DeepBlue

Interestingly, Machold was referenced in the Wall Street Journal today. Although the article is not strictly about violins, it does talk about the Machold case extensively.

Collectors Intoxicated by Luxury Labels Are Played for Fools - WSJ

The article may require a subscription. I'm not sure. If not (or if you're a subscriber), it's an interesting look at how industries with extreme levels of information asymmetry tend to work.

Another thread reminded me of one of my other favorite apps -- Guitar World's Lick of the Day.

You can download licks from rock, blues, jazz, country, and other genres. You get the guitar and standard notations and a video demo.

It's really a great resource for playing alternate styles.

You don't mention if you want to play acoustic violin or electric. I think it would be very difficult to play acoustic violin in a classic rock band due to the stage volumes and feedback issues.

Fitting in is not really much of a problem. Just listen to what the lead guitar does. You're basically another lead guitar. Add a distortion pedal and some other effects and you'll be rocking in no time.

If you have an iPad, I recommend downloading the Guitar World app, "Lick of the Day." You have to buy or subscribe to the licks, but if you download the Classic Rock licks you should get some good ideas.

You'll find a lot more activity discussing alternate styles if you check out the Fiddle Forum (www.fiddleforum.com). While people here will discuss alternate styles occasionally, most of the conversations stick to classical topics.

Although it's not a violin-specific app, by far the most useful music app I have is ForScore.

I use it for practice and performance. The app has a built-in metronome that works both audibly and visually.

Although the screen is just a little too small for me to use in an orchestral setting with a stand partner, I use it with my praise band at church every week. In the praise band I am the only violinist, so I don't share a stand.

I have the Airturn pedal to turn pages. I create setlists for every performance and then use the pedal to turn the pages.

This app has eliminated the paper explosion that happened every Sunday morning when I tried to wrestle multi-page charts with multiple repeats and jumps for verses, choruses, and bridges.

This also means that I have all of my music with me wherever I go. I can annotate music at anytime, and if I arrive at a rehearsal early, it means I have other music with me that I can review if necessary. For example, if I arrive at praise band rehearsal early, I still have my music from the symphony with me to squeeze in extra practice time.

It's the best $5 I ever spent for musical equipment. Ok, so we won't mention the cost of the iPad and the $100 for the pedal, but still...

I'm using an iPad. Getting a screen shot may be a challenge, but I do love the convenience.