UPSB v4
Off-topic / any violin tips?
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Date: Wed, Jan 16 2013 19:23:18
ive been trying to learn violin for a few weeks now [i get jealous when i see people do it in videos, it sounds so emotional and it looks like they're enjoying it so much] but im not exactly making great strides..... any beginners tips? :dog:
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Date: Wed, Jan 16 2013 19:29:16
The more you practice, the faster you will improve and the better you will get.
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Date: Wed, Jan 16 2013 19:31:01
Mats wrote: The more you practice, the faster you will improve and the better you will get.
pen spinning all over again, huh... -
Date: Wed, Jan 16 2013 19:35:09
Sc00t wrote: pen spinning all over again, huh...
Learning a skill all over again. -
Date: Wed, Jan 16 2013 21:48:00
uhm. just enjoy the music i guess. i took orchestra in 8th grade and all you really need to do is how to read notes and yeah. take care of the violin too. good luck. EDIT: my teacher use small tape to mark c# and g so that it's easier for beginner.
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Date: Wed, Jan 16 2013 21:56:10
Enhance the learning experience.
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Date: Wed, Jan 16 2013 23:52:14
I've been playing the violin for about 8 years, since 4th grade. The beginning stages are always hard, but they are the most crucial to your playing. Once you learn something, it becomes habit. If you learn it wrong, it can be hard to break that habit. The most important things for beginners to learn is your hand positions. Your bow hand position is important in making the sound and beautiful tone, while your left hand is intonation / notes. You should learn to be comfortable with everything, like playing on open strings, you should be able to play those comfortably at each bow level / string. Make sure you use all of the bow when producing the sound, it becomes good habit later, no matter what it sounds like now. Make sure it doesn't drift off into the fingerboard, or you'll lose your tone and it'll make a whispy/airy sound instead of a solid note. Make sure your violin is level with your shoulders, and not drooping down. It'll help with maintaining your bow position and such. Are you self-teaching? If so, it wouldn't help to get a few books. I'd recommend the suzuki books, and a scale book (You can find these online anyways.) And always, practice makes permanent. =p
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Date: Thu, Jan 17 2013 00:31:08
I don't play violin but I think the closer you play to the bridge, the louder it is and the closer you play towards the fingerboard, the quieter it is Also it may help knowing some basic music theory, it kinda helped me when I was playing on my friend's cello (like whole steps and half steps between certain notes) More advanced music theory isn't really necessary at the beginning level but I mean if you get it down it helps in the late game http://www.musictheory.net/
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Date: Thu, Jan 17 2013 00:47:39
MightAsWellGG wrote: I don't play violin but I think the closer you play to the bridge, the louder it is and the closer you play towards the fingerboard, the quieter it is
Eh not really. sort of on the right track. there is a sweet spot probably about 3-4cm from the bridge for the cello. somewhere around there. I never learnt music theory, at all. It did get harder to play songs as i never looked at key signatures (I did know what they meant but id always forget about them when playing). Then when they brought treble after playing bass for so long, i got fucked over and couldnt do it. The only way i could do scales because i had to memorize the sequence rather than knowing from the name of the scales. -
Date: Thu, Jan 17 2013 00:49:11
Practice songs that you enjoy. That's how I learned to play the piano.
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Date: Thu, Jan 17 2013 01:12:15
Tetsip wrote: Practice songs that you enjoy. That's how I learned to play the piano.
this is important, or it wont be as fun. -
Date: Thu, Jan 17 2013 09:25:40
i used to play violin xD use tape to mark the main notes i guess practice songs you want to learn, like what tetsip said so srsly its like penspinning, just need time to practice, if you dont, it hard (peem reference lol) good luck :)
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Date: Thu, Jan 17 2013 09:48:22
Violin pro tip: Don't exercise, work out or play sport. You need slender arms to play the violin. But then you'll have to consider the opportunity cost of being a girly-man.
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Date: Thu, Jan 17 2013 10:10:43
I asked a friend of mine who is a violin teacher: [quote=Tiff]learn to bow correctly, learn to finger correctly, watch todd ehle or professor v on youtube, he has great tips[/quote] You can see him do a bit of playing from 50 seconds into this video.
