Session 1: “Honeysuckle Rose,” Part 1: Rephrasing

from: Intro to Jazz Violin with Aaron Weinstein

This lesson is part of the course Intro to Jazz Violin with Aaron Weinstein.

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About This Course

Learn to play jazz violin from the ground up with acclaimed violinist and mandolinist Aaron Weinstein, who teaches you pre-composed solos for eight jazz and swing classics based on improvisation devices like melodic variation, repeating motives, using harmonic entry points, and more. Includes rhythm tracks, analysis of each solo, rephrasing suggestions, and more. Appropriate for mandolinists as well as fiddlers.

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Session 1: “Honeysuckle Rose”

In this video, Aaron walks you through the solo for “Honeysuckle Rose” and explains what he’s doing in each phrase.

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The Intro to Jazz Violin Subscription Includes:

Eight one-hour lessons
Pre-composed solos for eight jazz and swing classics, including “Honeysuckle Rose,” “It Don’t Mean a Thing,” “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” and more
Solos that focus on one device used for improvising, including using melody as an improv tool, finding motives, arpeggios, harmonic entry points, and more.
Melodic analysis and suggestions for rephrasing and variation
High-quality video recordings of each session, posted on Peghead Nation within a week of each session, so you can review what you've learned and revisit them after the workshop has concluded
Play-Along audio tracks for each song
Notation of each solo along with analysis of the solo and rephrasing ideas
Mandolin tab for mandolin students

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Session 1: “Honeysuckle Rose”

Session 1: “Honeysuckle Rose,” Part 1: Rephrasing

Session 1: “Honeysuckle Rose,” Part 2: Solo

Session 1: “Honeysuckle Rose,” Part 1: Rephrasing

In the first session of Intro to Jazz Violin, Aaron focuses on melody as an improvisational tool and looks at ways to mine the rhythmic and melodic material of the Fats Waller classic “Honeysuckle Rose" to create phrases that can be used while soloing. As a bonus, he shows you the infamous “Joe Venuti bowing pattern.” Then Aaron teaches you a solo to “Honeysuckle Rose.” In this video, he goes over the Honeysuckle Rose Tools: Rephrasing page of the music, and shows you the "Joe Venuti bowing pattern.”

Here is the clip of comedian Jonathan Winters on the Jack Paar Show that Aaron refers to in the lesson:

Jonathan Winters “The Stick” Jack Paar Show

Here are some classic recorded examples of “Honeysuckle Rose”:

Fats Waller

Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli

Count Basie with Lester Young

Louis Armstrong

Download the notation for the lesson, as well as a lead sheet to “Honeysuckle Rose,” mandolin tab for the solo, and a Play-Along Track MP3, below.

“Honeysuckle Rose” Notation Downloadable PDF (Available to subscribers)

“Honeysuckle Rose” Lead Sheet Downloadable PDF (Available to subscribers)

“Honeysuckle Rose” Mandolin Tab Downloadable PDF (Available to subscribers)

“Honeysuckle Rose” Play-Along Track MP3: Slow (Available to subscribers)