For the Greater Groove: The Future of Strings

Earl shows us how he does his signature hardcore metal bowing riff. We groove hack Metallica's "Disposable Heroes" and talk about finding your place in a band as a string player. Earl talks about growing up in New York and the impact of his mixed classical/metal background. Then we find out how much the Vitamin String Quartet member knows about...vitamins, of course! Disclaimer--there are a few F-...

Richard Greene, the inventor of The Chop, the bow stroke that has revolutionized string playing, recounts how he discovered/invented it back in his Bill Monroe days. And he also claims that, even though it feels like we have no idea what we're doing, we do, in fact, all peak in our 20's. Then I quiz the founding member of Seatrain about...seaplanes!

So much really useful, real-life, practical and applicable information for playing chords and chopping on cello from Renata in this episode! A discussion and a lesson in one. We groove hack James Brown's "I Feel Good" and I quiz the Kumbwaa Jazz Center Artist in the Schools about...Kumbaya!

In this episode, I dig into gear, style and rock and roll rhythm playing with the host of the Rockstar Violinist Podcast, Matt Bell. Matt breaks down the bowing for the main rhythm riff of his version of Zappa's tune "My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama", retitled "My Fiddle Wants to Kill Your Mama" and then we quiz the rockstar violinist on...Rockstar Video Games, the video game company.

Martha and I chat about creativity and how to teach it. Then Martha jams out on one of her odd meter looping grooves. In the Not My Gig segment, I quiz the leader of The Scorchio Quartet about...Scorched Earth, the video game. Hilarity ensues.

Joe talks about choosing rock and roll over his classical background and demonstrates some cool tricks of his trade. We groove hack James Brown's "The Chicken" and then, in the Not My Gig segment, we quiz the leader of Stratospheerius about...the stratosphere.

A long overdue in-person visit from my longtime TISQ big brother, Darol Anger. Darol gives us plenty of close up looks at his legendary chop in this Special Video Edition episode. Listen to the audio here and/or you can watch this episode at https://youtu.be/TPRTIkda8V4.  

Mimi and I groove hack James Brown's "Pass the Peas" and talk about non-classical articulation and space in playing funk. We discuss the importance of other cultures and styles in string teaching and address the systemic racism in the classical string tradition. Then we see how much Mimi knows about the character Mimi in La Boheme. 

Mark Wood and I go back to 1981, when we first started building 6-string violins together. We take a story-filled stroll down memory lane. (Pro-tip: look for the promo video on FB and IG--it features mid-80's era live footage of yours truly with my band Stradivarius in NYC.) This is part 1 of a two-parter. www.markwoodmusic.com

Continuation of our chat. For the Not My Gig segment, we find out how much Mark Wood, maker of the Viper electric violin, knows about real vipers. www.markwoodmusic.com

The good Doctor groove hacks The Trooper by Iron Maiden to play it on viola. We chat about his perspective on young string players as the head of strings at Berklee College of Music. Then I quiz Doc about Doc Martens shoes. www.docwallacemusic.com

Chris Groove Hacks the "Coffin Dance" and replicates it on violin. Then he illustrates how he approaches rhythm in his Creative Strings Workshops. In our Not My Gig segment, I quiz him on creative string art. christianhowes.com

Julie and I dig into a wonderful tune by African singer Cesaria Evora called "Angola" for the Groove Hacker segment. Julie shares her thoughts about capturing the style on your instrument. And then, since Julie is the founder of Strings Without Boundaries, I quiz her about the Boundary Water Canoe Wildlife Area. julielyonn.com https://julielyonn.com/

Mark busts out the guitar as well as the fiddle for this episode. He talks about the rhythmic life of Americana music and demonstrates some examples from his Mark O'Connor Method. Then I quiz the composer of The Improvised Violin Concerto about improv comedy. MarkOConnor.com

Mike groove hacks the groove on his tune "Make It Right" and shows us how he plays it on solo cello. We talk about the different rules for classical and pop styles and then, in our Not My Gig segment, we quiz Mike Block on Blockbuster Video. MikeBlock.com

Casey and I Groove Hack a tune in 7 called "Love is Stronger Than Justice" by Sting. We talk about chopping, grooving and traveling. And then, in the Not My Gig segment, we see how much Mr. Chop knows about...chopsticks. Caseydriessen.com