Ailbhe McDonagh - It’s a Violin Thing

(October 2025)

Designed to inspire violinists at every stage, these books deliver expert guidance on style and technique throughout, making each step of learning both accessible and rewarding. Ailbhe McDonagh notes, “while writing the pieces for It's a Violin Thing, I really wanted to create repertoire that would be memorable and fun to perform, while also having a specific technique in mind for every single piece".

It’s a Violin Thing Book 1 features 19 distinctive pieces with inventive progressive repertoire for beginners up to grade 3 standard. Book 2 includes 15 compelling and engaging pieces of repertoire for developing violinists of grade 4 to 8 standard.

Ailbhe highlights that “in It's a Violin Thing Book 1, there is a piece called Bass Tango which I love. This is full of character and you can really explore the tango dance form while playing this. In It's a Violin Thing Book 2, there is a piece called Boyne Street Rhapsody, which is the last piece in the series. This has a very dramatic opening cadenza-like start, which is followed by a vivacissimo section. In here you have all of the techniques; Left-hand pizzicato, harmonics, ricochet, and it finishes off with a fast and furious finale".

Each publication comes with a violin part and piano accompaniments, as well as audio downloads for both the piano accompaniment, recorded by Ailbhe McDonagh, and performance tracks with violinist Lynda O’Connor.

> It's a Violin Thing - Book 1 (Print)
> It's a Violin Thing - Book 1 (Digital)

> It's a Violin Thing - Book 2 (Print)
> It's a Violin Thing - Book 2 (Digital)

Other books in the It's a…Thing series include:
> It's a Piano Thing - Book 1
> It's a Piano Thing - Book 2
> It's a Cello Thing - Book 1
> It's a Cello Thing - Book 2
> It's a Ukulele Thing

Find out more about It's a Violin Thing in an introductory video by Ailbhe McDonagh:

>  Weitere Informationen zu It's a Violin Thing - book 1

>  Nachrichtensuche