violintips

[violintips]

Welcome to ViolinTips Blog

Welcome to ViolinTips Blog! My name is Christian Khoo from Singapore. I started this blog keeping in mind of violin learners. As i have decade experience in music industry,so i thought to share the valuable information with the users across the globe. In this blog you will get lots of Violin hacks,which will help to enhances your violin skills in day to day life.Hope you like my content :-) Thank You.

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How to Play the Violin - The Basic Principles

The first important thing is to decide what violin size you'll need. Adults and teenagers should be fine with a full sized (4/4) violin. However, if you are younger or have a short arm span, it may be necessary to have a smaller size; the violin sizes are measured in fractions (1/2 is bigger than 1/4 etc).

Where should I get my Violin from?

I thoroughly recommend that you look around for deals that consist of a case, bow and violin. Beginner sets are often sold with these pieces of equipment together (it may be called a "Violin Outfit"). Many large stores sell cheap violins at reasonable prices. Stores on the internet can be very good, or if you wouldn't mind having a second hand violin, maybe check out Ebay. A good quality affordable brand is the "Stentor Violin".

At some stage, you will need to purchase some violin accessories which will help the standard of your playing. For example, having a violin shoulder rest will make it a lot more comfortable and easier to hold the violin.  

Tuning The Violin

If you have an instrument such as the piano or keyboard, use the 4 notes G, D, A, E, in turn to tune each of the violin strings (lowest to highest in the previous order). If not, I would suggest buying a cheap violin tuner as in time, your ears will become accustomed to each pitch that the string should be at, and before you know it, you will be able to tune the violin by "ear"!

The violin has two types of adjuster to modify the sound: the tuning pegs by the scroll and the fine tuners behind the bridge. The pegs should only be used if the violin is extremely out of tune. Twist the violin peg softly, yet firmly clockwise to make the string sound a lot higher(sharper) for the certain string. Whilst doing this: PUSH in. If not, too much tension may be applied on the violin string and it could snap. The other set of tuners by the bridge (fine tuners) make small changes in sound. These set of tuners will be used nearly all the time for getting the violin to be the right tone. Twist one of the adjusters for selected string clockwise to create a "sharper" sound or anti-clockwise to make a "flatter"(lower) noise.

What to do first

Firstly, open the case and take out the violin; leaving the violin bow behind for now. When holding your violin, I would really emphasise the fact that you need to hold the violin correctly; or serious implications could happen in the future (pain in shoulder etc). There is a chin rest on the violin but you don't actually place it on the chin; it needs to be positioned slightly to the left of the chin. Stretch your left arm out and place the left hand at the neck of the violin. Now slightly tilt the elbow to the right so your fingers are leaning over the strings. Rest the thumb at the side of the neck. Get used to "plucking" the violin's strings. The correct way is to use the index finger to pull and place the thumb at the side of the black fingerboard (the thumb should be right at the top edge).

Although you have all of this to contend with, ensure your head is pressed against the chin rest and that your left arm holds up the violin to about head level or just below. Your left hand's wrist shouldn't be cocked up to be touching the neck, let it fall down; dream there is a thorn tree and you don't want prickles in your wrist! Check again that the left arm is out to the back of the neck of the violin. It doesn't matter if you're playing standing up or sitting down but keep your back straight; if sat on a chair, sit at the edge of it! A lot of information, I know, but that's it, you have now learnt the basic principles of how to play the violin!

These will be used to tune the violin most of the time. Twist the fine tuner clockwise for making the sound "sharper" and anti-clockwise to be "flatter" (lower).

What to do first

Take the violin out of its case and leave the bow. What I would stress the most when having your violin is to hold it the correct way. Place the chin rest slightly to left of your chin, and place your left hand at the neck of the violin; pulling the elbow around so the fingers are tilted over the strings and thumb resting at the side of the neck. Become accustomed to "plucking" the violin's strings; placing your right hand's thumb to rest against the black part of the fingerboard and using index finger to pull the string.

