Caprice No. 5 is one of 24 caprices for solo violin composed by virtuoso violinist Niccolò Paganini in the early 19th century. The piece is known for its fast tempo and technical difficulty. Paganini is said to have been able to play it on one string, but there is no evidence to support or refute this.[1]
The piece has been transcribed for several instruments, including saxophone, piano, cello, bassoon, accordion, and guitar.
The piece is also associated with the movie Crossroads as "Eugene's Trick Bag,"[2] which was written and performed by Steve Vai and heavily inspired by the caprice.
The first recorded true transcription of the piece appeared on Eliot Fisk's landmark recording that transcribed the entire 24 Caprices for the classical guitar.
Though written for the violin, the piece has also become known amongst guitarists, particularly because of its appeal to the technical proficiency of the shred guitar genre. This can be seen from virtuoso Jason Becker's version of the piece, re-arranged for electric guitar (see External Links) and for Yngwie Malmsteen's use of Paganini inspired techniques in his music. Yngwie Malmsteen created a guitar tab transcription for the piece (which deviated from the original score) in an issue of Guitar World magazine. The following are examples of the piece in modern music:
Cory Arcangel produced a mashup video,[4] or Caprice No. 5 supercut, for his 2011 Solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art.