It's a bit like the difference between taking violin lessons from a concert ...
350741
As others have described, the knowledge is this book is meaningful, but obtusely expressed.  It's a bit like the difference between taking violin lessons from a concert violinist, vs. a violin teacher.  The concert violinist goes, "Do what I do" while playing a symphonic piece, and leaves it to you to break it down and perform.  The violin teacher has already broken down the methodology into easy, sequential steps, with plenty of examples and practice.

On the authors website, he does sell a video course, but that's not much better than the book.  Instead, I went to YouTube and found the author's talks on each subject.  After I read a capture, I went to YouTube for the follow-up.  Even with that, I still spent 10-20 hours per capture of additional study and research.

So, the knowledge is excellent, but you're going to need to do your own intellectual heavy-lifting to translate the knowledge in this book into a practical trading methdology.
566898
I have to say that I frequently really enjoy "period" instrument performances.  This recordings uses baroque sounding instruments.  I have found that listening to "original instrument performances" to be interesting and sometimes really exhilarating.  I noticed that so many of the earlier attempts at "original instrument" performances sounded scrappy, scratchy, and kind "sharp" sounding.  They were interesting, but I was not willing to put my modern instrument recordings to the wayside.

This set of performances kind of remind performances by the earlier performers of period instrument performances.  It does not sound scrappy or quite as extreme as Rheinhard Goebbel's performances, but it does not sound as refined as the Festetics.  I am not sure if I like the Quartette Mosaiques on Astree.  I prefer a subtler approach, but with the leaner sounding instruments that allow the listener to hear so clearly the textures in the composition.

From what I have read, it does not appear that we really know how these period performances would have sounded when they were being played by the composers and musicians of that time.  The current crop of musicians seem to make the best educated approximation of what it must have sounded like.  While I would tend to believe that modern musicians are probably technically more expert players than the musicians of 200-400 years ago,I cannot believe that the gifted musicians of the time were not capable of phenomenal virtuoso playing as well as playing of great beauty and subtlety with the instruments of the day.  They were used to the qualities and limitations of those instruments.  In short, I wish that these performances were more subtle.  I would say that I preferred the Solomon Quartet's playing on Hyperion to these.

Having said that, I am glad that I have these performances to listen to.  The price is wonderful.  It probably took Amazon 6-7 weeks to get this set.  The sound is really quite exhilaratin.  If you are interested, get them now.  I would be surprised if they are not out of print in the near future.
1415973
love playing the violin! the book helps play/read music, as instructed. instructor required. doesn't include fingering/holding. not for the basic beginner
3916782
the first track sounded like something and then (to me) sounded like he was practicing for the most part.
4387567
Some of the letters are rather similar due to the font chosen, as opposed to when people actually write them or the use of a different font (ex. Vao and Daal).
Also the Listening exercices are read pretty quickly for a beginner at least. That means if you acteally want to repeat the sound while looking at the text (while practicing your reading) you have to stop and start the audio. Even just the repeating after hearing has to be done quickly.

Not huge problems though, it's mostly constructive comments to better the next edition hopefully. Other than that I've only begun but it's well organized and presented. I think they're very thorough.
2438882
This tiny book is interesting, but not particularly enlightening with regard to the "structure" of music.  Regardless, it was worth doing/having.
2741985
I received my order quite quickly (earliest date of the estimated delivery) and was pretty pleased with what was inside the package.  It did indeed come with all it advertised, a case, bow, rosin, headphones, bridge an strings, and a 9-volt battery as well as an amp cord (which appears to be of decent quality).  The bow was straight (not bent sideways) and has wonderful curvature, actually made of wood and clearly has been strung with real horse hair.  The rosin is cheap as expected, but sufficient for a beginner. I'm new to violin and can't tell you what quality the strings that shipped pre-strung with mine, but they tuned well enough and after a week of fiddling with the violin I've finally got it to hold it's tune for at least a day (at first it would hold only for minutes).  The case is slightly disappointing because it is just kind of a synthetic cloth bag, and I would be very uncomfortable with using that to actually transport it out of fear that the bow would snap or the bridge would fall. Not very protective.  The sound is not bad.  It is much louder than you'd probably expect, though. The tone sounds off compared to that of a real violin, as expected, but with headphones and the tone knob adjusted, you can experience a more realistic sound if you desire. The headphones included in my set were not of very good quality, one side being almost silent, but this is really unimportant as I had no intention of using them anyway.  The only truly important negative, one that quite disappointed me was that the bridge came with no grooves or divots for the strings to sit on.  Though there were some inarticulately placed pencil markings where grooves might go.  I ended up making them myself, looking at diagrams online and it seems to have been a good enough job.  All in all, pleased with the purchase.  A very small price to sate a 12 year-hunger to learn the violin.
3379175
This disc features a young Ukrainian  prizewinning pianist, Mariya Kim, playing early works by Schumann based on the well-known solo violin pieces by Niccol&ograve; Paganini, the Caprices. (Schumann's later Humoreske fills out the disc.) Schumann composed two sets of works based on the Caprices, the first, his Opus 3 written when he was 22, called 'Studies after Paganini's Caprices'. These are basically the violin caprices played by the piano and fitted out with accompaniments. The second set, Opus 10, written the following year, are called 'Six Concert Etudes after Paganini's Caprices'; they are considerably more virtuosic and Schumann rather considerably elaborated on the caprices.