Whilst doing all of this, make sure your chin rest stays intact with your head and keep the violin held up with your left arm. The wrist should not be cocked up to the neck, let it rest down; imagine there is a prickly bush and you don't want your hand to get scratched! The left arm should be stretched out all the way to the back of the neck. Whether standing up or sitting down, make sure the scroll (the end) of the violin is at around head level; also keep your back straight!  That's it, you have now learn the basic principles of how to play the violin!

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[violintips]

How Long Does It Take to Play the Violin?

In order to play the violin, a person must first learn the fundamentals such as the names of the notes, how to hold the bow, and how to properly play each note.

Many people think that learning to play the violin is easy now because there are many resources available online and you can watch instructional videos on YouTube. However, those who have tried this method will find out that it's not as easy as they thought. Learning to read music is a different skill altogether.

As with any art form, mastering your skill requires time investment and repetition. This includes practising daily for hours or going through tutors for a month or more. Even if you do everything perfectly, if you're not mentally prepared for practising at home on your own then you won't get much out of it either!

How Long Does It Take to Play the Violin?

It would take an average person around eight years to play the violin professionally. However, with a good teacher and a good violin, students have been able to learn how to play the violin in less than a year.

The violin is a string-playing instrument that has been played for hundreds of years. It's made up of a wooden body, with over fifty strings attached to it and traditionally played by bowing. Even though the violin requires a lot of work, practice, and patience, it is worth every single second of your time.

LVL Music Academy in Singapore has been one of the successful music school that have been teaching kids and adults to learn the violin in a professional way and grantees that a student will be able to play a simple tune in 4 weeks through their teachers.

You can contact them by phone call or WhatsApp:

LVL Music Academy: Violin, Cello & Piano Lessons + Instrument Shop

195 Pearl's Hill Terrace, #01-12, Singapore 168976

+6582004711

What are Some Tips for Beginners to Learn the Violin?

The violin is one of the most popular instruments in the world and is a popular instrument to learn. It is a challenging instrument and it takes time to master it. However, if you are willing to put in the work, you will be able to play just like a pro!

-Practice regularly: The best way to become good at playing the violin is by practising regularly. The more you practice, the better your skills will become. A good rule of thumb would be 1-2 hours of practice per day - 5 days per week

-Get a teacher: If you have no experience with playing an instrument before, it would be wise for you to find an instructor for violin lessons in Singapore for help and guidance when learning how to play the violin. You can also use online tutorials as well as YouTube videos.

Why Practice Makes Perfect?

The importance of having a structured violin practice schedule cannot be underestimated. This is because it ensures that you are always practising at your best and that your skills improve quickly.

This is why many violinists start with a 10-minute practise every day and gradually increase the duration.

Violin teachers will also tell students to start with just one technique or exercise per day and slowly add more. For example, they will start with stretching exercises like shoulder shrugs or arm raises, then transition to playing scales, then progress to reading music notes.

1. Be consistent with practising the violin and refrain from giving up too soon

The violin is not easy to learn. It requires a lot of practice and dedication. However, practising the violin in the wrong way can actually cause harm.

If you are trying to learn how to play the violin, it is important that you know when to stop practising and focus on other things instead. You should also be consistent with your practice time every day and every week.

With that being said, you should never give up too soon on playing the violin because there are always new challenges ahead of you - if only you keep trying!

2. Know your strengths and weaknesses and focus on your weaker areas first when learning the violin

"If I had a dollar for every time my mom told me to practice more, I would have enough money to buy a new violin."

We all know how frustrating it can be when we feel that we're not improving as fast as we should and are not seeing the results that we want. It's difficult to learn the violin if you're not aware of your strengths and weaknesses. Knowing what you're good at and what you need help with is key to learning anything.

If you struggle with playing the notes in time, then you should try to improve your rhythm and timing. If you struggle with playing fast passages or practising scales, try to look for what type of exercises to start out with before moving on to more challenging pieces.

3. Schedule daily practice sessions and play the same pieces over again until you're comfortable playing them without mistakes

Most of the time, when people practise a skill, they do so one on one with a teacher. That can be expensive and time-consuming, that is the reason students usually go for 1-2 lessons per week and for the rest of the days they practice on their own.

