anyone who knows how to play Violin...

i wanted to learn how. but before i buy the intrument, please give me some tips on how to choose. and also how to play it. thanks.
;)

I think finding a credible teacher would be the first way to go about it. They'll give you advice on which violin to buy and whether or not they think you'll be up to it.

Remember, a violin is for life... not just for...April [img]tongue.gif[/img] (can't really use Christmas here, can i?)

I'd really like to play this wonderful instrument, too. [img]smile.gif[/img]

As a cellist I would recommend getting a cheap instrument to start with. (around £200) Once you have learned to play well, only then should you buy a good instrument. I learned for 9 years on a cheap instrument loaned to me by the school before I bought my cello. (which incidentaly cost £2000 and is still at the fairly cheap end of the scale)

How big are your hands? Violins come in different sizes. I'm guessing you're pretty much an adult so a full size would probably be the best.

Playing is a lot more difficult than it looks. You have to learn to hold the bow properly and apply different strokes for different sounds. Your left hand on the other hand [img]graemlins/woah.gif[/img] is applying varying amounts (once you get good) of pressure to various parts of the strings. Your fingers can be quite close together on the violin (I'm slightly biased as a cellist) so if your hands are quite big perhaps you should consider the viola, it's slightly lower in tone and a lot more mellow.

my hand isn't as big as you can think of. It looks only as big as a mom's hand.

viola, violin? what's the difference bet. them.

to tell you the truth, i was encouraged to learn when i watched my classmate playing his violin.
he told me that he just learned by himself. would that be possible?

i am only a student so i can't hire a violin teacher. if possible i would want to learn by myself too. and with your help maybe. ;)

[Captain Beefheart]

I wouldn't start violin unless you really like classical music but that's just my musical philosophy

Ok first. U have to get to know where to put ur fingers(or fret in other words), because theres no frets at all, it's all played by feel. Pressure of the bow on the strings needs to change depending on how fast ur moving it and what not. As you upbow, the scroll of the violin should just barely move down in a clockwise direction. As you downbow, the scroll should just barely be moving upwards in a clockwise direction. This "pushing and pulling" causes the violin and bow to work with each other to make the sound smoother, and it reduces the amount of downward pressure that is required from the bow. Too much pressure and you will tighten up, and the notes won't flow as well.

You can learn how to hold it right by looking accurately at other players, basically you should be able to hold it without your hands, it rests between your chin and the shoulder and it should be in such a position that it doesn't wiggle around it's all in the bowing with a bit of vibrato which is kinda hard at first but once you get used to it you're on your way.

And YES, take lessons, violin isn't as easy to pickup when you're going the "self taught" route as say guitar. Anyone can play guitar. Heck just look at me, I can jerk about 800 notes in a minute while dueling Paganini caprices with Calanco Pee, it's rough with all the picked wide intervals. Ohh wait, nevermind. Let's put it this way. Any instrument is as hard as you make it. If you put the time into it. Anyone can sound reasonably good with a guitar, at least insofar as putting together chords and basic musical ideas, with a bare minimum of fluidity within six months to a year. Granted, playing viruoso solos is a lifelong study, but just to sound halfway acceptable on any other stringed instruiment or the piano is the work of YEARS [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ May 19, 2004, 12:32 PM: Message edited by: Captain Beefheart ]

oh well thanks. i'm already playing piano and guitar, would that be a huge help?

That would probably be helpful. The strings on a violin are (from lowest to highest) G, D, A, E.

You should probably borrow your freind's violin and try to get a feel for it. I presume you've done scales on the piano. Try to play a scale on the violin, try to pick out some notes, see if it comes easily to you.

It's a difficult instrument to pick up, but I'm sure it's possible ;)