Peter Spitzer

I hope you have had some educational fun with one of my publications! You can find a short bio on my studio website (www.hopestreetmusicstudios.com). You'll find a link to my blog on this Amazon "Author Page" - please check it out for some jazz theory writeups, amusing gig stories, book reviews, and occasional other posts.

If you are a string teacher who has been using "Easy Classics for Violin," you may be interested to know that Mel Bay has now published compatible "Easy Classics for Cello" and "Easy Classics for Viola" books. Like the other books in this series, they may be used in "mix and match" fashion as duets, in string ensembles, or as solos with piano accompaniment. The string books (violin, viola, cello) are mutually compatible, and are arranged in string-friendly keys. The clarinet, trumpet, flute, and saxophone books are mutually compatible, but are pitched in suitable keys for wind instruments.

If you benefited from the "Jazz Theory Handbook," you might like to check out my article, "100 Must-Know Jazz Tunes" (at www.hopestreetmusicstudios.com). It lists the most important tunes for an aspiring jazz player to learn, with notes on preferred fakebook sources for each tune, and a discussion of what it means to "know" a tune.

Saxophone and clarinet players might also be interested in another paper on the Hope Street website, "Adjusting Saxophone and Clarinet Reeds." This article includes a summary of adjustment procedures, short reviews of several books on the subject, and some notes from a friend on his reed-adjusting sessions with Joe Allard.

Also on www.hopestreetmusicstudios.com is an article on "How to Practice a Musical Instrument," including suggestions for students with different levels of experience.

Although the above articles are copyrighted, please feel free to link to them on your own website, if you like.

Thanks for your interest!

Peter Spitzer