What are some good violin and guitar duo songs?

[Dartful Dodger]

I know this has nut'n to do with nut'n, but I figured there are enough guys on this board with other interests that one of you might actually be able to help me on this.

My sister and brother in law are going away for the weekend and I volunteered to baby-sit my 8 year old niece.  She's been playing the violin for over three months now and I thought I could bring over my guitar and we could practice a couple of songs.  But first off, I don't know any simple violin/guitar songs, and secondly I don't know where or what kind of music I need to download for her to read.

I've done some searches for violin tabs and I've found out that tabs aren't useful or readily available for violins, which might put an end to this whole idea of mine.

If you guys have any ideas that can help me, or if you can think of any songs that might be fun and easy to play let me know.

Thanks!

[AtomSmasher]

I just did a quick run through my music collection and heres a few violin songs I found.

Eleanor Rigby by the Beatles.
Hurricane by Bob Dylan
Devil Went Down to Georgia by Charlie Daniels (its actually a fiddle)


Wikipedia might offer a bit of help:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violin#Popular_music

[shmokes]

She just needs regular sheet music, as she's always playing one note at a time (as opposed to chords) - at least if she's only been playing three months.  Dust in the Wind immediately comes to mind, but that violin solo is probably way too advanced for her.  In fact, if she's only been playing three months I think you'd be better off having her bring over the books she's currently working out of and then search for tabs for THAT music.  It's probably going to be more akin to things like Camp Town Races and Ode to Joy.

[Dartful Dodger]

I think you'd be better off having her bring over the books she's currently working out of and then search for tabs for THAT music.  It's probably going to be more akin to things like Camp Town Races and Ode to Joy.

Doo-da... Doo-da

That's a good idea.  I'm staying over there so I'll just use my sister's computer and search for guitar tabs for songs she already knows.

When I have time I'll look at the Wikipedia link too, because I think a weekend of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star will drive me crazy(er).

Thanks

[TOK]

Rebel Meets Rebel, by Rebel Meets Rebel. It really is some great violin playing, but I believe you'd technically call it a fiddle due to the style. 

[danny_galaga]

do you think she'd be up for kashmir by led zeppelin 

[ChadTower]

Does Eleanor Rigby even have guitar?  Or anything else besides (nonguitar) strings?

[Pi]

Yellow Card has a violinist in the band, they do kind of hardish-rock (OMG they call anything hard-rock today), you can try listening to "Way Away".

Less orthodoxe, there's a .S3M by Cybelius called "Without Trying", it's a rock ballad where the voice has been substituted by a violin. The mixture is really nice (as he has an horrible voice otherwise). Actually you could try most rock ballads and try to play the voice with the violin, although that will give almost any song that dinstinctive "elevator music" tag. Another trick is trying to imitate the guitar riffs with the violin, I don't remember who was doing it (Menuhin?), when I watched it in a classical music program in TV it sounded really good. Whatever, "Without Trying" is in the Cibelius' "musicdisk" called "Frustration", full of good punk songs. You might be able to find it in one of these "demoscene" sites, and then play it with a S3M/MOD/Etc module plugin for WinAmp.

[shmokes]

Does Eleanor Rigby even have guitar?  Or anything else besides (nonguitar) strings?

For that matter, does Eleanor Rigby even have violin?  It sounds like cello to me.  At least, that's how it sounds in my head at the moment.

[ChadTower]

There are some fairly high notes that could be violin.  They'd be subtle compared to the cellos, though.

[shmokes]

Yeah . . . I just played it and there are unquestionably violins mixed in with the cellos.

[ChadTower]

Makes me curious who did the arrangement.  I suspect someone outside of the Beatles did a good amount of it. 

[danny_galaga]

was it the london philharmonic?

[ChadTower]

Erm, no, I was talking about who arranged it, not who played it.

[danny_galaga]

Erm, no, I was talking about who arranged it, not who played it.

so was i...

[ChadTower]

Apparently George Martin arranged it.

[cw]

violin and guitar... check out houstons own ... Blue October... not to be mixed up with the group for over the big ocean....


1st disk...     the answers   (amazing)
2nd disk       consent to treatment.....      (fantastic)
3rd disk        history for sale    (even better live)
4th disk        argue with a tree   (live album recorded in Dallas)
5th disk        Foiled                       ( powerful)

there big single off of foiled is hate me playing on the radio and vh1. 
The violin player is just amazing, my son plays violin and was just  blown away by his first show.....



can you tell im a fan?

[Dartful Dodger]

I printed up a bunch of music sheets, practiced Twinkle Twinkle and a couple other lullabies until I had them down, and after lugging my equipment she didn't want to play the violin at all.  I forgot that playing a musical instrument is a lot like doing homework to a 7 year old.

Another fun surprise I got while babysitting is my sister's littlest girl is allergic to peanuts so she explained to me about administering the epinephrine.  She then gave me a "practice" shot so I could see how it worked.  I put the shot on my thigh added pressure heard the click, and then felt a pinched.  I pulled the shot away from my thigh to see an inch long needle sticking out of "practice" shot.  She said "That's not suppose to happen"  Then she looked at the epinephrine and said  "This isn't the testing shot, this is a real shot that expired February 02.  I must have put it in this drawer so it wouldn't accidentally be given to Sue."

