Fiddle Tunes

(energetic violin music)

I'm Mark O'Connor, and I'm a composer and violinist,

and I've recently composed and authored a new violin method

called the O'Connor Violin Method.

It concentrates on American literature,

so you'll have American fiddle tunes,

rock 'n' roll, ragtime, blues,

and a whole host of other styles

that make up the American music experience.

A lot of these tunes, yes,

they're designed for beginning students,

but the music itself can last a lifetime.

I mean I'm still playing some of these tunes

as a professional on stage,

and that's something that I think

is really magical about folk music.

And so I want to incorporate folk music

into string training for kids,

along with classical pedagogy.

(violin folk music)

Some of the principles of my method are new for beginners.

For instance, I instill a sense of creativity as we go,

so I have improvisational exercises that students

will start to examine right from the very beginning.

And I also have theory,

because I want to make sure that students know

not only how to play, but what they're playing.

I'm really drawing on my own experiences heavily for this,

'cause I think the path that I took,

however interesting and unique it was for the time,

I think times are changing, and I think that this story,

the story of being able to play classical music,

but also being able to have a working knowledge of fiddling,

of a working knowledge of jazz,

is going to be really important, I think,

in the years to come for string playing.

(fast violin music)