Welcome to My Birthday Giveaway
- Streaming access to All my premium courses below
- A free private Zoom lesson (new students only)
- Download 8 of my books, workbooks, transcriptions, and play along directory (sold separately for over $250)
- Improvise consistently in various styles
- Gain mastery of harmony, groove, and song forms
- Attract new opportunities
- Make your own covers, loops, accompaniments/backups, and be able to jam
- (Teachers)- Teach skills relevant to your students' needs
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Seriously though. During my birthday week, this is totally free.
If you want to stay beyond 30 days you can pay a small monthly fee and cancel anytime.
Otherwise, sign up, claim your free stuff and cancel within 30 days. You'll never be billed a dime.
Hear what members are saying
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Ultimate Scale Resource$19.95freeThink, “Flesch, Galamian, and Kreutzer for contemporary players." Scales are provided in extended range for violin, viola, and cello in all twelve keys. The forward explains how to optimize scale practice to develop harmonic fluency.
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Ultimate Arpeggio Resource$19.95freeAll commonly used seventh chords are provided in all inversions for violin, cello, and viola, in all keys. The extensive forward outlines how to use this book to expand your harmonic vocabulary and improvise with greater comfort and ease.
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70-page Violin Harmony Handbook$29.95freePacked with practice exercises, a chord glossary, and solo transcriptions. It’s like Paganini for improvisers.“..An incredible resource; really well thought-out, lot’s of great ideas & exercises.”
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Electric Violin Training Kit$12.95freeA must-have primer on amplified string playing.
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Easy Tonal Improvisation Workbook$24.95freeBy popular demand. Learn to improvise over tonal chord progressions quickly and easily.
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Chromatic Universe Chromatic Etudes$35freeExpand your musical pallete.
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4ths (Quartal) Etudes
$39.95free -
Simple Chords for Violin, Viola, and Cello
$19.95free
- Play-Along Directory so you can search hundreds of lessons by style, theme, difficulty
- Backing Tracks
- Transcriptions
- PDF practice resources
How it works:
Sign up below free for a 30 day trial of Creative Strings Academy.
Download the 8 books, schedule a private lesson with me (optional), and enjoy my premium courses.
You won’t be charged anything now and you can cancel anytime within 30 days without paying a dime.
If you stay beyond 30 days, you’ll be billed $39.95 per month and you can cancel anytime
Click the button below, provide your PayPal or credit card information, and hit “submit.”
About me, Christian Howes:
Classically trained from age 5, I became curious in my teens to go beyond classical, find my creative voice, and teach what I learned.
While an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music, my work was adopted, and is still used, as required study for all string majors.
Since then I’ve taught classes at Juilliard, Eastman, Oberlin, and other schools for 20 years while refining my curriculum.
I founded Creative Strings to expand music education through the creation of online curriculum, live workshops, and hundreds of visits to schools.
I was voted #1 in the Downbeat Critics Poll (“Rising Stars/Violin”), named among the top three jazz violinists in the JazzTimes critics poll, and nominated for Violinist of the Year by the Jazz Journalist Association.
I’ve helped thousands of musicians like you develop the confidence and ability to:
- Become a more creative, versatile musician
- Teach skills relevant to your students needs
- Build a more rewarding and varied career as a musician
When you gain understanding and lean into your creativity, it changes how you feel about music and yourself.
You'll be able to...
- Connect with a wider range of musicians
- Share your music and teaching with confidence
- Attract more professional opportunities
In short, you'll be ready to thrive as a musician and/or teacher on your own terms.
I support adult learners, teachers, elite classical players, fiddle players, and stars…
Players who credit my teaching:
Gain a Clear Method for Harmony, Improvisation, & Contemporary Styles
Harmony
Because of our training, most string players struggle to hear and apply harmony.
We’re led to assume that if we listen and try harder, we’ll eventually “get it”. This causes wasted time, frustration, and limiting beliefs such as, “I’m not a creative type”…or, “I’ll never learn to improvise…”
Like most Suzuki kids, I was proud of my ears, until I tried to hear the harmonies.
I struggled to recognize chords.
I struggled to hear “different-sounding” melodies.
Finally I discovered a method to teach my ears to recognize and hear more.
How to Visualize Harmony on a String Instrument
I made a simple diagram to see the chords, and came up with exercises to internalize them. After 10 minutes with these exercises, you’ll have a “night and day” revelation about harmony; and a clear way to never feel lost again.
After that, I’ll show you:
- the quickest way to memorize chords with the diagram
- efficient ways to practice scals and arpeggios
- how to master more complex harmonies
The best part: You’ll accomplish more in less time by changing the way you practice.
Play in Different Styles
Once you can see chords on your instrument, playing different styles is much easier. I’ll help you understand the differences between fiddle tunes, pop, Latin, Jazz, and other styles. I’ll break down the melodies, bass lines, inner voices, and grooves.
Master Your Creative Process
When you practice, do you ever feel like you’re just going through the motions?
I’ll show you how to create something new every time you pick up your instrument, regardless of your technical ability or knowledge of theory. After 20 minutes with my Free Improvisation course, you’ll be creating things you never thought possible.
Classical and/or fiddle training is great- Both leave huge gaps in our musical skills and awareness
Bridge those gaps with my clear methods to help you gain comfort with Harmony, Style/Rhythmic Forms, & your Creative Process.
Whether you’re just beginning to go beyond your classical (or fiddle) training, an intermediate improviser, or advanced, you’ll become a more versatile and creative player (or teacher) with access to my premium courses, including video trainings, PDF’s, and backing tracks.
