Fifty Famous Classical Themes for Violin: Easy and Intermediate Solos for the Advancing Violin Player

Excellent beginner books for the violin or viola player in their first or second year. Larry Newman has an entire series of music books for violin, viola and cello that are all excellent for players in their first few years. I would not consider these lesson books, but books to supplement beginner players to learn more popular songs. For my young boys, I have the Don't Fret colored finger guide on their 1/4 and 1/2 violins. Then to help them find the correct notes, I will sometimes use a blue, yellow, pink and green or orange highlighter to color the notes on sheet music. I know it's a learning crutch, but it makes finding and playing the correct note faster and easier....the more positive feedback they get in playing a correct note, the longer they stay with learning music and different musical instruments (I hope). I also like the books because the songs are also easy enough for the beginner player to start memorizing songs too. Between the cello, violin and viola, I think we own all of them.

This book takes themes that students are likely to have heard and arranges them in a meaningful, playable manner for beginning strings. It allows parts for more and less and advanced players, as well.

In my opinion is a great collection... Just need to PRACTICE, PRACTICE AND do some more PRACTICE after you PRACTICE...

This is a wonderful book. I play a mandolin, not a violin but I have had such fun playing the songs. Notes are easy to read. No page turning in the middle of a piece. Very familiar themes. I hope that this book will be written for viola soon as my future goals are to learn to play the mandola, tuned a fifth lower than the violin.

Nice, but the chords over the notes are confusing for students. Needs separate pull-out piano or violin part.

nice bunch of songs

Easy classical themes for the beginer seems to be just the right combination for me to grow into. There is a lot there for me too work on.

beginner adult on violin and this is so easy and so much fun to play

The keys could have been more thought trough. For a not so advanced violinist it's hard to play in several of the given keys. The songs could have been rewritten in a suitable key. Good choice for music.

There's a few things to like about this collection, and, unfortunately, a few not to like. To start with it's a decent mix of classical music, most of which will be familiar to classical music lovers, and the pieces are arranged in such a way they are quite easy to play. A second-year violin student to lower intermediate level will have not issue with the vast majority of these pieces. So, as a music book for easy violin music, this hits the spot.The downside is the printing. The violin staves are a decent size and I had no issue reading them on the music stand, but the print font chosen is messy and distracting. This applies to titles as well as notations. The writing on the front cover shows you the typefont used throughout the book. It's a poor attempt at looking hand-written, I think, and is out of place here where I want to see the music more than the titles and annotations. Alas, it was distracting to me as I leafed through the book. Why they couldn't have gone with a cleaner font escapes me.

The arrangements are very good and I would say tend to the easy level rather than intermediate. In any case good value for the money.