Learn To Play Violin

The violin, in my opinion, is the most beautiful instrument. But it's also one of the most difficult to play (I should say one of the most difficult to play well). I decided, at the age of twenty, that I wanted to finally learn to play this wonderful instrument. I'd always been interested in the violin, but it's almost impossible to learn to play violin well without spending money on a teacher.

When I was younger I found an electro acoustic guitar in my parents' attic, and I taught myself to play the guitar with this (which is something that most guitar players do), and the temptation was to attempt to learn to play violin online. However, when learning violin, unless you're taught by a professional teacher, you'll almost certainly pick up bad habits and never master the correct technique to allow your violin to “sing”. The instrument is so expressive, but your technique has to be good in order to produce a great sound. A teacher really is the best way to help you achieve a great technique.

If you're reading this article, hoping to learn the violin as an adult (I'm assuming you're an adult; most children who play will have their parents choose a teacher etc.), you'll probably never be a professional. Professionals practise for hours every day, and most have been studying the instrument from an early age. However, this really shouldn't discourage you. You SHOULD still learn to play the music for its own sake. You'll still progress, and if you practise, over time you'll become better and more skilled than you ever hoped.

In the same respect, what can be discouraging when you're an adult-learner is that, when you first start playing, it's difficult to make a good sound with the violin. With a piano etc., just hitting a key or playing a simple arrangement of notes can still sound nice to the ear. This is absolutely not the case with the violin: Until you've grasped solid technique, the notes will undoubtedly sound out of tune, and the ones that are in tune won't sound particularly good! This is where many adult beginners get discouraged and give up. But this is such a shame - if you are planning on learning violin, I urge you to stick with it and continue to practise every day. As the months go by, you'll get better and better – when the instrument does start to “sound good”, you'll feel like it's such an amazing achievement.

OK, so with that out of the way, here's what I feel is some simple, but really important, advice.

As mentioned above, learning the violin really requires that you choose a good teacher - don't expect to progress as well as you could without one.  You should choose your teacher carefully and make sure they're a “good fit” with your personality and learning style.  Some teachers will only teach children, but a lot will teach adults too. 

The style of teaching adults and children is clearly different, so it's usually a good idea to check if the teacher has other adult students.  Children will usually be satisfied playing extremely simple music at first until they learn good technique (which is in fact the best way to learn and ensure you don't fall into bad habits with your technique).  However, adults, including myself, generally want to progress to more difficult material faster than they should.  This can be frustrating for the teacher and can hinder your progress.  My teacher had other adult students and had a collection of music that, whilst simple, sounded good to play – it can be much more encouraging to play simple classical pieces, rather than nursery rhymes or similar.

Probably the easiest way to find a good teacher is by using Google – search for the phrase “violin teacher” followed by your city.  You may also like to try http://www.theviolinsite.com, or http://www.musicteachers.co.uk if you're in the UK.

When calling the teacher for the first time, it's not unusual to ask if you could buy a taster lesson, before commiting to more; this way you can ensure the teacher is a good fit.

It's also important to find out what method the teacher would use to teach you.  There are a couple of main methods that they're likely to use: Either the traditional method or the “Suzuki”method.  The Suzuki method has become extremely wide-spread and is aimed at really young children.  It teaches that the child should be surrounded by music and the instrument from a very early age so they adopt it as they would language or anything else their brains would absorb at this age. 

It's still possible to teach an adult with this method, but, depending on the type of personality you have, you may prefer to be taught with the traditional method.  Their method of teaching is something that you should discuss with any potential teachers before you commit; you'll need to be comfortable with it, as you'll (hopefully!) be practising for many hours using this method.

This can be tricky, especially if you're an absolute beginner and don't know what to look for in a potential violin.  A violin (and even a bow) can be really cheap or extremely expensive (some violins can be worth millions).  The best place to find a decent violin (although it won't need to be incredible for a beginner) will be your local music shop.  You can buy them online, but nothing really beats being able to speak to someone face to face and ask questions about the instrument.  If you go to a traditional music shop (as opposed to a big chain), ask the shop owner if he / she plays.  If so, explain you're a beginner, and could he give you a demonstration.  Most shop owners will oblige if it will help them to make a sale.  Another good idea is to choose a teacher first and, when you call them, ask their advice on where to buy your new violin and bow.

Finally, you'll need what's called a shoulder rest.  Some professionals use them, and some would never dream of using them – it's all down to personal preference.  The shoulder rest helps to hold the violin in place on your shoulder.  This makes it easier to concentrate on the playing, and can reduce strain from practising for too long.  If you're a beginner, even playing for a couple of hours can be stressful to the body (as at first holding the violin in the correct position can feel awkward).  The shoulder rest can help to alleviate at least some of this stress, so trust me, use one!

I think I've properly explained why you need a teacher. However, your learning to play violin doesn't stop there. You'll see your teacher for an hour or two each week, and this is not enough time to progress quickly and learn all you need to know. In addition, all of that time between lessons will make you forgot what it was you actually learned in the lesson. You really need to practise every day, and it's helpful to have resources and information available to make that practise as productive as possible.

You'll still be able to learn a lot from books (the good ones). When purchasing, if you buy online, choose the books that already have good reviews from users of the site. This is especially a good idea if a violin teacher has made a good comment on the book.

There's also a multitude of information to help you learn violin online. If you're looking for encouragement, you should check out the Yahoo Group “BAVS” (Beginning Adult Violin Study), which is available here:

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/bavs/

It's great for reading of the successes and questions of like-minded people.

Finally, I can't say enough about how helpful the site http://www.violinmasterclass.com was to me when I wanted to learn how to play violin. It's got multiple tutorial videos to help remind you of things your teacher will have taught you in lessons. And if you want to make yourself really jealous, take a look at their “Performance Files” and how amazingly talented all of the children prodigies that they teach are. They've also got a bunch of forums, including one for beginners, where you can discuss the instrument and also ask questions.

Learning how to play violin is a life-long process. However, if you're starting at 20 or 40 or 60, it doesn't matter – believe me, as you progress and get better and better (especially after the first couple of years when the music begins to sound like... well... music), the satisfaction you can get from this instrument really is worth the effort.

Please note that the images on this hub are released under the Creative Commons License. They belong to Wikimedia users Ranveig and Frink51.