Welcome to ViolinSchoolTips! My name is Hanna Tan from Singapore and I am so happy to share with you my long years of fruitful journey as violin teacher. I wanted to start by telling you why I started this blog, As i grow in a versatile musical family where most of the my family members are involved with music industry and i learned lots of violin tricks from them,which was very helpful in my career. So i thought why not to share with my readers to grow their violin skills.So Kindly read all my articles and share your feedback which content helps you.If you know any unique tricks of violin please do share with me,i will implement on my violin classes. Cheers!!
0 Comments
One of the most common bad habits we have is when we want have that something or reach that something, we want the fastest way possible always. But, we don't realize that the more we obliged ourselves to go with the shortcut, it often cause us more delay until we don't want to proceed anymore. That's it! We get frustrated easily and we always want to succeed right away. We always have that attitude. And possibly, we will always have it. However, to succeed in this modern world, getting into the oldest path can give you the highest chance to reach your goal. Like now, you are reading this article because you're looking for advice on how to learn violin at the fastest possible time or it could also be, that you are looking for something that can motivate you.
Learning to play violin is not an easy feat. It is actually one of the hardest instruments to be learned in the world these days. But with the provided tips below, at some point, it can surely help you on how to engage yourself seriously on learning to play violin successfully. 1. Be Patient - In order to achieve the feat as a violin player, patience is the number one thing you should have. It requires a very long time to learn this instrument and being patient to learn all the possible techniques can give you higher chance to reach what you desired. 2. Trust your fingers - If you really want to learn the fastest possible, then you should always trust your fingers and just concentrate on the keys on your front. Teach your fingers to press the necessary strings alone and just seldom seeing them. Do not teach yourself to always looking at where your fingers should be when playing, or else, this could just cause you so much delay. 3. Develop a Practice Routine - Practice, practice, practice! That's one of the main ingredients to commit your goal. Always practice every day. Missing one day can already break your rhythm to learn. Give yourself an ultimatum on when you should learn a certain lesson in playing violin. This way, it can possibly hasten more your chances to reach the day where you can already call yourself an official violin player. 4. Always Think Positively - Not because you failed to learn a certain lesson or technique can already make you frustrated. Well, you should quit learning then if that's your attitude. Other than being patient, this attitude of being a positive thinker can enhanced your chances to learn violin. If you fail, try it again until you can already do it. Always motivate yourself that you can do it. Just keep trying and you'll surely get where you want to go. There are so many things to learn and keep in mind. Having a few key tips in the beginning can make a world of difference. There are a lot of new technologies and discoveries that can help make your learning curve faster and easier that most tutors simply don't know about. They're still teaching it the old way. Read on to learn some of these amazing secrets and discoveries.
Tip - Learn the Fundamentals It can be tempting to want to skip ahead to the "more interesting parts." However, how well you know your fundamentals will make big difference on your learning curve in the long run. Spend your time learning your fundamentals now and you won't regret it later. Tip - Learn to Fall in Love with the Violin Did you know that masters like Mozart of Beethoven had over 10,000 hours of practice? At 10 hours a day, that would be 1,000 straight days of practice! Getting good at the violin takes time, practice and dedication. However, it shouldn't be"work." Right from the beginning, you should be developing your relationship with your violin so that you start to really fall in love with the music and the instrument. Tip - Don't Let Tutors Hold You Back Tutors are great. Don't get me wrong, they're a very valuable resource in learning to play the violin. That said, they can also hold you back a lot. The problem with relying on tutors is that you often end up waiting for lessons to make progress. For example, once you master your finger placements, you might want to try playing a very basic song. But before you can, you need to wait a week for your tutor. In that time, you start to get bored. The violin gets a little stale. The tutor comes around and you learn the next step, but the passion has stagnated a little.Don't let that happen. Tip - Home Learning Can Bring Explosive Growth To really learn as quickly as possible, the best way to do that is through online violin lessons. These lessons are very detailed and are just about as good (sometimes better) than having a tutor in your home teaching you how to play. You can go at your own pace, meaning as soon as you're ready you can move on. Learning from violin videos is truly an amazing way to speed up your learning curve.
Why Do I Need a Violin Teacher?
