Creative Strings Podcast with Violinist Christian Howes: Exploring intersections between creativity, music education, string playing, DIY music business, and culture. Creative Strings is a non-profit organization with a mission to support music education

Duncan Monserud, marketing director for Electric Violin Shop, joins Christian to discuss the main challenges, choices, and solutions for string players seeking to go electric. Scroll down this page to listen, join the conversation in the comments, and find a time-coded table of contents to help you zero in on specific topics. Electric Violin Shop has expertise and they will answer your questions. Give them a call at (866) 900-8400. We appreciate their support of the Creative Strings Podcast. Visit www.electricviolinshop.com/creativestrings and use promo code CHOWES to get 5% off your next order!

"When you started a band, you started a business." Tiffany L. Goodman of Goodman Artists has been representing artists in jazz, classical and world music since 2009. Listen in below as she lays out key components of success for working musicians in episode 8 of the Creative Strings Podcast. In this episode you will learn: - The importance of video in your marketing - Tips for building a presence with photos, a website, and social media - The difference between a manager and agent - Tips for cold calling and using your network - How to develop and maintain an agent-artist relationship This episode is brought to you by the Electric Violin Shop. Visit the Electric Violin Shop, your one-stop shop for electric instruments, amps, gear & accessories, and most of all, expertise. Use code CHOWES at checkout and take 5% off of your order.

Join us in part two of a special two-part episode in which Dr. Markand Thakar challenges us to transcend the ordinary through music. "To absorb yourself into the sound you have to let go of your place in the world..." Markand Thakar is a music director of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra and co-director of graduate conducting at the Peabody Conservatory. Drawing from ideas in Markand's book- Looking for the "Harp" Quartet: An Investigation into Musical Beauty, we investigate: Fundamental elements of totality of the sound Balance, playing in ensembles, tempo, tone Teaching and conducting This episode is brought to you by our friends at the Electric Violin Shop, your one-stop shop for electric instruments, amps, gear, accessories, and most of all, expertise. Use code CHOWES at checkout and take 5% off of your order.

Marking Thakar is a music director of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra and co-director of graduate conducting at the Peabody Conservatory. In this episode you will learn - About Markand's book Looking for the "Harp" Quartet: An Investigation into Music Beauty - How music can move all of us - How to convey the deeper meaning of sound / music - How to measure the creation and release of tension by using volume, tone, energy, speed and rhythmic intensity - Using intuitions to have beautifully compelling performance This episode is brought to you by the Electric Violin Shop, your one-stop shop for electric instruments, amps, gear, accessories, and most of all, expertise. Use code CHOWES at checkout and take 5% off of your order.

This episode features jazz violinist/mandolinist, Jason Anick, a 28-yr-old rising star and regular instructor at the annual Creative Strings Workshop summer conference and Berklee College of Music. Scroll down to listen and learn: - how Jason combined the best of classical and jazz practice routines to develop bulletproof musicianship - his routines and regimens -- scales, transcriptions, improvising, backing tracks, self-recordings, writing - doing business as an artist- managing and organizing schedules, gigs, follow ups, tours - maintaining a balanced, positive mindset in the music industry This episode is brought to you by the Electric Violin Shop your one-stop shop for electric instruments, amps, gear, accessories, and most of all, expertise. Use code CHOWES at checkout and take 5% off of your order.

In this episode with Noa Kageyama: -Noa on nerves and anxiety for the musician/performer. Factors, and causes, solutions. -Simulation of performance environments in practice, methods. “The better we know ourselves, the better we know what happens under pressure, the more effectively we can prepare for those things,” "Performance Practice" and it's definition. -Not turning off the intensity “switch” when it comes to performances. Dedication. -Dealing with distractions. “An excuse really becomes an excuse when you use it to justify not doing more to prepare,” Thanks to the Electric Violin Shop for supporting the Creative Strings Podcast

The head of Berklee College of Music's American Roots Music Program Matt Glaser discusses changing music education, creativity and mindfulness in music. - “Inevitably the classical world has had to come to grips to this tsunami of young players playing fiddle tunes,” - “I don’t care that is something is good or bad, music is inherently good,”

How an indie musician built a touring career living out of his DIY vegetable-fueled van, developing multiple income streams, and ultimately let it all go. - "The biggest piece is having an accurate sense of how you're perceived." - "I don't think you should underestimate what it means to get someone in buying into your email list..." Thanks to the Electric Violin Shop for being great at what they do and also for sponsoring our effort. For more information about the podcast please visit http://christianhowes.com/category/podcast/

Creative Strings Podcast with Christian Howes - Episode 1 Billy Contreras and I sat down to speak live at the 2014 Creative Strings Workshop to discuss Billy's life, music, and more. Later we edited this podcast to include several amazing clips of Billy playing from his early days to his records with Christian Howes, to his most recent projects. This progression shows how Billy's playing has evolved from simple country fiddling into the improvising master he is today.