Violin Answers

I’ve been playing violin for a long time now, but havent completely learned vibrato, & I want to. Someone has sorta tried to teach me, but that was a while ago. Thanks!!:D

-anything useful will help
*ect. notes

I am teaching my little brother that’s 6 to play the violin i have only been playing 2 years…

I just started to play the violin, & i have really no instrustions what so ever on how to play. Altho i can make sound, an know how to hold it, i need some more help on how to play it. Of someone can give me a website to help, or just give me some tips id greatly appericate it!

Do you know where I could get free Beatles sheet music for the violin on the Internet?

Hi everyone,
I’ve have been fascinated with the sound of violins ever since I was young but due to the lack of funds my family would never allow me to learn or own a violin. I do not blame them or hold a grudge because they really wouldn’t be able to afford it back then. Right now I am 22 years old & I am starting to gather my own funds from working & I would love to start playing the violin. I’m very dedicated & really want to learn how to play properly. Of course I’m a total newbie at this so I wouldn’t even know how to start so I have a whole lot of questions for you all.
1° How hard will it be for me to become good on the electric violin at the age of 22. A friend of mine said I shouldn’t take it up anymore since I started way too late & I will probably not have developed the talent needed to become a good player. I have never ever played an instrument before except for the mandatory flute lessons in elementary school.
2° I am planning to get an electric violin because I won’t be able to practice except for in early morning & late evenings/nights & I don’t want to bother my neighbors or roommates. I have no idea which violins would be right for me though, I don’t even have an idea of good brands for electric violins. A violin playing friend advised me to get a very cheap one (Stagg EVN 4/4 PK Electric Violin Outfit in Pink) to first start out with. She said it’s a great practice tool & will be more than enough to master the basics. Does anyone have experience with the same violin who can give me some feedback?
3° Is it possible to learn the basics by yourself or online lessons? I won’t have enough money to start taking professional lessons right away but I don’t want the violin to just lie there to gather dust until I can afford it.
I hope you can help me out on this matter.

How do I know what size I need? And what is a good violin for a beginner? Someone bought me one for Christmas a few years ago, but it is SO cheap, that I can’t at all get it to tune without breaking a string. I am now looking for one that is good enough quality for a beginner, but not so expensive that if I end up hating to play that I waste a bunch of money (plus I am a poor college student).

1) when i play my violin, & we’re not even going that fast, on up bows i seem to crunch & let my bow go too far. i think this might be cuz im left handed & don’t have much control over my bow arm. i thought your grip should be kind of light & loose, & it really frustrates me when we are playing extremely quiet fast notes like 16th notes & i crunch & i can’t stop my arm. i’ve never been that great at bowing
2) i can’t play pianicimo or pp idk how to spell it. like when we are at concerts & everyone is playing extremely quiet, i can’t. i will do the same thing & let my bow fly & make it too loud. so i fake bow at moments like that.
3) once we played ratatouille, where there were like 10 measure of sixteenth notes in 3/4 or commontime, & i couldn’t play them like i cant move my arm that fast…it was easy too like it was a really fast scale just like in sixteenth notes really fast & i can’t do it & it sucks! i get really frustrated with myself & i can’t do anything right. UGH

Please help me. I’m wondering on how to find the best tail piece, strings, rosin, & bow for my violin. Currently, my Dad suggested a Paganini rosin. Is it good? What strings are of good quality & has hard tension? There are two kinds of bows. A white or a black one. Which one would be good for it? Thank you very much for you help.

I play violin, & my biggest flaw when I play is that I don’t play loud enough.
Anyone have tips on how I can improve?

I hate violin but i also like it. I want to be able to play the violin well but i have no confidence to keep on going. I have a test coming up in school, andI have to play Hornpipe. I usually get a low A or a B on my test & I really want an A.
I also hate getting grades in Strings because other students in my class get 95s or 100s. I practice 2/7 days a week for maybe, uh, 30 minutes. I dont think it is enough ( nd this may be the problem) but i never practice more. PLEASE HELP!!!!