Training for All Levels (Violin, Viola, & Cello)
- Jazz Scales for Violin, Viola, and Cello (eBook Download)
Scales in extended range for violin, viola, and cello in all keys. Including my 6-step approach for how to practice them, so you can throw away your Galamian, Flesch, or other scale books.
- Arpeggios for Jazz Violin, Cello, and Viola (eBook Download)
Seventh chords are provided in all inversions for the ranges of violin, cello, and viola, in all keys. The extensive forward outlines how to use this book to expand your harmonic vocabulary and improvise with greater comfort and ease.
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Free Improvisation Master Series (mulltimedia course)Begin creating now regardless of your current level. Gain concrete steps to help you develop a personal sound. Develop a clear value system for improvisation in any setting.
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Teaching Improvisation (Video Series)A must-have primer on amplified string playing.
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Jazz Violin Harmony Fundamentals (Multimedia Course)This unit includes the 70-page violin harmony handbook packed with conceptual, intuitive, and analytical exercises, a chord glossary, and solo transcriptions (Think "Pganini for improvisers""). Concepts re demonstrated in a series of videos.
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Easy Tonal Improvisation (Multimedia Course)Great for all levels of classically trained players with basic reading skills. Using the “chord stacks” diagram, you’ll glide through chord progressions, literally connecting the dots to form coherent melodies, accompaniments, or arrangements in many styles. Also great for making your own Youtube covers, looping, arranging your parts for a band, and more.
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Bach Prelude for Electric Violin and Loop Pedal (Multimedia Course)A four-part series related to my arrangement of Bach’s Prelude No. 1 in G Major. Use a loop pedal to create layers of improvisations. Gain insights into odd time signatures and structuring your improvisation with more variety.
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Blues Improvisation Series (Multimedia Course)If you want to sound “less classical-sounding”, this will help you play more authentically within Blues-related idioms including Pop, Rock, R and B, Jazz, Gospel, or Hip Hop. Learn to develop harmonic tension and release by combining two blues scales (most people miss out on this!)
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How to Play Bossa and Samba for Bowed Strings (Multimedia Course)While Bossa and Sambas are traditional forms from Brazil, they’re at the core of more music than you probably realize. You’ll learn how to feel the clave and adapt your melodies to fit the clave. You’ll also be able to create your own accompaniment parts and learn to arrange songs in these styles.
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Bebop Scale Master Series (Multimedia Course)Improve your harmonic fluency by adding this common jazz scale to your vocabulary. and increase your comfort and ease playing faster over ii-V-I progressions.
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Diminished Scale Master Series (Multimedia Course)Internalize both the sound and mechanics of the diminished scale on the violin, viola, or cello. Learn how to apply this essential sonic color over dominant chords.
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Melodic Minor Scale Master Series (Multimedia Course)The melodic minor scale is one of the essential tools used by expert jazz players to express modern jazz vernacular, and in this series you’ll quickly understand how to add this sound to your vocabulary.
You'll also discover
- Chopping & other rhythmic extended techniques
- Modal Improvisation (in Rock, EDM, Bluegrass, world music, or jazz)
- How to stop playing the same old licks.
- 20th century classical-sounding free improvisation
- How to interpret a chord chart on first sight
- How to use amplification, effects, and looping
- Balancing sequencing and randomness in your improvisations and compositions
- How to perform unaccompanied without sounding boring or like something is missing
- Transcriptoins and scores.
"Is it right for me?"
If you can say “yes” to any of these questions, I believe you’re a perfect fit for the Creative Strings Academy.
- are you over the age of ten with at least a few years of experience playing violin, viola, or cello?
- do you teach private lessons or k-12 strings?
- do you have a classical or fiddle background?
- are you a seasoned improvisero or jazz player, looking for more advancement and depth?
My Guarantee
If you spend as little as two hours per week with this course, you’ll gain these takeaways:
- How to make more of your practice time
- How to dissect the harmonic and rhythmic components of any tune
- How to develop your own personal sound
- How to make sense of different styles beyond classical
- Teachers- provide curriculum relevant to your students' interests and needs
The Best Part
If you think there’s a chance Creative Strings Academy will work for you, enroll today and see for yourself.
If you’re not happy for any reason, simply cancel during 30 days, without paying a dime.
You’ll still receive EIGHT of my popular books, & a free private lesson valued at $150.
What's training like this worth to you?
- $40,000+ a year in tution alone for comparable training at Berklee, Manhattan School,etc.
- $300/mo to hire a private teacher after hours of research
or you could consider everything I’ve shared here and…
Get it for free!
- Enjoy streaming access to all course materials
- download all literature (to keep forever)
- NEW STUDENTS- take a free private lesson with me to clarify the best ways to reach your goals.
I recommend you take advantage of this limited time offer, unless you’re just not interested in being a more versatile and creative musician.
Imagine for a moment that you DON’T do this today. What if you do nothing?
- will you still feel limited by your training next month, next year, or in five years....?
- like you can't figure out what other musicians are doing, and you're on the outside looking in?
- even though people say you "sound great" you know you're just skating by?
If you want to overcome whatever’s been holding you back from being a more confident, versatile musician or teacher, click the button below for your free trial, provide your information, and hit “submit.”
You won’t pay a dime for 30 days.
If you stay beyond 30 days, you’ll be billed $39.95 monthly (cancel anytime)
