Editor's blog: will alternative violin styles ever catch on in Europe?
I’m just back from an exhilarating week in New York at Mark O’Connor’s Fiddle Camp.
There was a dizzying array of different styles and techniques on offer – almost too much to choose from, with jazz, Old Time fiddling, folk, Indian, hip-hop and even classical on the menu.
The top range of teachers opened whole new areas of sounds and techniques for me, and there were plenty of hardcore exercises for me to take away to help develop these areas.
You will be able to read my account of it in the November issue, but I came away wondering if there are any such ecumenical courses in Europe. Would it work over here? Would string players be open to so many different styles, or is this sense of exploration something unique to Americans?
What do you think?
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