Many people who want to learn how to play the violin worry about the cost of lessons. But if you are willing to take some time and effort, there are many free violin lessons online, as well as a lot of free resources for learning about music and playing the violin. People who want to learn how to play the violin should be aware that there is a lot of work involved in becoming proficient at playing the violin. It takes time and practice, which means that it can be a bit expensive. The cost of lessons is not too high, but it can sometimes seem like an impossible feat for those who haven't played before or have never had any formal training on how to play. Fortunately, there are many other ways that people can learn about music and playing their instrument without taking lessons, but learning from a good violin teacher will definitely teach you the right moves and speed up the learning process. How to Find a Good Violin Teacher Many great violinists were not born with talent. Even if you are not born into a family of musicians, there are ways to improve your skills and find a good violin teacher. Late in 2006, I began my search for a good violin teacher. To find one I had to travel across the country, leaving my home and loved ones behind. There was no way around it; I needed to find someone who would take an interest in me as a student and teach me well without wanting anything from me in return. Yes, it can be hard to find the right violin teacher for you but it can also be rewarding when you do. Nowadays there are a lot of good violin schools in Singapore such as LVL Music Academy that provide high-quality teaching and convenient locations so you do not need to travel so far. Top 3 Things to Consider When Choosing a Violin Teacher 1. Can You Learn To Play A Song In Short Time With the help of a good violin teacher, he or she can provide fast and easy methods for you to learn to play the violin in a short time. A good school with qualified teachers will not only teach you how to play your favourite songs in no time but also teach how to make the violin sound better. 2. Reputation of the music school and its students A music school is a place where students get the training and education they need to pursue a career in the music industry. Many schools offer more than just courses in music - they also give students an opportunity to build their personal brand by playing in bands or building their own record label. To find out if a music school you are looking for is good or not, the best place to start your research is through family or friends. The second way is to simply go to Google and search for the music school’s name and check their Google Reviews and see what other students or parents have to say about the school’s performance. 3. What method do they use to teach violin? (Individual or group) There are two methods that are used to teach violin: individual and group. The individual method focuses on teaching the student one-on-one, whereas the group method is focused on teaching multiple students at the same time. Individual Method: With this method, students learn from private tutors who are specialists in their fields and have a wide range of knowledge in music. They can also give feedback to each other about their progress. Group Method: This method involves one or more instructors who teach the class together with students, which allows them to work as a team and see progress collectively. If you are a beginner then starting off with private 1-to-1 lessons is the best choice, as you can easily learn the techniques during the class. Once you are more confident in playing than joining group classes will boost your confidence and learn from other students as well who are on the same journey as you. You can start your violin learning journey by signing up for private and group classes at LVL Music Academy in Singapore. LVL Music Academy: Violin, Cello & Piano Lessons + Instrument Shop 195 Pearl's Hill Terrace, #01-12, Singapore 168976 +6582004711 Like learning anything else in life, you have to get the basics of the violin down first. When you are learning to play the violin, one of the basics is how you hold a violin. Holding it incorrectly will give you neck and headaches, shoulder and arm aches, and fatigue. It will also be harder to glide the bow across. You should never have to fight your violin. The key is to learn how to hold a violin the correct way and relax. Here are the steps -
The most important thing is to make sure your violin is the correct size to fit you before you buy it. Violins are not one size fits all.
One thing to learn when holding the violin is to keep your wrist down, not pushing it up. Until you are really secure in how you hold a violin, you will have the tendency to raise your wrist. In actuality, teaching you how to hold the violin really means learning how to not hold it. This is especially true for left-handed students. Violins come in both left and right handed holding. This relates to whether you hold the bow in your left or right hand, not the violin. You should cradle the violin, allowing free movement. If you are insecure about dropping the instrument, you will raise your wrist and your shoulder to hold it in place. If you clasp it that way, you'll get wrist aches, jaw aches and shoulder aches. It will also limit your bow hand movement. Instead of holding your violin, the proper term should be to balance it instead. Your elbow will naturally bend the correct amount and the crook of your hand will rock the neck, allowing your fingers free movement. Just remember the violin is shaped the way it is to be balanced correctly to the violinist. When you hold a violin by balancing it, you will be more relaxed and confident. What about shoulder rests? Some instructors insist beginners who have yet to learn how to hold a violin use the shoulder rest to protect their collarbone. This helps to immobilize the thumb so it doesn't touch the violin. However, many renown violinists state they never learned with a shoulder rest or use one, even if playing for hours in concert, because it thwarts the violin's full tonal sounds by up to one third. This is because the shoulder rest can prematurely halt the vibrations at the back of the violin's base, the part under your jawbone. They also claim the shoulder rest can damage the violin, thus devaluing it. But student level violins are of less value anyway. Some instructors argue it is like training wheels on a bicycle. You use them until you have your "violin balance". There are many varieties of shoulder rests, some rigid, some soft. Trust your instructor to decide the right thing for you when it comes to learning how to hold a violin properly, whether or not to use a shoulder rest, and determining which size is best. If you are looking for a good violin teacher I will give you some tips here. You may be wondering if you can find quality violin lessons. You may also be wondering how to find a good violin teacher. Do not worry as I will take you through some tips to find a good violin teacher for you or your child.
