Jazz is one of the biggest challenges a violinist can face, with the thought of improvisation likely to strike fear into the heart of even the best classical player. This book demystifies the process, taking you step by step through everything you need to know about playing jazz violin. The work of players such as Stephane Grappelli, Joe Venuti, Stuff Smith and Jean-Luc Ponty is examined in detail, and styles including gypsy jazz, belop, modal and fusion are explored. Topics covered include: analyzing a chord sequence · bowing · chord symbols · double stopping · harmonics · how to construct your own solo · how to swing · pentatonic, bebop and blues scales · vibrato · and more. An accompanying CD with 65 tracks for listening or play-along is also included. Congratulations to Chris Haigh for creating a well-organized, useful jazz method book. Haigh draws in his readers with familiar major scales. He gently walks them through pentatonic and blues scales. He weaves in stylistic hints to help players sound more authentic. Then he bravely leads his readers through the complex world of jazz theory and harmony. And to make it friendly, he laces the book with just enough humor to get his readers excited about doing the necessary work. His explanations are clear, concise, and charming. Most helpful are the short musical examples that capture the musical essences of each player he discusses. His insightful analysis makes it possible to do more than just play by rote, but to internalize the ideas and make them your own...Exploring Jazz Violin is a complete manual for players at all levels to plunge in and get started.--Strings magazine