Amazon does not tell us which Schumann etude was based on which Paganini caprice so, for those violinists and  others who know the Paganini pieces I will set out which etude is based on which caprice.

Op. 2 Studies:

Study No. 1 is based on Caprice No. 5 in A minor
No. 2 -- Caprice No. 9 in E minor
No. 3 -- Caprice No. 11 in C major
No. 4 -- Caprice No. 13 in B flat major
No. 5 -- Caprice No. 19 in E flat major
No. 6 -- Caprice No. 16 in G minor

Op. 10 Concert Etudes:

No. 1 -- Caprice No. 12 in A flat major
No. 2 -- Caprice No. 6 in G minor
No. 3 -- Caprice No. 10 in G minor
No. 4 -- Caprice No. 4 in C minor
No. 5 -- Caprice No. 2 in B minor
No. 6 -- Caprice No. 3 in E Major

These works are not often played in concert, either as sets or individually, although I do remember Claudio Arrau playing Study No. 2 as an encore more than fifty years ago. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, these are not particularly memorable Schumann. And second, some purists are somewhat offended that Schumann dared to tinker with Paganini's originals.

I'm glad I've heard them, but I don't think I'll want to hear them again too often.

The Humoreske, Op. 20, on the other hand is fairly frequently played and recorded. And although Kim's playing is reasonably good it does seem a bit tame when compared to recordings by Sviatoslav Richter (on mp3)&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Schumann-Humoreske-Fantasy-Pieces/dp/B0015PF1FS/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Schumann: Humoreske, Fantasy Pieces</a>, Radu Lupu&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Robert-Schumann-Radu-Lupu-Kinderszenen-Kreisleriana-Humoreske/dp/B00000422M/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Robert Schumann: Radu Lupu - Kinderszenen/Kreisleriana/Humoreske</a>, Ann Schein&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Schumann-Davidsb-uuml-ndlert-auml-nze-Arabeske-Humoreske/dp/B000056CG0/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Schumann: Davidsb&uuml;ndlert&auml;nze; Arabeske; Humoreske</a>, or Vladimir Ashkenazy&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Great-Pianists-of-the-20th-Century-Vladimir-Ashkenazy/dp/B00000I93W/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Great Pianists of the 20th Century - Vladimir Ashkenazy</a>.

Scott Morrison
633168
I am still trying to get accustomed to it since it is a bit different from the kindle. With practice I know I will get to be just as good or better
3549826
I got this video because I've never been quite able to figure out how to tap well. Sure, I could tap out a lick or two, but nothing fancy.
Jeff Warner is, by far, not the greatest on-screen teacher I've seen. His "talk throughs" seem a bit improvised on the spot. Also, the entire thing is rather short.
That said, I went through the first few examples, and it was clear that I had just learned something new. If you're an intermediate or advanced player, you'll be easily able to expand on the examples with your knowledge of harmony and scales. For a raw beginner, the benefits are bound to be rather small.
Overall, not a bad purchase, especially if you grab a used copy.
487865
I have owned the CEVN-1NA for almost two years.  I first ordered both the 1NA (full shape) and the 2NA (cutaway shape). I compared the build quality of both and found them virtually identical and acceptable. I returned the 2NA because I preferred the full shape instrument (your preference may differ). I then followed some suggestions by previous reviewers.  I replaced the tailpiece with a good quality one - for example, a Wittner Ultra tailpiece with integral tuners. I then took the strings from my real violin and put them on the Cecilo.  In the process of replacing the strings, I lubricated the tuning pegs with graphite (you could also use a commercial product). The bridge seemed to be fine so I kept it.  The bow is a very inexpensive one, so I donated it, along with the original strings, to an elementary school music program.  I use my regular violin bow or one of my backup bows.

