There are a lot of violinists I admire, but the guy for me has always been Jean-Luc Ponty. I want to share my enthusiasm by transcribing some of my favorite solos of his and sharing them here. I’ve got a whole list of tunes I’d like to write out; here’s the first of them.
The tune is called “Elephants in Love” and is from his 1985 record, Fables. Check it out:
The chords underneath the solo are G# minor to B Major (with F# Major helping to get there). Five sharps can be tricky on the violin. I think the easiest way to approach this is to play most of the solo in half position (like you’re in Ab minor) and switch to first position when it’s easier. I printed my fingerings in the part; they should be a good place to start.
Ponty is playing a five-string violin (with the viola “C”). If you’re playing a regular violin, there are three spots that you’ll have to play up an octave. It works well to just play the written part and ignore the 8vb directions.
I think this is a great solo. Give a listen and have fun playing it.
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