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Various Violin Facts of Interest

A violin is a musical instrument with four strings played with a bow or plucked and is the smallest, highest sounding member of the string family. A violin consists of a soundbody or belly with two f shaped sound holes, a fingerboard attached to one end, four strings and a separate bow. All in all a violin consists of no fewer than eighty four pieces.

The soundbody is made of wood and it increases the volume of sound. The two f shaped sound holes in the soundbody allow sound vibrations to escape from the body of the instrument. The four strings made of cat gut or fine spun metal are held in place by pegs at one end of the fingerboard and the tailpiece which is attached to the belly. There is a wooden bridge near the tailpiece which supports the strings. The bow is a flexible stick with horsehair stretched across, used to produce sound vibrations when moved on the strings.

A violinist holds the violin firmly under the chin on a chin rest fixed to the left of the tailpiece and raised slightly from the soundbody. A pad is placed between the back of the violin and the body to strengthen the grip of the chin and collarbone on the violin, if desired. A sound is produced when the violinist draws the bow with the right hand across the string(s). The left hand is used to finger the desired note and this is done by pressing the string (s) down along the fingerboard. The length of the string alters depending on where the finger is pressed and this will give the varied notes.

Before a violinist plays music, the violin needs to be tuned. Tuning is done using the four open strings and an external source such as another instrument eg piano or oboe or electric tuner. Each string is plucked and if they do not sound the same as the equivalent note on the other instrument or tuner then the pegs are turned either tighter or looser. The open or full length strings of the violin are G D A E which are fifths apart ie the interval of G to D is a fifth and so on.

Once tuning is done then sounds are created. The sound of the violin is nearer to the human voice than any other instrument. The violin produces sounds ranging three and half octaves and music is written on a treble clef stave. Violin players can play a wide range of music from solo playing to group playing in orchestras eg symphony, string and high school, string quartets, smaller jazz bands and more. It is interesting to note that a violin can be modified to become an electric violin where a lead attachment to the soundbody is added. You hook a lead from the violin attachment to an amplifier thus creating a louder sound suitable for violinists to play jazz-pop music of the twentieth and twentyfirst century.

Lets go back in time to the sixteenth century. This is when violins first emerged. Some great violins were being made in Italy by people such as the Amati family from Cremona, namely Andrea, his sons Antonio and Girolamo, Girolamo's son Nicolo and Nicolo's son Giralamo. Andrea perfected the violin, his two sons made some changes but Nicolo was considered the greatest of the Amatis. He had pupils, Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppe Guarneri who produced great violins and passed the craft on to their families.

Italians also composed some great music for the violin and these included Arcangelo Corelli (1653 - 1713 ), Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741 ) and Giuseppe Tartini (1692 -1770 ). Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750 ) from Germany composed three partitas for solo violin which was a landmark for solo violin. And this was just the beginning. There were many great violin composers over the years.

There were also many great violinists over the ages. These included the four Baroque composers mentioned above. Others included Joseph Haydn ( 1732 - 1809 ), Wolfgang Mazart ( 1719 - 1787 ), Niccolo Paganini ( 1732 - 1840, Joseph Joachin ( 1831 - 1907 ), Ludwig Spohr ( 1784 - 1859 ). George Enesco ( 1881 - 1955 ), Yehudi Menuhin ( 1916 - 1999 ) and Nigel Kennedy ( 1956 - ). Nigel Kennedy was a pupil at The Yehudi Menuhin School founded by Yehudi Menuhin in 1963. This is just a small example of violinsts as the list is large.

Hope you have enjoyed reading the various violin facts of interest. As you can see the violin has had a good few hundred years of history with great creators, composers and players. This small instrument with a wooden body, strings and bow to help produce the sound can play some wonderful music once tuned, whether it be solo or in a group. It is a beautiful instrument to listen to.

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What Should I Look for When Buying a Violin?

As a parent, it is understandable to not want to spend a lot of money on a musical instrument until you are certain your child will enjoy his or her lessons and continue to play the instrument. That is where price enters into your criteria for the violin purchase.