Now I have a very good basic practice tool. It travels well and seems to be robust. I use the headphones rarely - because in practice situations I want to hear the natural sound of the bow and strings together.  If there's too much ambient noise, I use a full ear cup set of headphones from my stereo system.  The instrument has held up well. When putting on new strings, allow a few days for the _strings_ to stabilize.  I have not found any problems with the instrument itself which affects the tuning - usually the instrument holds its tuning over subsequent days.  I don't think this instrument is a "concert quality electric instrument", but that was not my purpose and for this price you should not expect it.  It's a good practice tool, or a "fiddling around" instrument.  Basically, you are paying for a fairly robust "harp" - take it from there, with the modifications noted here and in some other reviews, the instrument is ready for more expanded possibilities.  Happy music playing :)
866166
It works amazingly for my violin.  I'm still figuring out how to use all of the functions, but it's fun learning!
3423875
I purchased this course in Jan. 2007 and have completed the first CD and now on to the second.  I must say that Michel's approach is quite different from other courses I have tried on Italian.  Most courses start out with the traditional greeting between two people. Ciao! Come sta, etc.  The first thing Michel talks about is "there are a few thousand words that are similar in English and Italian".  The first Italian word you learn is "possibile" or "possible" in English. Then "" for "it is", then "per me" for "for me"  Put together " possibile per me". You have your first phrase "it is possible for me."  I am on the second CD and have not hear "Ciao" yet!  Right away you start learning the spoken structure of a sentence by learning several verbs and how to use them in a sentence.

You are learning with two other people. They are struggling to say it just like you are.  Make sure your CD player has a pause button.  You will need it and have to press it very quickly. When Michel says "How do you say...." listen quickly and press pause. Try it yourself in Italian, then press play.  The other students on the CD will try to say it.  You learn much better if you try it first before listening to the other students.

I gave this four stars , since on occasion, there are some phrases that have a word that Michel has not mentioned yet.  The students seem to know it somehow. So far this has happened with "con me" and "con Lei" (with me, with you) and "La vede domani" (I will see you tomorrow).  Michel says the word "La", but does not say why it is in the sentence.  Also, with the first CD, I think Michel is teaching in the "formal" context, using Lei for "you" instead of "tu". However, he does not mention that fact. Even though Michel says not to review, I found myself needing to do that, and would recommend it before moving on with lessons.

Overall I think it is a great way to learn. You find yourself looking around you and thinking how that would be said in Italian.
2340068
Returned. Its ok, but the music is the same ole same ole. Take lessons or persist you'll develop skills quickly enough without for just 15 minutes a day
2462749
I bought this so that I could play duets with my wife, a professional violinist (I hadn't played much in almost 40 years).  The notes are simple enough that I could master them, and not so simple as to be boring.  With the included CD, I was able to learn what I needed to learn in one or two practice sessions.  This was a great choice for me, a long-out-of-practice violinist, and would probably be equally good for an advanced beginner.
4166424
This is the second set of Bach's violin concertos I have come across, the first one had Leonard Bernstein at the harpsichord and Issac Stern playing the violin.  I have yet to compare both of them to Bach's violin concertos by Andrew Manze or Tafelmusik, which are supposed to be the best renditions.
Just comparing the Hilary Hahn and the Issac Stern version, I enjoyed the latter much more because the tempo and the phrasing are much better paced and controlled.  Hahn and Stern's techniques are both superb; but tecniques do not necessarily translate into emotion and exquisite details.  Hahn and the orchestra rushed through every single piece as if their lives depended on it, so much so that there was little contrast between even the fast and slow passages, and everything came out in identical texture ladden with some sort of  thoughtless and emotionless frenzy, which is very unfortunately.  Bach should be such joy to listen to; but listening to their CD made me disconcerted and confused.  I will be very hard pressed to listen to it again.
1260461
I am a novice, I admit it. But at the first lesson, when playing the cd that accompanies the book, they are playing more than you are learning. What's with that? Why do the add plucking strings when they haven't told you which ones they're plucking?!