[mylife]

I have alway thought the violin should have had a premier spot in Rock rather than synthesizers. but the truth is that it is difficult to pay 50 people for textures and it is easier to pay 4 or five using modern instruments.

Is it the same? No
Is it based on the same aural ideas? Yes

[Revolting cat!]

And it did in certain periods, like the early sixties Nashville recordings,like Elton John's early work, Paul Buckmaster arranging, the Rolling Stones Moonlight Mile plus a couple of others, and the Philadelphia Sound of the 1970s - Thom Bell's productions of the Spinners and Harol Melvin, with Philly Symphony players doing the sessions.

[Spktyr]

Think so?

Then you need to check THIS out:

http://kotaku.com/gaming/bungie/corporeal-performs-halo-in-studio-222825.php

The kid with the electric violin is now in Julliard.

The music? Yeah, that’s “popular” music from the video game Halo. Modern classical music, adapted for “rock” instruments... which the classical stations won’t play. They won’t even play the original which was performed by a full orchestra.

[Antoninus]

I have alway thought the violin should have had a premier spot in Rock rather than synthesizers.

It does. The modern pop Country stuff uses a "fiddle" as one of its key instruments. Frankly, it's one of the things I love about Country music.

[SuziQ]

I have alway thought the violin should have had a premier spot in Rock rather than synthesizers.

A couple of years ago, I attended a concert of The Boston Camerata, which does a lot of Medieval and Renaissance music, and just after the Intermission, the director gave a little talk about the instruments played with the songs. One was the vielle, which was a precursor to the violin. The sound is very mellow, and is a wonderful accompaniment to the human voice. The director laughed when he said that when the violin was first invented, people considered it a vulgar sound, kind of like folks who prefer classical music considered electric guitars. ;o)

[norton]

"I have alway thought the violin should have had a premier spot in Rock rather than synthesizers. "

Good reason to listen to Bluegrass.

Seriously: has anyone seen the book?
Read it?
Sounds like interesting stuff for us non-musical sorts...

[ichabod1]

My take on that is that I think the violin was the guitar of the 19th century, and the violin soloist was the guitar hero of his day. Got the idea from Paganini and some of the Anne Rice novels.