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Date: Thu, Jan 17 2013 15:32:25
My sister has been playing violin for about six years.This is what she says ' you have to practise a lot and you should play the song you like..so you have a passion to play it^^ ... but if u asking about a technique... well...for a slow and emotional song...you should use a whole bow..it will give you a wide sound .. but if the song u play is quite quick...use a short bow...and if it really really quick... move just your wrist not your whole arm..... and...one other thing...if you can add the vibrato technique into your play..your song will sound nicer^_^ ' hope her advice could help.
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Date: Thu, Jan 17 2013 15:34:58
Rees wrote: I never learnt music theory, at all. It did get harder to play songs as i never looked at key signatures (I did know what they meant but id always forget about them when playing). Then when they brought treble after playing bass for so long, i got fucked over and couldnt do it. The only way i could do scales because i had to memorize the sequence rather than knowing from the name of the scales.
To progress from that level of skill, it would be beneficial to learn music theory and know the order of sharps and flats in the key signature. Sharps go FCGDAEB and flats go BEADGCF, the opposite order of sharps. If you can't remember that, the sharps or flats will appear on the line that the note is being affected
For example, the flat symbol is in the B line, so the B becomes flatted.
And for scales on string instruments, patterns can help you do the scales but you should be able to break each scale down to each individual note (like play one note of the scale and know the pitch of it) and know the names of each scale, based on the pattern you find or the starting pitch of it.
KNOWLEDGE YO
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Date: Fri, Jan 25 2013 22:31:18
Well, since someone already made the thread, I have a few (ok, many) questions: 1) What's the playing range of a violin, a viola, and a cello? What notes can all 3 play in common? 2) When listening to an orchestra, is it possible to distinguish between the violins and violas? 3) If you play a really high-pitched note on the violin, is it possible to shatter wine glasses? 4) How is the sound produced in an electric violin? Does an electric violin sound just as good as an "acoustic" one? 5) If you play violin really well, is the skill transferable to viola, cello, and double bass? 6) Is it possible to double stop any combination of two notes? Is it possible to triple stop any combination of three notes? 7) How often is a mute used in practice? 8) How often are harmonics/harmonic glissandos used in practice? 9) How many bowing techniques are typically taught? (e.g. spiccato, staccato, legato, martelé, sautillé, etc.) Are some techniques more difficult than others? 10) If you practiced 30 min. a day with weekly violin lessons, how long would it take to play something comparable to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLRCTD0G06M 11) Which would you say is more difficult: learning how to play a violin or learning to speak Mandarin? Thx to whoever answers.
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Date: Fri, Jan 25 2013 23:21:52
@Tialys 1) What's the playing range of a violin, a viola, and a cello? What notes can all 3 play in common? You can just Google this? 2) When listening to an orchestra, is it possible to distinguish between the violins and violas? Yes. 3) If you play a really high-pitched note on the violin, is it possible to shatter wine glasses? No. 4) How is the sound produced in an electric violin? Does an electric violin sound just as good as an "acoustic" one? Google for the first question. 5) If you play violin really well, is the skill transferable to viola, cello, and double bass? Damn Tialys, good question! :hmm: 6) Is it possible to double stop any combination of two notes? Is it possible to triple stop any combination of three notes? Obviously not 'any' note, since some notes are out of range. ;) 7) How often is a mute used in practice? No idea. 8) How often are harmonics/harmonic glissandos used in practice? No idea. 9) How many bowing techniques are typically taught? (e.g. spiccato, staccato, legato, martelé, sautillé, etc.) Are some techniques more difficult than others? No idea. 10) If you practiced 30 min. a day with weekly violin lessons, how long would it take to play something comparable to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLRCTD0G06M No idea. 11) Which would you say is more difficult: learning how to play a violin or learning to speak Mandarin? Violin, by far. That is, if you want to play fluently vs speak fluently. Thx to whoever answers. Sorry I could not answer many.
