Hey all, What have you been working on this week? Does anyone have a good suggestion for others to practise over the weekend?

Something that @Nicola Milne mentioned on one of my posts got me thinking about coming from a classical background… If you’ve come from classical music to jazz, it might sometimes feel like you are in a different world with jazz, and whilst that’s sort of true, here is how you can use that background to your advantage. A lot of new jazz violinists come from classical. People often feel like they have to forget or undo that background, but I don’t think it’s a hindrance at all. Actually I think it can actually be a massive advantage, and one that many fiddlers and folk players might even envy. Classical practise takes a very focused mind when it comes to detail and perfection. Use that. Don’t throw it away. I’ll chat about the bigger differences in other posts, but for now I want to give you a tangible way to actually use your classical mindset in jazz. Say you are working on a transcription. Treat it like a piece of music you had to learn for a performance to be played without the page, like a concerto you were getting ready to perform or audition with. Learn it in full and don’t move on until you have it right. Intonation, execution, feel and expression. One of the ways you can do this is intense listening and playing along with the recording of the solo. This isn’t quite how we do it in classical music, but keep that classical mindset and focus on detail and perfection. It’s not a hindrance. It’s a strength, if you direct it properly. Do you think your classical background gets in the way, or does it help?

I'm slightly obsessed by Florin Niculescu's playing on Tchavolo Schmitt's version of 'It Had to be You'. Has anyone had a go at playing this? I love the way he plays outside the chord tones in some of his melodies but I'm not experienced enough to figure out exactly what he's doing. What do you all think of his solo? And the way he plays? If I can learn this solo I feel it will teach me so much. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AX00O426TE&list=RD1AX00O426TE&start_radio=1

Looking to hear one thing you have practised a lot that has helped you make large leaps in your playing. I’ll go first... Forcing myself to play a certain amount of phrases within a certain amount of bars. For example, taking an 8 bar section of the form and saying: "I have to play three improvised phrases within this section." What’s yours?

When you first started learning jazz violin, what practical thing held you back? Swing feel, learning tunes, improvising, technique… something else?