Former first violinist with the groundbreaking Turtle Island String Quartet, Tracy Silverman has created a new pathway to improvisational mastery with Modal Jazz Etudes for Violin and Viola: The Frame Method. Guitarists and pianists use simple shapes and grids to outline chords, and Silverman has adapted this idea to the 4, 5, and 6-string violin and viola.

This visual representation creates a paradigm shift for many string players, who are rarely taught to think of their fingerboard in thi...