Reaching one million views on my YouTube channel inspired me to arrange Bach’s 2nd Violin Partita in the style of a Flamenco buleria, playing multiple parts on violin, octave violin, electric bass, the Yamaha Electric Violin, & featuring Cedric Easton on cajon, percussion, & drums. (Watch the video above.) SUBSCRIBE for a ton of new videos coming soon to the YouTube channel. The arrangement occurs in three sections: The opening follows Bach’s original violin melody with staggered entrances on hand claps + electric bass, followed by Cedric Easton entering on cajon. The “jazz violin solo” starting at 1:06 coincides with the entrance of Cedric on the drum kit. The original rock-inspired outro, featuring the Yamaha SV-250 Electric Violin, starts at 2:36. Thanks so much to our sponsors Yamaha and Electric Violin Shop for supporting the Creative Strings Podcast. Their support makes it possible to invest in the production of each episode.

Please take a moment to visit Electric Violin Shop, your one-stop shop for electric instruments, amps, gear, accessories, and most of all, expertise. Use code CHOWES at checkout and take 5% off of your order. Call 866-900-8400 to get your questions answered on “all things electric strings.” While you are talking to EVS, be sure to ask them about the new Yamaha Electric Violin (you can check out my video review here). I’ve been a Yamaha performing artist for almost 20 years now and am very proud to be a part of the Yamaha family.

The origin of the video-

My oldest kid, Camille, was home on break from college and was like, “Hey dad let’s jam on the D Minor Partita.” After years as a Suzuki dad of pleading, bribing, and begging my kid to get excited about violin, I wasn't about to miss this chance, so we sat down and looked at the chord changes. “Why don’t we make a video?” said one of us. We never got around to the video that time, but when Camie left for school I asked permission to use the idea... and thus was born this arrangement of Bach's Partita. Covering Bach has been done so much- not just classic performances but all the crossover stuff too. I decided I wanted to take some time to do something different. The inspiration to add a tinge of flamenco to something- specifically a buleria-inspired groove, had been gnawing at me for a long time. As I was preparing to release the Bach partita arrangement, I started thinking about how we musicians balance the need to both derive and contribute value from teaching/playing/composing music. Since such a big part of my audience includes string players (violinists, cellists, and violists) interested in studying contemporary styles and improvisation, making videos, podcasts, and this blog allows me to consolidate my efforts as a teacher, performer, and creator. I’ll be redoubling efforts to add new video content every week on my YouTube channel. You can subscribe to get notified about new content each week.

CREDITS Bach Partita #2- (“Giga”) Produced by Christian Howes Arrangement & Original Material by Christian Howes Performed by Christian Howes and Cedric Easton (drums, percussion, and cajon). Based on and inspired by J.S. Bach’s Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004 Cedric Easton recorded drums and percussion in Columbus, Ohio. Recorded, mixed & mastered by Justin Hrabovsky Thanks to Greg Byers for assistance with post production. Special thanks to Camille Vogley-Howes

Check out these other posts:

https://christianhowes.com/2017/11/30/the-intersection-of-classical-jazz-and-flamenco-with-pablo-martin-caminero-creative-strings-podcast-ep-25/ https://christianhowes.com/2017/12/19/musicians-how-to-use-video-in-2018-the-road-to-1000000-views/