New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Learning violin....

post #1 of 11
9/8/07 at 1:16pm
Thread Starter 
Anyone have good pro-tips? I'm a wiz on the guitar, keyboards...and pretty much any fretted instrument, so this is uncharted territory for me. I've been looking for sites that may be of use, but I'm failing in with that hah.
Reply

Head-Fi's Best Sellers

post #2 of 11
9/8/07 at 2:17pm
There are so many people who try to learn violin by themselves and develop extremely bad habits. The most budget solution is to take a community class, but that will only take you so far. You'd have to take private lessons, usually local symphony members would offer them.
Reply
post #3 of 11
9/8/07 at 2:52pm
It is, for most of the population, impossible to learn the violin without a teacher. Posture is so important that not getting it right in the first place will really compromise your playing in the future. When I first picked up the violin, I learned with stickers on the fingerboard. They were effectively frets so that I could learn where the various finger positions were. Actually I lied. At the very beginning, I didn't play any fingered notes! Open strings were all I did until I could get a fairly even tone. The bowing hand needs to be relaxed and made flexible. Then I started on string crossing and basic G major scales in the 1st position. The violin is immensely tedious and boring at the very beginning, but with time and practice, all that will become very worthwhile. It's really getting past that initial stage. I can assure you, your fingers will hurt and your muscles will ache from the unnatural positions, but that is all part of the process. Keep at it and good luck!
Reply
post #4 of 11
9/8/07 at 9:22pm
why play the violin when you can learn the cello?
Reply
post #5 of 11
9/8/07 at 9:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pne View Post
why play the violin when you can learn the cello?
The idea first occurred to me too. But when I looked at the school orchestra, there were only 3 violas compared to 20 violins and 12 cellos. Naturally I took up the viola

Budget is also important. Cellos cost much much more than violins and violas in the same league.
Reply
post #6 of 11
9/8/07 at 10:03pm
i wish i had gone for cello or violin. it suits the kind of music i like a lot more than brass. i hate being obligated to play an instrument, i just want to play it for me. maybe in college i will get the chance to start playing... i'm already off to a good start with piano, and cello is the other instrument that i really really wish i could play.
Reply
post #7 of 11
9/9/07 at 3:58am
My elementary, junior, and senior high school all had an orchestra (guess I was lucky?), so I took up violin. I'm not very good and stopped playing for about 6 years now, but I've decided to pick it up again too.

Unfortunately, I don't have any real suggestions to offer, except that taking private lessons is probably the way to go, if only to get you started. If you have any friends that have experience with violin, that's a good start too.
Reply
post #8 of 11
9/9/07 at 4:21am
violin is great but hard on the fingers try anything with keys!
Reply
post #9 of 11
9/9/07 at 4:50am
I can offer you private lessons: set up a webcam and mic, and I'll scold you from behind the monitor, $50 an hour. That's a bargain price That is infinitely more productive than learning from a book/video/internet, trust me.

I'm just kidding. Learning the violin is serious, it can't be faked away like learning a few chords on a guitar. It takes much groundwork to even get a good sound.

In the end it's very rewarding. The range of the violin far exceeds other instruments.
Reply
post #10 of 11
9/9/07 at 11:08am
"I'm so happy I can't stop playing!"
Reply
post #11 of 11
9/9/07 at 12:16pm
Get an instructor.

Now.

Guitar can be learned without an instructor. With a bowed instrument, you WILL develop bad habits that will ruin your ability to play well down the road if you don't get an instructor. I recommend that you don't even pick up the bow until someone with experience shows you how to hold it properly. Improper bow hold is very limiting to technique and is difficult to correct later on.

Speaking of bows, a cheap fiberglass bow might be fine for a beginner but you'll definitely want something nicer as you progress. I moved up to carbon fiber a year ago and the switch literally made my cello twice as easy to play. Your bow is just as important as the instrument itself, as insignificant as it may seem.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home

Head-Fi's Best Sellers