For starters, get the simple things out of the way: Learn the basic notes, try to memorize the sound of each note (this is very hard if you don’t have a good ear, as in listening to tones), & basically learn how to hold the bow & violin appropriately.
Learn how to hold the violin bow correctly FIRST. It can get in the way later. I had been playing for 5 years, when I suddenly realized the grip I had on the bow was not allowing me to do quick strokes & remain balance. Here’s how I hold the violin bow now, which has greatly improved my performance:
All of your fingers should be curved, including your thumb & pinkie. Anyway, your pinkie should be resting on top of the screw, which is that silver part that rotates in order to increase or decrease strain on the bow hairs. Next, your thumb should be in that U shaped hole in the frog. The frog is the bottom, black part of the bow. Anyway, it should be bent, & make sure it is not sticking out to the other side. Next is your index finger. Your hold hand should be supported by this finger, as it is going to be higher up the bow, about an inch seperate from the middle finger, right on the pad. The middle & ring finger should be going over the bow. The middle finger should be to the left of that small dot on the frog, while the ring finger should be to the left of that same dot.
That pretty much sums it up for the bow. Now for the violin. First, let me recommend this: Get a shoulder rest & a chin rest (the chin rest is not optional of whether to get or not. >_>). The shoulder rest will help you A LOT. Place your chin on top of the chin rest (duh >_>), in between the chin & left chest bone. The violin should be almost horizontal.
Those are the basic positions. Now, you’re going to HAVE to enroll in some kind of class, as you will have a very difficult time if you don’t.
Here is an explanation of the terms I used for the violin:http://www.thecellosite.com/cello_bows/v…
Here is an actual picture of how to hold the bow:http://www.folkofthewood.com/page368.htm

I am really want to learn how to play the violin, but I don’t know how. Can someone give me tips so I can learn besides from practicing?

http://www.thestringzone.co.uk/categorie…
I came across the website above, as i need to get a new bow. I don’t want to spend anymore than £50, but i don’t know whats a good & whats a bad bow.
If you could look through the websites for me id be very grateful http://www.thestringzone.co.uk/categorie…http://www.thestringzone.co.uk/categorie…http://www.thestringzone.co.uk/categorie…
im a grade 6, & i do want to get up to grade 8 but im not thinking of doing anything professional though.
And also the mute, the cheapest iv found is here:http://www.thestringzone.co.uk/categorie…
but its violin shaped so im wondering if it works well at all, or would it be better to buy this one at a higher price?http://www.amazon.co.uk/Torte-mute-for-v…
the 1st website is much cheaper because the P&P is free
if you could tell me anythings from that id be grateful, or if you know anywhere i can get these items at a better price thanks!
xx

Let me address the tuning first:
Use a tuner when you practice–try the Korg CA-30. I would focus on tuning first vibrato second as vibrato can mask the true pitch of the note. So, if you’re working on a shifting exercise have the tuner hooked up (w/a clip mic unto your bridge) & then just stop in random places to see how on target you are.
In addition–work to get sympathetic vibrations out of all Es, As, Ds, & Gs, on your instrument. Since those are your open strings, if you play those fingered notes in tune, the open string will resonate & vibrate indicating it’s in tune (given your strings are in tune!)
People saying, “you just have to hear it”, don’t understand the process of ear training. Not everyone was born with a fantastic ear–several of us have to work at it.
Next vibrato:
Go into fifth position so that the palm of your hand is on the upper bout of the instrument. Place your 2nd finger on the wood of the instrument & then start the motion at the elbow “hi-fiving” your instrument. When that feels natrual, stay in the same position, & just move the finger over onto the fingerboard (still use 2nd to start). Then come back into 1st position keepig the same motion. When in doubt, go back up into 5th & repeat the process. This gets the arm vibrato going first & then the hand vibrato will come later. I find several students get messed up vibrato by focusing entirely on hand/wrist first! Work 2nd finger, then 3rd, then 1st, then 4th. Make sure nails are cut, you are on your fingertips, & placing one finger at a time.
I do the above things with my middle school orchestra students & playing in tune can be done.
E-mail me if you have any questions or if this doens’t make sense!

I am interested in purchasing a violin. What should I look for beyond the basics? (strings, pegs, etc.)

i have a violin test coming up & i m just a beginner
i m still learning how to play & the teacher didn’t teach us very well
most of the time, she is teaching the advance players & didn’t have time for beginners
now the test is here! & i can’t still play it perfectly. i don’t want to lose marks too. Help me!!!

I take violin lessons & I really want to keep playing. However, sometimes I just get really frustrated, & I don’t want to practice. Violin’s sort of hard for me. I’ve even noticed that I’m not doing so well in it these days. I have to practice very good everyday. Any tips on how to keep going?