Really Easy Jazzin' About: Fun Pieces for Violin: Violin Book

Wedgwood writes syncopation that actually sits under the fingers of a beginner without feeling overly simplified. The pieces feel stylistically authentic, blues progressions sound like blues, not watered-down exercises, which keeps students motivated and makes them want to come back for the next piece.

Approachable and playful, with enough rhythmic interest to keep things from feeling babyish. The pieces swing, groove, and occasionally introspect, mirroring the emotional range of early jazz and funk without technical pretension.

Violinists in their first year or two of study who are ready to step beyond classical repertoire and explore contemporary styles. Students often flourish when they hear themselves playing recognizable idioms, and this collection delivers that without sacrificing solid technique.

• Lock into the groove by counting ahead of the beat rather than on it; this shifts your internal pulse closer to how jazz phrasing actually breathes.
• Let the riffs sit in your tone rather than snapping each note off crisply; a slightly rounder articulation serves the funk and blues pieces especially well.
• Study the recorded accompaniment first without your instrument to internalize the harmonic pocket before adding your line.

Use this as a bridge between beginner and intermediate study, especially if you're building a recital or concert that steps away from traditional classical programming. A single piece or two fits naturally into pops concerts, studio recitals, or informal student showcases where you want to highlight the range of repertoire available to young string players.

• Syncopated rhythms and swing feel in contemporary contexts
• Blues scale vocabulary and improvisation readiness
• Articulation control for funk and jazz stylistic inflection
• Internalized pulse and groove orientation rather than metronomic counting
• Reading and performing in popular contemporary genres