Learning Violin

[Rio Ohki]

Right, I have decided this year to learn the violin, as it's the only instrument small enough to fit in my flat.

Does anyone here already play? If so, any hints on buying a violin and learning to make sounds that don't cause heamorrages in dogs and other small mammals?

[catherine]

I play.

do you play anything?

the violin isnt the easiest thing to teach yourself due to lack of frets or holes so it comes down to guess work haha. If you have a good ear to tell if something is sharp or flat then you should be fine

you can get student violins that will give an alright sound for less than £100 i think. no point in spending a fortune on one unless you have money to waste or are amazing.

Im not sure if they still do a book called String Builders. Its what i used and if i can remember it taught you everything from the start like how to hold the bow. infact found it. Its by Belwin http://http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belwi...9569374&sr=8-1

[Rio Ohki]

Yay, thanks

Play guitar and bass, and some keyboards so far, but Violin has always been on the list.

[catherine]

cool. if you have some musical background then you should be fine

dont be put off with how bad it sounds at first. i was only 6 when i started and im surprised my parents didnt kill me. it just takes a wee bit to get used to the presure to use for the bow to get a sound and not a screech

[Rio Ohki]

I'm pretty prepared for how bad it's going to sound at first. My neighbours and flatmate less so perhaps, but it's all fun and games.

[Zenith]

i used to play, i just got bored. lol
its pretty easy to pick up

[djtoast]

I played for years and never got very good

And yeah, it's pretty much the worst-sounding instrument til you get some level of ability, the scratchy screechy noises your right arm makes with the bow and and the accidental wlid glissandi up and down the finger board as your left hand searches for the note you want

But practise practise practise and it gets better. And at least there's only one line to read so sightreading is easy.

If you need some inspiration watch the videos in Campestral's thread:

http://www.altnation.com/forums/band...nt-violin.html

McCormacks have a reasonable range of violins in, more so than Biggars I think. There's violins online from under £40 though I think paying a little more would be a good idea! Make sure you get one with fine adjustment screws for all four strings on the tailpiece - if you buy second hand you sometimes see ones where only the E string is fitted with these screws. Oh, and you'll need one of these, or you'll get festering sores on your collarbone



One other suggestion: put a small amount of chalk on the tuning pegs before you tune it the first time and it'll stay in tune much more reliably.

Have fun!

[Lady of D]

I've played violin for almost 9 years.

For my 18th birthday my boyfriend got me a suave looking black electric violin and I LOVE it.

It's good for beginners because it makes a smoother, richer sound and also you can plug headphones in and you can't really hear it.

You can get ones from McCormacks for about £70-100 or ones on Ebay for about £60 (based in Glasgow so you could pick it up). It comes with everything you need including resin for the bow and batteries!

[Posh]

Originally Posted by Lady of D

I've played violin for almost 9 years.

For my 18th birthday my boyfriend got me a suave looking black electric violin and I LOVE it.

It's good for beginners because it makes a smoother, richer sound and also you can plug headphones in and you can't really hear it.

You can get ones from McCormacks for about £70-100 or ones on Ebay for about £60 (based in Glasgow so you could pick it up). It comes with everything you need including resin for the bow and batteries!

For the love of god listen to Lady of D or Laura will end up killing you in your sleep.