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Date: Fri, Jan 25 2013 23:45:32
@Tialys 1) What's the playing range of a violin, a viola, and a cello? What notes can all 3 play in common? Each instrument has a string that overlaps with the next instrument, you can play up to the highest note (which is as high physically you can do, not sure what note it is, but a cello could definitely play same high note on a violin just not with the same tone) A cello is built for it's own note register, so it responds well with it's playing range. Violin's three lower strings are the same on the viola, and viola's three lower strings are the same on the cello. 2) When listening to an orchestra, is it possible to distinguish between the violins and violas? Definitely, violas have their own unique sound. Violins have their own unique sound. 3) If you play a really high-pitched note on the violin, is it possible to shatter wine glasses? Not possible, violins can't produce the amplification required to shatter the wine glass. 4) How is the sound produced in an electric violin? Does an electric violin sound just as good as an "acoustic" one? The string vibrates at the frequency of the note, same as in an acoustic violin. Except, the acoustic violin is built to amplify the sound by vibrating the entire body. The electric violin's vibrations are just picked up with an electric pick up and then sent to an electric amp. Electric violins do not have the same quality of sound that acoustic violins have because of this difference. 5) If you play violin really well, is the skill transferable to viola, cello, and double bass? I say there's some skill that's transferable, like note reading, rhythms and such. But for raw mechanical talent, I think it's not as transferable. From a shoulder instrument to a cello or bass, it's much more different. I have a friend who plays violin and viola, and she says it's almost perfectly the same. 6) Is it possible to double stop any combination of two notes? Is it possible to triple stop any combination of three notes? On two strings, you can double stop anything. Double stopping across a string is fairly difficult, and may be impossible. Different hand positions enable some double stops. Triple stops are used often, but it's not a "true" triple stop. It's usually played as two double stops. Bottom-middle, and then middle-top. 7) How often is a mute used in practice? It's just more for playing quietly than anything. I don't use mine a lot because it dampens my tone, and I don't really need to play quietly. Mutes are used in music compositions too, since it gives a somewhat dampened effect. 8) How often are harmonics/harmonic glissandos used in practice? A TON. Harmonics are useful for finding out note intonation, they become an anchor for a lot of hand positions. Playing double stop harmonics also helps figure out whether your strings have gone bad or not. Glissandos are mainly just used to practice shifting hand positions. 9) How many bowing techniques are typically taught? (e.g. spiccato, staccato, legato, martelé, sautillé, etc.) Are some techniques more difficult than others? Eh, it really depends on the teacher. Most teachers will teach all of the bow techniques, and they're very useful when playing certain music compositions. There are very difficult bowing techniques out there, and they may take months to maybe a year to master. 10) If you practiced 30 min. a day with weekly violin lessons, how long would it take to play something comparable to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLRCTD0G06M If we're talking straight from the beginning, with no music comprehension, I'd say about 2-3 years. But if you already have a musical background, then I'd say 6 months. It's not a very complex song. 11) Which would you say is more difficult: learning how to play a violin or learning to speak Mandarin? Learning to play the violin, lol.
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Date: Tue, Feb 5 2013 15:51:11
Thanks, those are very helpful answers. I got a few more Q's: 12) Is there one standardized size for violins, or do they come in different sizes and you're supposed to choose the size based on your height/wingspan? 13) Is there such a thing as a good "beginner's violin" that you switch out for another one once your skill has become advanced, or should you only use a single violin the whole time? 14) What are things to look for when purchasing a violin (besides price of course)? How much would a "decent" violin cost? 15) I'm guessing electric violins are cheaper than the acoustic type? Is there a great difference in feel between the two types - is it easy to switch between the two while practicing/playing?
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Date: Tue, Feb 5 2013 17:15:12
12) theres multiple sizes, for example kids use smaller size 13) well like in all hobbies, theres an entry-level which is more affordable 14) dunno, probably tone, age of the violin, quality of the board 15) dunno
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Date: Thu, Feb 7 2013 16:15:11
16) What's the difference between a violin and fiddle? 17) How often does this happen, and is it more the result of overplaying or bad technique?:
