So surprisingly I ended up with two violins, one is a Franz Hoffman Concert that a friend gave me but without a bow, then another is a Samuel Eastman VL80 that I got from a flea market that has a case and bow for 50 bucks (Bought this one mainly for the case and bow to start with). Now question is, which violin should I stick with since looking up online I see that they seem to be in the same level(?)
Hey, so I haven’t played in about 5 years - and have decided to pick it up again. I have my grade 7 so that’s the ability I’m able to play at (so far).
Catch is - most of the time I listen to classic metal, and I’m having a hard time finding something to play on the violin that interests me.
Does anyone have some recommendations for pieces that are fast, maybe metal orientated?
Hi everyone!
I’ve been playing the violin for about 5 years, and I’ve always had lessons with the same teacher. I’m moving away for university for the next two years, so unfortunately I won’t be able to afford regular lessons with her anymore. She told me I could always message her if I have a specific question or get stuck on something, which I’m really appreciate, but for the most part I’ll be practicing on my own.
I’m looking for advice on how to structure my practice now that I won’t have a teacher. What should I be working on regularly to keep improving instead of just playing through pieces? Are there any exercises, études, scales, or routines that you think are essential for someone at my level?
How do you keep practicing when you don’t have to play for your teacher once a week?
One of my biggest goals is to improve my tone, especially my bow control. I’d love to develop a fuller, warmer sound instead of one that sometimes feels a bit thin. The only downside is that I’ll be living in a student residence, so I’ll probably have to practice with a practice mute most of the time and only rarely without one. Would that be a problem?
I’d also appreciate repertoire recommendations for my level since my teacher won’t be the one to pick the pieces for me. The last pieces I worked on were Bach’s Violin Concerto in A minor and the 3rd movement of Vivaldi’s Spring from The Four Seasons. I’d love suggestions for pieces that would help me continue progressing while practicing independently.
Thanks a lot!
Hey guys is there anyone who knows how to play a violin and can teach me how to play one.
I inherited this violin 25 years ago from a family friend (he was from Toronto area). I recently had some cracks repaired. The luthier who repaired it said it sounds wonderful and estimated it was made circa 1900.
Can anyone help me learn any more about the origins of the violin or identify the signature from under the tailpiece?
Thank you! 🙏
Hello all. Fairly new to playing the violin. I got it for Christmas last year and have been teaching myself. Today officially marks my first issue I can’t seem to figure out. I was tuning my violin and the tuning peg on my D string will not stay. I turn it and it goes right back to where it was. The string is very very loose, so it’s not the tension or anything. The strings were changed maybe 2 months ago at a music shop and I’ve had no issues. It’s a holiday weekend so nothing is open. Send help 🏳️
While doing a bit of cleaning through my mom's office, we found my great grandfather's violin. According to my mom, my grandfather swore it was a Stradivarius, but she's pretty sure he was wrong. I saw no kind of identifying marks or anything on the inside.
I was just curious if any of you could tell me anything about it, or at least point me in the right direction, it's well over 100 years old at the very least, as my great grandfather had it for decades before my grandfather was even born, and he was born in 1902, and I'd love to be able to uncover some history about it.
Thank you again, and apologies if this isn't the right subreddit to post this kind of thing.
I have my grandfather's violin. I believe it's a Suzuki from the 1920s. I recently opened the case to take photos and found all the strings were broken. There is no music store in my town and I'm a percussionist, not a violinist. I restore and refinish drums, but know little about violins. The violin won't be played, but I want to have it restrung for possible display.
What type of strings should I buy?
Can I attempt restringing myself, or is paying a violin teacher or advanced student appropriate?
Is there anything I should do with the body or other components to maintain them?
After learning about the existence of the violin octet (where the "normal" violin is the mezzo violin), I got curious: would it be possible to tune a ¾ violin a fourth above a normal mezzo violin?
If yes, should I use normal full size strings and just wind them a little more, or should I use dedicated ¾ strings?
I would mostly use it for additional harmonics for cello (similarly to how organ stops work: 8' cello, 4' viola, 2⅔' violin and 2' soprano violin), as it would use the same fingering, and be more resonant for the higher notes.
Is it a good idea?
He is 2. Obviously, he's not going to practice seriously, but would it be worthwhile to rent a violin for him? He's really into the bow, and he keeps grabbing the horsehair on mins, because he can't control it holding the frog.
For reference he is asking every day, more than once a day, and he started his interest in March or April
Hi all. I’m a beginner at violin, and I’d like to get more into it. As it stands, I can’t afford a teacher right now and I’m not certain when I’ll have the spare funds to get one, but I am still looking for one to see if I can find an affordable option anytime soon.
However, I’ve currently got a lot of free time since I’m in a state of transitioning between university and career, so I’ve picked up the violin again (I had briefly practiced with my ex-partner who played violin and he set everything up for me, and put tape onto my violin where needed, etc.)
I was wondering if there were any tips anyone had for my violin journey for now? I understand I’ll need a teacher eventually, but I don’t want to have to wait till then since I don’t know when it’ll be an option for me, and I’m only looking to play casually and in my free time. I would also love some tips and resources for getting into music theory for violin!
