Any violinists here on TB?

[Fassa Albrecht]

I know there's cellists and DB players on here, so I was wondering whether there are any violinists.

I've been offered (and have taken up) violin lessons, and I've just bought a violin.

Any advice, good pieces to play, tips etc. would be most helpful.

[Spector_Ray]

My daughter's been playing violin for 6 years now and loves it. She's in the school orchestra as well as the city's youth symphony orchestra. I'll have her post here when she gets home from school.

[Qvist]

I used to play violin. Can't remember how to play it =P

[honestjohnny]

Rosin your bow everytime you play.
Loosen and tighten the screw on the bow before you put it away and before you play respectively.
Use black electrical tape to mark the positions until you get used to them.
Use the fine tuners on the tailpiece, in addition to the pegs.
Never remove all the strings at once to restring; the bridge is only held on by the strings!
Focus on bowing one string at a time, when you're good at that then work on double stops.
A light touch is best, especially since you're used to bass guitar.
Get a Schatten pickup to go with it, even if you don't want to play out. It's awesome playing through FX.
Get a mute for the bridge, 'cause you're gonna suck for a while. Spare your family! And you'll need it for some pieces anyway.
Experiment with the chin rest position.

The Hungarian Dances and the Brandenberg Concerto in D were always my favorites.

[Spector_Ray]

Originally Posted by Fassa Albrecht

I know there's cellists and DB players on here, so I was wondering whether there are any violinists.

I've been offered (and have taken up) violin lessons, and I've just bought a violin.

Any advice, good pieces to play, tips etc. would be most helpful.

I've played violin for six years, and I started the Suzuki program my second year, which helped me so much. There are 10 Suzuki books, and my private instructor started me on them. The books include about 5-7 songs (songs are grouped together based on skill level) and also include lessons on position work and playing technique. Most of the advanced players I know were taught by way of the Suzuki method and I can say it helped me improve at a very quick rate. The books usually cost around $7-$9 and most violin teachers are familiar with the lessons. If at all possible, go Suzuki. It breaks violin down in a way that makes it easier to learn and much, much easier to improve upon.

As for tips . . .

1. Invest in a good shoulderrest. It will improve your posture and prevent many errors in your technique.

2. Learn how to practice. I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but there are thousands of violinists who don't know how to properly practice or who don't practice enough, given the level of their music. For beginners I'd suggest 1/2 hour to an hour a day, depending on your music. When working tough passages in the music, work a measure or two at a time. Metronomes are also secret blessings! They can come in handy when learning bow control and finger technique. Don't just practice your music, though; practice technique (position work, scales, arpeggios, etc.) as much as you practice your music. If you work on your actual music for a half hour, practice technique for a half hour.

3. Visit a luthier. A luthier (violin repairperson) can evaluate your instrument, repair any damage (if needed), and give you advice on pieces to play and ways to care for your instrument.

4. Study. If you don't already, try listening to the works of famous violinists (Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Jascha Heifetz[my personal favorite], Hilary Hahn, Isaac Stern, Yehudi Menuhin, just to name a few). Observe their styles and technique, and broaden your musical spectrum. Also try researching some famous composers (Beethoven, Bach, Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Haydn, etc.) and their works. Knowing this background information can help you with the phrasing and musicality of their music.

I could go on forever about the violin, but sometimes it's better to learn from experience. I wish you the best of luck and I hope you continue playing the violin for years to come.

[username n/a]

I play cello, dose that count? Ohh I do have advice. Patrice, a lot. Like at least 20 min a day on just scales then like at least half an hour on not scales.

[Zombbg4]

Originally Posted by username n/a

Patrice, a lot.

Sorry but thats no minor misspelling...its a FAIL!.

[Fassa Albrecht]

Practicing!

[username n/a]

Originally Posted by Fassa Albrecht

Practicing!

No, when you play a classical instrument it's called patriceing.

[Fassa Albrecht]

Originally Posted by username n/a

No, when you play a classical instrument it's called patriceing.

You think I'm daft don't you?

Actually, no, don't answer that.

[fdeck]

Hold your fingers really close togther.

[Fassa Albrecht]

Originally Posted by fdeck

Hold your fingers really close togther.

It doesn't help I have big hands...

[username n/a]

Originally Posted by Fassa Albrecht

You think I'm daft don't you?

Actually, no, don't answer that.

I don't even know what daft means. Is that like Daft Punk?

EDIT:I just looked it up on el internets. You're daft!!! BURRRRRN

[Fassa Albrecht]

Originally Posted by username n/a

I don't even know what daft means. Is that like Daft Punk?

Daft= silly

[fdeck]

Originally Posted by Fassa Albrecht

It doesn't help I have big hands...

No kidding. My daughter is 8, and is playing a 1/8 size violin. I can't even finger consecutive notes without doing the opposite of pivoting.

I would give a piece of advice, which is to invest enough so that your instrument is of decent quality. Lots of things can go wrong with any instrument, but violin pegs will drive you mad if they don't work properly.

But big-handed folks can play violin, so don't lose too much sleep over that issue.

[username n/a]

Originally Posted by Fassa Albrecht

Daft= silly

daft
–adjective, -er, -est.
1. senseless, stupid, or foolish.
2. insane; crazy.
3. Scot. merry; playful; frolicsome.



Also I think you should play cello instead of violin. Cello pwnz. See;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGnAzkh9kn0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdwgz...eature=channel

[Fassa Albrecht]

Originally Posted by fdeck

No kidding. My daughter is 8, and is playing a 1/8 size violin. I can't even finger consecutive notes without doing the opposite of pivoting.

I would give a piece of advice, which is to invest enough so that your instrument is of decent quality. Lots of things can go wrong with any instrument, but violin pegs will drive you mad if they don't work properly.

But big-handed folks can play violin, so don't lose too much sleep over that issue.

Luckily Ive been able to practice using a borrowed Stagg violin. Not the best but it's good enough to get a note out of.

And I know what you mean about the pegs issue- I had a lot of problems tuning and it turnrd out the pegs were sticking.

[Fassa Albrecht]

Originally Posted by username n/a

daft
–adjective, -er, -est.
1. senseless, stupid, or foolish.
2. insane; crazy.
3. Scot. merry; playful; frolicsome.



Also I think you should play cello instead of violin. Cello pwnz. See;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGnAzkh9kn0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdwgz...eature=channel

Those two vids are awesome!!

[hsu912174]

Be aware of the fact that you can do most of the things WITHOUT shifting. (How nice is it when you don't have to move your hand to avoid a open note!)

And, be gentle with the bow - last semester I played violin in a quartet while playing the principal bass in the orchestra, and I have had complaints about me being too forceful on the violin.

[Hoover]

Originally Posted by fdeck

violin pegs will drive you mad

I took one semester of violin way back when I was an undergrad, just 'cuz I'd always wanted to play violin and I figured I'd rather get credit towards my degree fulfilling an old fantasy than have to take yet another asinine History Of Western Civilization prerequisite.

Boy did I get that out of my system! The only thing that sucked worse than the tuning pegs on a violin was me playing on a violin.