I’m inspired by a lot of violinists, so I thought I’d share just some of my favourites. I’ll be doing a few posts like this!
Listening to other violinists helps me to develop my own sound. I always identify what I like or don’t like about a violinist’s sound, and then try to incorporate those things into my technique. The violinists on this list all contributed something new to my sound.
All of the violinists on this list are pretty different from each other, with different styles and strengths, so this isn’t necessarily a good list to make a playlist out of. However, I would definitely recommend listening to each of these artists to give you new ideas about what you want YOUR violin sound to sound like.
- Vanessa Mae. Mae is a popular classical-crossover violinist. She takes classical style music and turns it modern with drums and guitar to back her up. I really like the energy and precision in her playing. She inspires me to work harder on my classical techniques because of how she uses such old techniques in a new and refreshing way.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1XucD9urBtUadfCNvZc4Pp
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e00InJbXPLk - Andrew Bird. Asides from being a musical genius and composer, Bird is an extraordinarily gifted violinist. I can barely begin to describe how much he inspires me, and how much time I’ve spent listening to his music. He brings the violin to the forefront in his indy-folk style playing. Not only does he play the violin, but he also sings –– and it’s pretty cool to see the lead singer with a violin, rather than a guitar, tucked under his arm.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/search/results/andrew%20bird
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGAzPtwUJJU - Echae Kang. I first discovered Kang in a youtube video she posted playing a cover of the old standard “Sunny.” I was blown away by her creativity and skill. Seriously, just watch the video. I don’t want to spoil it with any more words. Go. Now.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47VVvUwD4M4
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0reIv9BhOh8MRF71RuxHHB
If you have some favourite violinists, send me an email and let me know about them! Maybe I’ll feature them in my next blog post.
Maya
