I need HELP!!!! Please!!!! Violin trouble!!!! Help!!!

[ahbach]

Hello All!!
I have just recently been given a Violin...I've always wanted to play one....and it seems that it's a good violin as far as holding tune and its sound and pitch....but I have a problem a BIG problem....I know nothing about Violin  I mean I don't even know what sort of rosin would be best for my bow....I know several of you on here play Violin....and I need help....I mean what sort of rosin do you buy? what do you reccomend? I am a beginner so I need to know these things....also what sort of books would be good for a beginner to buy...I'm not able to have a violin teacher right now...so I'm going to attempt to teach my self somethings I really want to learn as much as I can...the violin is one of my favorite instruments so I'm going to work at it...I just have no idea of where to start!!! So please...please...PLEASE help me out here!!!
Thank you in advance!!!! 

[neardn]

what sort of rosin do you buy? what do you reccomend?

Any rosin from a music store is fine. Make sure you keep it in a box, wrapped in some kind of cloth, or somewhere that isn't too hot.

I am a beginner so I need to know these things....also what sort of books would be good for a beginner to buy...

For someone that is beginning, books are generally useless. Unfortunately (especially for you) the only way to learn is to find a teacher, or someone with many years of experience. Learning yourself to play violin is tedious and extremely difficult. Even so, I recommend the Leopold Auer books as a reference.

[go12_3]

There is a website for violinists,  violinmasterclass.com , where you can help helpful tips from the members there; you need to registar, like you do here, and then you can browse around the site.  You can post for help and it will be a great resource for you. 

I would recommend to get a teacher as soon as you can though in order to learn to hold the violin properly and holding the bow. There is a lot to learning to play violin, yet rewarding too.

I would recommend the Suzuki book on "I Can Read Notes" which will aid you in playing each string with different rhythms.  I learned the Suzuki method for violin and played Twinkles after my first lesson.  Just remember not to push the bow unto the string as you learn to use the bow.  Google about the violin and learn about  it's history and how it is made. Listen to violinists on YT, and watch how the bow strokes and how violinists hold their violins.

I  hope you will enjoy learning to play violin;  it's a wonderful and worthwhile instrument to learn. 

best wishes,

go12_3

[db05]

First thing you need to learn is how to balance it on your chin/ shoulder. Feels unnatural at first, but left shoulder MUST BE RELAXED!!

Second thing is long bowing the open strings. Take your time with this. Violin is a lot of work for the right arm. If you can do that a bit confidently, try short bowing from the frog, then the tip.

It's hard to explain, listen to yourself and focus on making a clean sound, no scratching or whistling sounds. Assuming you play piano pretty well, you already know how to read notes, so I suggest you spend more time with those technical basics. Most violin students I know start with the Suzuki book or Wohlfahrt. I just started learning myself.

[ahbach]

Hello!!!
Thank you for your tips so far, Please keep them coming!!! I will have a teacher this fall, I just want to start to get some basics down before I get a teacher. Yes I do know how to read music pretty well so I need to focous on how to hold the bow and violin...I was watching some videos on YT on how to do that sort of thing. But thank you all again I really need all the help I can get!!!

[toppy]

I'd wait for the teacher.  Violin is not an easy instrument.  There is so much to it and bad habits are hard to change.  Do you already play an instrument?  If you don't I'd go and buy a theory book instead and start to learn to read music and some music theory.

I'd also be listening to more violin to start tuning in your ear.  I love suzuki books.  They are good to learn to read and the CD that accompanies them helps a lot.  They are also repetitive pieces.  Only thing is there is not enough direction in them to teach yourself.

[kookaburra]

I f you still don't have a teacher, try:

Essential Elements for strings 2000. it's a book with cd/dvd. there may be a newer version. I used this on my own for quite a while, it's very helpful, step-by-step basics at a slow enough pace that it works OK without a teacher.

If your violin bow is brand new, than you will have to rosin the bow for about half an hour, the first time you do it. I didnt know that, and I thought my bow didnt work. So when you learn to play, use PLENTY of rosin.