There are couple of options for you to find a good violin teacher. One way to do so is to scan through the classified advertisement section of the city Straits Times to get contacts for suitable violin teachers. Alternatively, you can contact local string ensembles or orchestra such as the Symphony Orchestra or Youth Orchestra to check if any of the violinists in the orchestra will be willing to teach you or your child. The best option, in my opinion, is for you to look for an established music school to engage a violin teacher. Perhaps you may be considering to take group violin lessons in a music school, or engage a private violin teacher to take violin lessons one on one. My advice is to take violin lessons one on one with a violin teacher, since this will guarantee you personal attention. In learning to play the violin, you need to build a solid foundation whereby you learn the proper bowing and fingering technique. In an individual lesson, your teacher will be able to properly guide you through this process. You will find that you progress faster with individual rather than group violin lessons. Whether you take the violin lessons in a music school or at home, you will benefit from this drastically. First tip: source for your music teacher Some of the best violin teachers spend part of their time teaching in a music school. They may find that this is more convenient for them since they will not need to travel from one student's place to another. As such I highly recommend you to search for your violin teacher through a music school. Second tip: Interview the teacher When you get a couple of recommendations, find some time to meet your teacher to ask some important questions. You will need to know his teaching experience and qualifications. Ask the teacher how many students he has taught in his career and what is the percentage of his students who have stayed with him for more than two years. Typically if he has many students who stay with him for more than two years, he is able to retain his students. You can assume he has the right teaching method which translates to success in his students. Third tip: Check out the music school Make a trip to the music school which the violin teacher is attached to. Speak to the principal in charge to find out more. You will be interested to know how many years the music school is operating, what is the student enrolment, what type of music instruments aside from violin the school teaches, how many teachers the school employs. Fourth tip: Watch a violin lesson in progress It would be advisable if you can request the school if you can view the progress of a violin lesson conducted by the teacher. You can opt to observe this from outside the classroom so you can judge how effective and patient the lesson is. Each and every individual ought to make physical accommodations in order to play the violin. There are several beginning students with nearly perfect posture as well as the ability to hold the violin almost effortlessly. However, there are also numerous quite advanced as well as skilful violinists who are still having trouble with bad habits and poor posture. For me, it is important to rationally examine the violin techniques, including the issues of posture, shoulder rests, and the left hand mechanics. These are the steps fundamentally organized regarding how to hold the violin.
REST POSITION:
RELAX! Your left shoulder should feel relaxed and in its natural position. Try not to elevate the shoulder to stabilize the violin. If you find yourself doing so, secure the violin with a sponge or a shoulder POSTURE! The violin should be parallel to the floor and your left elbow out and away from the side of your body. Stand up straight. Don't slouch! PRACTICE: Move step-by-step from REST POSITION to READY POSITION as instructed above. Take great care to execute each move separately,carefully and as instructed. Practice these moves slowly at first to form good habits! Once you feel comfortable with moving step-by-step from REST POSITION to READY POSITION, execute the process fluidly, in one smooth motion. Feel everything fall into place as you move slowly into the READY POSITION. PRACTICE TIP- Practice in front of a mirror! My purpose here is not to scare you off learning the violin, or to discourage here. Rather, through this article, I hope to be able to inform you of what you need to be aware of before learning the violin. What are these tips?
1. First tip: learn the parts of the violin You will need to know the correct terms for each of the part of the violin. This may seem like a logical process, but some novice violin players do not know the correct terminology of the instruments they are playing! The violin comprise of many parts, from the scroll to the neck and bridge and fingerboard. Then there are the components like the pegs which hold the violin strings together, the chin-rest and tail piece. Familiarize yourself with the different parts of the violin so this shows that you are interested in picking up the skill of playing the violin. 2. Hold the violin correctly It is recommended that you use a shoulder rest with your violin, so the instrument fits nicely under your neck. Then you will need to hold the violin correctly. There are many things one can learn online, but learning the techniques of properly holding a violin and the proper way of playing can only be done through a violin teacher. This is a skill that cannot be self taught. 3. Hold the bow correctly. Many people think they are playing only one instrument when they learn the violin. Actually, you are learning how to handle two instruments, not one. The other instrument is the violin bow. You will need to know how to properly hold a bow in your hands. The violin bow is actually an extension of you hand and it should feel natural when you use the bow on your violin. Again, the proper bowing techniques can only be taught by a teacher, and cannot be self taught. |
|