However, you should be aware of what to look for when purchasing a new or a used violin. Buying an inexpensive Chinese-made violin for under $300 does not come without its issues. There are many things to look for in the way the violin is made that can assist you in making that purchase decision. In the long run, the materials used and the construction of the instrument play key roles in not only how the instrument sounds, but also in the ease of playing the instrument. This is very important for the new student as well as the experienced one. It is very discouraging if the mechanics of the instrument adds to the difficulty in learning to play it. Also, the sound of inexpensive strings in themselves will not add to the tone of the violin and may bring you to an early decision to end the student's lessons.

It does not pay in the long run to spend less on an instrument when you might end up having to replace the strings, the bridge, or the pegs. The inexpensive violin may end up costing you $100 to $200 in upgrades.

When purchasing a violin, one should examine the fingerboard, which should be made of ebony, a hard wood which is naturally black in colour. In less expensive violins, this is often made from a softer, lighter wood that has been painted or stained to resemble ebony. If you examine the underside of the fingerboard carefully where it joins to the body of the violin, you may be able to detect where it has not been painted. If this is the case and the wood is lighter in colour, then it is not made of ebony.

The bridge is also a very key part to examine. The bridge should be footed and sit in an upright position to the body of the violin. It should not be leaning. If you examine the bridge from a level view from the bottom of the violin along the strings, the strings should not line up in a straight line. The "E" string should be lower, for example, allowing for the ease of playing the individual string with the bow. If the bridge is properly made and mounted, the instrument will be easier to learn to play and make it more enjoyable to learn.

The sound post, which can be seen inside the body of the violin through the f-hole and under the treble side of the bridge, should be vertical and not leaning. The sound post is a small dowel usually made of spruce that is held inside by the friction between the top and back plates of a violin and is situated under the treble side of the bridge. It is important for structural support, as well as the tone because it transfers vibrations from the top plate to the back plate of the violin. Its position, as well as its size and type of wood, make a difference in the tone of the violin. In a later article, we will discuss how to adjust the sound post.

It is also important to look at the purfling on the violin. These are the "lines" that run parallel to the outline of the violin along the front and back of the violin. Usually these are made by carving and are inlaid with another thin strip of wood. This adds strength to the instrument. On an inexpensive instrument, the purfling may be faked by simply being painted to appear like inlay.

In most cases of a higher quality violin, but there is always an exception to the rule, the violin company or maker will have a label inside the violin that can be viewed through the f-hole on the body of the violin.

Most importantly, there is no substitution for playing the instrument and listening to its tone, its richness and its depth, the way it feels in your hand and the mechanics of how it plays. You cannot do this when ordering online!

Prices for violins vary. There are many reasons to consider paying more for your purchase. However, if the student decides the violin is not for them, you are going to get a better resale price for the quality violin you purchased that was well cared for.

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Handmade Violins

A wide range of handmade violins are available in the market to cater to the needs of beginners as well as professional players. Handmade violins are available in a variety of sizes to suit the age of the player. Compared to factory-made violins, handmade violins have excellent tonal properties.

Handmade violins made using traditional construction methods are more favored by soloist, violinist, and professionals. Most of the handmade violins offer good value in tone quality, durability, and workmanship. Moreover, they require little maintenance. Handmade violins are labeled and signed by the name of its maker.

Making of a handmade violin requires great skill. The price of a handmade violin depends on workmanship and the quality of material used. The monetary value of a violin also depends on the reputation of its maker. A handmade violin with excellent sound quality can cost up to $10,000. Certain manufacturers offer cash discounts on handmade violins at the time of purchase.

Handmade violins are available in a wide range of qualities and prices. They can be purchased from a skilled violin maker, a mass manufacturer or from a violin shop. New as well as antique handmade violins are available in the market. Handmade violins with superb sound quality can be purchased online. Ebay.com, shop.com, and amazon.com are some of the popular websites where you can find handmade violins at a reasonable price.

Custom designed handmade violins that are personalized to suit your taste and style are also available. They are built to your specifications regarding woods and finish. Specifications can also be made in terms of size and shape of violin. Better wood selection and hand work are the key factors that improve the quality of custom designed handmade violin.