Any Violinists?

[Evil_Sabre]

I'm pretty much obsessed with classical composers and I want an instrument to emulate my obsession. I've decided on a Violin, but I know almost nothing about them. I've been playing guitar for almost 4 years so I'm not completely lost, I get the basic principles of the instrument ( I think ).

 

 

 

I noticed that there are a few different sizes like 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and full size. So which size would you recommend and what brands would be good for me to start out on.

 

 

 

Thanks in advance.

[Lenticular_J]

I don't know much about violins, but I do know that you should dedicate a little bit of your violin-learning to fiddlin'.

 

 

 

Great party trick, to be able to fiddle.

[Intriguing]

I've been playing violin for about 11 years, so I'll try and help you out.

 

Having previous experience with a string instrument will help you a bit, but not that much. I'd been playing violin for a few years before I picked up guitar. Having the previous experience helped a lot in terms of overall musicality, and the ability to read music, but not much in terms of technical proficiency.

 

 

 

The different sizes of the violin are only there so children can play. By the time you're about 13, you're not going to want anything other than a full size. As for brands, it really depends how much money you have. You only really need something cheap to start out on (let's say $250 - $500), but I wouldn't recommend getting anything less than around $250. Just go to your local music store and see what they have in your price range.

 

 

 

One last thing: Make sure you get a teacher. There are some instruments that you can learn by yourself, or just from YouTube videos, but violin isn't one of them. You need to get a solid technical grounding that you can only really get from a teacher.

 

 

 

Good luck. :)

[Evil_Sabre]

Have you ever seen violins that have frets drawn on them? To help you learn where the notes are?

[Intriguing]

No, I haven't. However, some teachers put stickers on 4 points of the fingerboard to show you approximately where to put your fingers. I think it's a good system of teaching finger-placement--particularly for younger children. However, I'm sure different teachers would have other methods to help you with it.

 

 

 

It takes a while to get used to where to put your fingers, but after a while it becomes completely natural. Just don't expect it to come straight away and you'll be right.

[aquariusman]

I'm not going to even claim to have any where near the talent or experience Intriguing has, but I do know how to play it (How well is a different question...). While stickers are good way to learn, it depends on yourself. I never learned with stickers on the fretboard, but I know others who have. I quite frankly don't like it just because for the short time I had stickers, I just got lazy and relied on them. The stickers do tend to slide around a bit, so I ended playing out of tune until I removed the stickers.

 

 

 

Intriguing, how important is posture? I honestly have rarely found a difference when I change my posture to something a teacher claims to be 'correct'.

 

 

 

I have 5 years experience, but that's from actual school classes, so I consider it closer to 3.

[Intriguing]

Stickers tend to be less useful when you get older students. However, they work wonders when you're working with really young students.

 

 

 

Posture is very important in my opinion. It helps in terms of:

 

- Solidifying other parts of your technique, e.g. it's hard to keep your violin up when you're slouching.

 

- Avoiding pain, and not injuring yourself in long practice sessions, e.g. if you're in an orchestra and practicing for two hours straight, you're going to be in a lot of pain at the end of the session if you don't have good posture.

 

- Looking good for performances, e.g. no one wants to see you slouching when you're on stage. Looking professional is important for performing, and good posture is part of that.

[aquariusman]

Stickers tend to be less useful when you get older students. However, they work wonders when you're working with really young students.

 

 

 

Posture is very important in my opinion. It helps in terms of:

 

- Solidifying other parts of your technique, e.g. it's hard to keep your violin up when you're slouching.

 

- Avoiding pain, and not injuring yourself in long practice sessions, e.g. if you're in an orchestra and practicing for two hours straight, you're going to be in a lot of pain at the end of the session if you don't have good posture.

 

- Looking good for performances, e.g. no one wants to see you slouching when you're on stage. Looking professional is important for performing, and good posture is part of that.

 

 

 

Thought that was the reason, although I don't consider "looking good" an important thing at all. Yeah, if two performers sound the exact same, the better looking one will be better, but if a guy with horrible posture is just a complete master with the violin, no one is going to care that he slouches a bit. I've really just never liked the idea of posture for aesthetic reasons.