This blog is about playing the violin in all its aspects. In it I talk about what I think of as the top ten tips you can use to learn how to play the violin, be it as a hobby or as a professional.
The main thing is that you have to be dedicated to learning this instrument, and to practicing as much as you possibly can. You need to set aside time each day, even if it’s only for half an hour, and just practice the basics of your instrument and spend your time on perfecting them.
There are lots of things you can do to help yourself improve. One thing you can do is to listen to music played by other people, so that you get an idea of what it sounds like when played correctly. And if you’re a beginner at the instrument, then listening to a more advanced player will help you understand what’s going on.
There are also many different methods that are used by players around the world for learning how to play the violin, but some of them require more skill than others. If you don’t have as much skill yet, then try finding a method that works for you and stick with it until you become more comfortable with it.
Playing the violin is a great feeling. It is something that a lot of people want to do and many people also enjoy. There are many ways to learn how to play the violin, but if you want to play the violin like a professional then you should follow these top ten tips:
1. Practice your scales every day and in all keys.
2. Always play with good posture and always hold your bow correctly.
3. Learn to read music by learning to read tablature and notation simultaneously.
4. Buy the best instrument that you can afford, because it will make it easier for you to learn and improve your technique.
5. Listen to classical music, especially the violin concertos of Mozart, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky as well as solo works by Bach, Paganini and Bartok.
6. Learn about the history of the violin and how different instruments were played in different eras of classical music history such as Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern periods (for example, string players would not use vibrato during Baroque period).
7. Practice playing with other musicians in an orchestra or quartet so that you can become familiar with playing as part of an ensemble rather than just soloing all the time!
As a violin teacher, I have many students who are interested in learning more than one instrument. This is great! The more instruments you learn, the better you can understand music. If you already play the piano and would like to learn how to play the violin, here are ten tips to get you started.
1) Choose a violin and bow that are easy to hold. Many people think that because they are tall, they need a full-size violin. This is not true! A violin should only be as big as is comfortable for you. If your arm is too long for a smaller size, try the next size up instead of a full-size violin.
2) Get comfortable holding the bow before you even attempt to play it on the strings. To do this, put your thumb under the frog of the bow (the frog is the part where your hand goes). Now place your pinky on top of the stick towards the tip of the bow. Put your first two fingers on top of the stick towards the frog end of the bow.
3) Now relax your hand and adjust your grip so that all four fingers touch each other. This will ensure that there is no tension in your hand while holding the bow.
4) Restringing Your
Playing the violin is hard! But, there are some things you can do to make it easier. Here are a few tips I have for you:
1. Have a good attitude about practicing. If you don’t practice your violin, you won’t get any better.
2. Practice everyday. This will keep you in shape and keep your violin playing in top form.
3. Play with others. It’s fun to play with other people and really helps your listening skills and musicality.
4. Listen to recordings of the great violinists like Jascha Heifetz and David Oistrakh while you practice, they will inspire you to play better.
5. When learning a new piece of music, learn one section at a time, then put the sections together to learn the entire piece of music.
6. Play slowly at first until the notes are secure, then gradually speed up as your hands become more comfortable with the notes and rhythms of the new piece of music you’re learning.
7. Don’t worry about making mistakes when practicing or performing, it’s all part of being human! Just forgive yourself and move on from them quickly…they happen to everyone!
8. Practice with a metronome or drum machine so that
1. Practice, practice, practice!
2. Don’t get discouraged at first.
3. Listen to good violinists.
4. Play with others if you can.
5. Be patient with yourself and your progress.
6. Take lessons from a teacher (especially at the beginning).
7. Keep your instrument in good repair and use good strings on it.
8. Listen to yourself play and try to hear how your playing can be improved.
9. Learn to tune well and be able to tune your violin without tuners or an electronic device unless you use one as a backup or when you are unable to tune your violin by ear (use a pitch pipe or piano). You will find that it is easier to tune your violin by ear when you play with another person who plays the violin well (if the other person tunes her/his own violin using tuners, etc.) than if you are alone and have no way of tuning your violin except by using tuners, etc.).
10. Practice these tips over and over again!
1. Practice. A lot.
2. Today’s practice should be better than yesterday’s practice.
3. Be sure to focus on the hard parts so that you can improve them.
4. Be sure to listen to yourself play, and hear how you sound. You will learn a lot just by listening!
5. Record yourself playing, and listen to it even more intently than you do when you’re practicing in person!
6. Play with a metronome, starting at a slow tempo and gradually increasing the tempo as your skills increase.
7. Learn music theory so that you can understand what you’re playing better, and also be able to improvise.
8. Listen to recordings of other violinists playing so that you can hear what they do differently than you do, and what they do better than you do, and try to emulate them!
9. Enjoy it! Even if things are hard at times, don’t give up-you’ll eventually get there!
10. All the best!
1. Learn where to put your fingers
2. Learn how to hold the bow
3. Learn how to play open strings
4. Learn how to play first finger notes
5. Learn how to play second finger notes
6. Learn how to play third finger notes
7. Practice, practice, practice!
8. Play every day, if possible
9. Listen to music that you enjoy
10. Patiently persist