To add to that Sue walks into the room sees me rubbing my leg, swearing and holding the epinephrine with an inch long needle sticking out of it.  She asked why it had a needle, but I think she figured it out before she even finished the sentence.  All this time she thought the shot would be exactly like the testing shot.  No needle, or at least a needle that wasn't an inch long.  It made me a little queasy thinking that needle was just in me, so now she's terrified thinking that she might have to be stuck by it someday.

We looked it up online and couldn't find any warnings about healthy people getting accidentally shot with epinephrine. Since there was no information about 4 year old epinephrine I just stayed near a phone incase I started to feel numb or dizzy.

Fun! Fun! Fun!

[shmokes]

That's awesome.  It sounds like it's right out of an Arrested Development episode (which everybody should be watching -- go rent disc 1 of season 1 and I guarantee you will watch every available episode in short order).

[NightGod]

Unless you have heart or respritory problems, epi is about as dangerous as a couple No-Doze.

[Negativecreep0]

what was the name of that song the creepy midget was playing on the banjoe in Deliverance, dun nu nu nu nu nu nu nu na

[_) (V) (-)]

Duling banjos?


Dartful, Maybe your neice would be interested in a violin band called BOND, Check them out sometime, sort of a pop-ified classics played to a disco beat by supermodels kind of thing.  They are fun for dad to watch anyway. 

[shmokes]

Oh yeah, that reminds me of the Corrs.  Really good.  There's probably violin/guitar in every song.  And it even seems like they're Irish (I could be wrong about that). 

Though, maybe it's neither here nor there, first because she can barely play at this point, and second because he already said that she wasn't interested in playing with him. 

[_) (V) (-)]

Agreed, but at some point she'll take notice of the instrument (hopefully) and many times young kids see the more 'traditional' instruments as stuffy and boring. Bond puts a lot of flash and glitz into it. Perfect for young kids plus it plants the seeds of them classical melodies we all know and love into their brains.  Just add fertilizer.... 

[Dartful Dodger]

My niece wants to play guitar.  Not because of me, her friend has one.  I asked my sister why she isn't letting her play guitar and she told me she wants her to learn an instrument she can play in a school band.  I told her playing in a garage band will be a better experience all around.
My sister promised her if she learns violin she can take guitar lessons.

It's a good deal for my sister, since she isn't going to learn violin.

[shmokes]

It's a good deal for your niece too.  She's going to learn to understand music notation and theory.  Guitar has tabs which lets you cheat.  The skills that your niece learns in violin are transferable to virtually every instrument on the planet.  She will be a much better guitar player because she has a foundation in violin. 

With that said, if she's already asking for guitar . . . I'd probably just put her in guitar.  She'll probably be much more successful doing something she wants to do than something her parents want her to do.  Who knows?

My $.02 anyway.

[Dartful Dodger]

It's a good deal for your niece too.  She's going to learn to understand music notation and theory.  Guitar has tabs which lets you cheat.  The skills that your niece learns in violin are transferable to virtually every instrument on the planet.  She will be a much better guitar player because she has a foundation in violin.

I took violin when I was a kid, and even after 30 years of not playing I think it helped me with the guitar.

She's learning through the Suzuki technique.

Unfortunately this wont carry over to anything but the violin.

It's all about listening to the music and memorizing the mechanics. According to this method learning to read musical notes just confuses the pupil.

She is learning to play the way we learned to talk, it's slow at first but once she masters it, she will be able to play anything as soon as she hears it.

Or at least that's the line the teacher is using for why she can't play Twinkle Twinkle after 6 months of lessons.

[shmokes]

I'm not sure how I feel about Suzuki.  At best I think a kid should start in Suzuki early on, like when they're your niece's age, but by 10 or 12 they should be moved to traditional lessons.

[shmokes]

She is learning to play the way we learned to talk, it's slow at first but once she masters it, she will be able to play anything as soon as she hears it.

Or at least that's the line the teacher is using for why she can't play Twinkle Twinkle after 6 months of lessons.

It's probably a bit absurd for me to resurrect such an obscure thread, but my 5-yr-old has been in violin lessons since the beginning of the year and I gotta say, she'd be going absolutely nuts if she still couldn't manage Twinkle Twinkle. I dunno how your niece is in the patience department, but for my daughter six months of just screeching about and not producing any discernible music would have been punctuated with frustration and crying and probably an end to violin lessons.

[eds1275]

What I would do is just grab any old piano/guitar/vocal book, strum the chords and let her play the vocal melody, which is usually the only thing that is in standard notation. Who cares if the original has violin. Vocal lines are often easier than the underlying stuff anyways. If you get the vocal melody over the chords it will be recognizable enough.

[Dartful Dodger]

I dunno how your niece is in the patience department, but for my daughter six months of just screeching about and not producing any discernible music would have been punctuated with frustration and crying and probably an end to violin lessons.

That's what happened. She quit soon after I started this thread.

That whole method of learning/teaching sounded like a ridiculous gimmick to me.

I wouldn't say I can play guitar, but I can sit down and play a handful of songs.

She can’t do either with the violin.

-1 for Suzuki.

[DaOld Man]

...
Devil Went Down to Georgia by Charlie Daniels (its actually a fiddle)
....

That was my very first thought Charlie did a bunch of songs using the fiddle.
I cant remember, was "Still in Saigon" using a fiddle for parts of it?
Must hunt it down and play it....