noelbeni ruling shenae

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Francisco Raya

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Aug 2, 2024, 11:00:31 PM8/2/24

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AMAZON REVIEW
"I am a Director of Music at a Prep School and I teach violin to whole classes as well as having a son who learns violin and loves fiddle music. As an educator, I can tell you that this book is very clearly presented and every step is explained very clearly in non-complex language. Exercises have a very clear objective and the basic technical challenges of playing the violin are dealt with quickly and effectively from the outset (care of the instrument, bow hold, pizzicato, bowing, where to place your fingers, high 2 versus low 2 and semitones versus tones, slurs etc etc - surprisingly, scales become simple beginners things in no time, rather than complex Grade 1 challenges to battle with!). The CD presents material at a slow tempo and at full speed meaning that pupils also have 'learning tracks' that they can work with until they've mastered their new challenges. This book is suitable for a very beginner and moves on to become very useful to a Grade 2-4 violinist with a good mixture of string crossing, slurs, scale and arpeggio patterns within traditional tunes etc. Each piece is introduced with its background which is in itself interesting and then a focus on a specific technical feature or two with an explanation of how to master that challenge. As a true comparison, I have just sent 2 other books that I bought from Amazon back as they simply moved too fast and seemed rather dull and uninspiring. I therefore am very happy to recommend this clearly laid out, well thought out, step-by-step pedagogical method. Great job Fiona!"

AMAZON REVIEW
"I have gone from zero to playing a little jig with this book - you have no idea how happy this makes me! I am an adult beginner, who has always loved Scottish music, and the tunes in this book are just a joy to learn. The CD is good enough to listen to in its own right but playing along first to the slower versions, then the faster ones, is great fun and very rewarding. I never thought I'd be able to master the fiddle but the instructions are clear and the progression is challenging enough to be interesting whilst never daunting. HIghly recommended."

AMAZON REVIEW
'As an adult beginner trying to teach myself fiddle (with a bit of live input from a classical violin teacher) I wanted a book with a CD that had accompaniment I could play along to- not just demonstration fiddle parts (useful though they are.) This is a graded course taking you from the absolute basics of holding the fiddle and beginning music theory through to playing pieces. I didn't need the music theory, but I can see that it's presented in a very approachable way that would suit the young learner, and there are some lovely humorous drawings to liven up the pages. Some of the well-chosen tunes are traditional Scottish and some are composed by the author: all are lovely and great fun to play. A big advantage is the inclusion of slow versions of the pieces at a speed that a beginner can play along with- the tunes are good enough to stand up to this treatment- and playing with accompaniment is so motivating. Then the pieces are also played at a more normal speed, giving something to aim for as one's skills develop (hopefully!). Highly recommended for children and adults alike."

When I had the extraordinary privilege of working in the same episodes as Bob Newhart, I stayed on the stage the whole time, just to watch him work. I mean, how could I not? He made it all look so easy, and holy shit he was so funny, even more than you think.

In this country, six unelected christian nationalists, five of whom were placed on the court by presidents who lost the popular vote, all of whom are opposed by SEVENTY PERCENT of the population, are making up laws out of whole cloth because their power is unchecked. A country that allows six people to impose their regressive authoritarianism on an entire population is not a free country. It is not a Democracy.

America has not been attacked like this since 9/11. Six unelected people forcing their christian nationalist agenda on a population of three hundred and forty million is not a Democracy. It is tyranny.

For years, a whole bunch of my friends kept telling me that I needed to meet Todd Stashwick, because we would be fast friends who share a ton of extremely nerdy interests. Todd is the dungeon master for an ongoing D&D campaign a few friends are part of, and he runs these really great one shots set in a world of his own design, called The Dark Age of Theer.

A lot of these influences inspired me when I was developing Titansgrave (just add in some Thundarr the Barbarian) so you can probably imagine how excited I was to explore the lore and details of the setting. And if you can imagine that, you can probably imagine how excited I was when Todd told me he was planning to develop The Dark Age of Theer into something pretty epic, with a team of extraordinary collaborators, and would I like to contribute to it as a writer?

My books Dancing Barefoot, The Happiest Days of Our Lives, and Dead Trees Give No Shelter, are all available, performed by me. You can listen to them for free, or download them, at wilwheaton.bandcamp.com.