times, The Boston Globe, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, The Washington Post, The L.A. Jazz Scene, Jazz Times, and more.

Tracklist:

1. Le petit negre

2. Pavane pour une infante defunte

3. Danza n 5

4. Vergnugte Ruh, deliebte Seelenlust

5. Turkish march

6. Mazurka III

7. Partita in E

8. Ma mere l’Oye

9. Capriccio 24

Klazyc features Chris with his European friends Federico Lechner and Pablo Martin. It contains music with a bit more classical flavor, arrangements of many traditional classical pieces with a jazz flair. The disc includes Turkish March by Mozart, Partita in E by JS Bach, and Capriccio 24 by Paganini among others.

Klazyc (Download Only) – Christian Howes, Federico Lechner, Pablo Martin (2003)

Tracklist:
1 – Walking on Broadway
2 – By the Bay
3 – Detective H
4 – Sweet Soul Music
5 – Voyage
6 – Tristeza
7 – Buddy’s
8 – Riggs in the City
9 – Amanda
10 –

Tracklist:
1. Doxy
2. The Way You Look Tonight
3. Sunny
4. Maria, Maria
5. Merchants Groove
6. Untitled blues jam
7. Fugue in G Minor for solo violin
8. It Never Entered My Mind
9. Traditional Fiddle Tune
10. The Oracle

From the European acoustic trio’s second album, Klazyc (2004). This is another flashy, and sometimes wacky, piece to add for an encore to your set. Audiences always love it because it’s so familiar and sounds very virtuosic. The version recorded on “Klazyc” should be self-explanatory. Instead of a “free” piano solo at the end, we’ve made some motific suggestions for a “free” string quartet solo. (Please note, this arrangement is formatted for string quartet, but could be easily adapted by you for trio)

(intermediate) Billy adapted this tune for a swing arrangement, and he takes an amazing solo. The cello alternates between walking quarter notes and playing in a two feel. The accompaniment violin/viola should be sensitive to the cello by sometimes chopping and sometimes playing legato or syncopated double stops, but always being careful to keep the groove and leave space for the soloist

(less difficulty) This ballad features a simple ostinato bass line in the cello, legato double stop accompaniment in the second violin (which can also be divided between viola/violin or 2nd violin/3rd violin), and a simple melody which can be interpreted by the 1st violin very broadly. This also works well with a freely improvised cello solo as an intro to the tune

(advanced difficulty) Get ‘yo groove on! Billy plays an amazing intro alone on this tune, showing just how funky the violin can be. Cello can try alternating pizzicato and arco and seeing what’s comfortable. Don’t be thrown off by the notated “chopping” parts in this arrangement. You might be better off simply listening to the recording and emulating the chopping as you hear it

(intermediate) This is a fun, modal tune, in 6/4 meter with straight (not swung) rhythms. The main vamp in d minor should be comfortable for everyone in the group to solo over, while more advanced soloists will want to play over the form. Billy uses a great off-beat-based, double stop accompaniment style, and the melody lies easily on violin. Watch the temptation to use too much vibrato!