I’ve been merely practicing holding my bow for now consistently and trying to play clean A and D notes, recording myself to check my form, standing in front of the mirror, watching videos and using Tonestro, etc.
Again, I do understand a teacher will be vital eventually, but I really would like to just learn for fun now, so any help and advice will be amazing!
I’ve also got some background in piano, having self taught to grade 5 before becoming too busy with life, which makes the whole idea of “notes” and music theory slightly less puzzling. Thanks!
I can play nicely and mess up at the end sometimes after getting criticized a lot previously for how i was holding my bow I watched 20 vids on it now yall judge if im still holding it correctly or naw i slightly tilted my wrist in words so its easier to play tell me if its the wrong thing to do
I start learning some Bach partita and sonata pieces and asked my teacher if we could focus on learning the harmonic pillars first instead of going in note-by-note details. I hate going through notes by note in Bach as I need to strategically manouver my fingerings to hit the chords correctly while she said oh vibrate here and there oh go faster with the bow and slow down here, it’s very overwhelming!!
She seemed perplexed and said she never learned it that way. Since she also has a piano training I tried to explain that is the way I learn piano pieces by getting the idea of chords progression first and filling in the details later. She said piano is different, well I am not a pro but Bach pieces surely sound very chord-y if that’s the word.
Anyway out of curiosity, is my request to learn Bach violin pieces from harmonic pillars so unconventional ?
Hey,
Some context: I started a collection 10 years ago. The odd collection is: Musical instruments I taught myself. So far, my collection consists of an acoustic guitar, electric, piano, keyboard, xylophone (I know lol a bit useless for me).
I gave this context because I want to know.. based on what I’ve taught myself so far, is there anything I’ve learnt that’s harder than the violin? I need a good understanding of the challenge ahead so I can make a more informed decision
I have this impression that the violin is too technical to “wing” it. The way I learnt the other instruments, proper technique was the last thing I’d focus on. Yikes. I would play around with them first, learn a few songs through practice before anything.
I think for the violin I might need an instructor. Is anyone here self-taught? Would you recommend?
hi guys, ive been playing the violin for over 5 years now and the one of the most annoying parts of practicing for me is having to pause playing in order to go back n forth pages in my pdf file. im not deep enough into violin to own a foot pedal so i ended up just vibe coding this website which i though you guys might find helpful as well.
it uses blinking to go between pages so you dont have to pause your playing anymore.
free, and i literally made it cuz pausing between is a bother and want others to solve that issue as well without having to buy a $20 foot pedal page turn thing
you can use it here at: https://verceleye.vercel.app/
(btw go to settings button to calibrate blinks)
Erm guys, I would like to get back into "proper technique " with a teacher. However, i fear of wasting any minute of the expensive lesson, so I need to prepare what to say.
Basically, I was taught by a teacher of suzuki bk 1, and immediately joined the school orchestra. I was most of the time air bowing tho, and never used vibrato.
I then went for an audition for high school entrance, so I got another teacher to teach me 2 songs, suzuki bk 3. However, the interview stopped me halfway and didnt wanna listen, even questioned who was my first teacher.
Since then, I quit teachers. I tried self learning bk 4, and I sound horrible, according to my family members. I tried "easy violin pieces" like eline mozart and kiki delivery service, but I cant even get the right notes at first try. And in the mirror, my wrist looks upright while my arm is straight. I cant understand how YouTube shows violinists play with wrist straight from the arm.
I dont know where's my level. If I choose beginner, doesnt seem so. But if I choose intermediate, im afraid I might be more than that and waste the more expensive lesson fees.
Im lost. Advice pls.
Hi fellow players,
I need some help. I am woking with my child and she is starting to use 4th finger more as we work through book 1 Suzuki. Her hand position is more perpendicular to the finger board compared to what I typically see. It’s bringing her 4th finger too far away from the fingerboard and it’s giving her issues hitting the note at the right time. When I hold the violin myself it feels very awkward to have my hand turned more parallel to the fingerboard to bring the fingers closer. I’m not a violinist so I need some help. Is it a problem with the position of the violin relative to her body? Is it her not tucking her elbow correctly or is it just an awkward position that she just needs to get used to? I can’t really get any frame of reference relative to my body position because all we have is a 2/4 and so it’s extremely awkward for me when I hold it. can anyone help me and provide any insights as to what the most common reason for this hand position you can also see the green tape where I’ve splinted her thumb because she’s constantly curling it around.
I played violin from when i was 7-12 when i dropped it entirely (15 now) but now i want to start playing again but i can’t remember many things like how to read sheet music but i do remember how to hold a violin and play basic notes but is it really worth it to buy a violin and start playing again? Like will i be basically a beginner or would muscle memory help me be a bit higher than that?
Hi guys, I have been playing the violin for about 3-4 years now, and the last classical piece that I played was Bach partita no:2 gigue.(not in the original speed though, I can’t play that fast yet)I was wondering if the experienced violinists here would have any suggestions for what pieces I might be able to play. I like classical pieces more but I’m Im open to any recommendations.
Thanks in advance!