how to play violin for beginners

The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings that are tuned in perfect fifths. It is the basis for the orchestra, has a huge amount of repertoire written for it, and is one of the most rewarding and beautiful instruments to play, when mastered. However, learning to play the violin is a long road, and you must be sure that you are ready for the discipline, difficult technique, and ready to commit to practice time every day.

Although you can play the violin by plucking strings, it is necessary for most music to be able to use the bow. This can be difficult in the beginning, and a bit awkward, but after some practice you should be able to learn and make some music with your violin and bow.

Steps

1
Tighten the bow by turning the end screw clockwise. It shouldn't be so tight that the hair is parallel to the wood, but also not so loose that you can't put pressure on it. So you should be able to fit a pencil in the middle of the bow between the wood and hair. Don't use your pinky finger as a gauge as the oils from your skin will damage the hairs on the bow. When you're finished playing, don't forget to loosen the bow again.
2
Rosin the bow. If this is a new bow, have the shop or your teacher rosin it for you. Then renew the rosin every few days or so, depending on how often you practice. First, tighten the bow as normal. Second, glide the rosin fully up and fully down the bow hairs three or four times. It is easy to over-rosin the bow. Too much rosin causes a scratchy sound. If you're using the bow for the very first time, and there is not enough rosin on it, it will not grip the strings enough to make them vibrate and you won't get a sound out of the violin.
3

Right hand view, click to enlarge

Correctly hold the bow by gently laying your index finger on the grip. Make sure to have the tips of your fingers on the top of the grip. For help, a tennis ball should fit between the space of the palm of your hand and the bow. The other fingers are placed at equal distances from each other on the same edge, while the pinky is placed on top of the bow, and is curled slightly. Your ring finger should be covering the pearl circle on the side of the bow. Your thumb should rest underneath the stick. Place it in front of the frog with the bow hair underneath. Bend the first joint of the thumb at an oblique angle; straightening the thumb will produce a poor tone when playing. It is crucial to not grip the bow too tightly, because then you will not be able to bow effectively. Your hand should be relaxed and loose, and while this can be difficult at first, because you don't want to drop the bow, it just takes practice.
4

left Hand Back View

Rest the violin on your collar bone, fully supported with your arm and held in place by your jaw. Your jaw, just under the earlobe (not your chin), is supposed to be resting on the chin rest. A very slight and relaxed head weight will prevent the instrument from sliding off your shoulder while your arm actually supports the weight of the instrument. You should be standing up straight and the end of the violin, the scroll, should be pointing straight out when you hold it this way, NOT toward the ground. The scroll can be at an angle pointing slightly toward the ceiling, but only slightly. When holding the instrument, place your left hand around the base of the violin's neck. The top of your thumb should be visible, and the fingers should be curled and relaxed like in the photo. The base of your thumb should not be touching the neck of the violin, and neither should your wrist. Your left arm should also be around the right side of the violin's neck. Holding your left arm with your elbow pointing to far to the left is a sure fire way to make your intonation flat.
5

Left Hand Front View

Place the bow approximately halfway between the bridge and fingerboard. Tilt the bow slightly toward the scroll to produce a sound that is fairly loud, and as you get more professional this technique is used. Pull the bow along the string as straightly as you can, parallel to the bridge and applying a fair amount of pressure. More pressure equals louder sound, but too much pressure makes it scratchy. Your wrist should be relaxed.
6
Practice playing the open strings. This means not pressing down on the strings with any fingers of your left hand. Just rest the neck of the violin in the space between the left thumb and first finger. Try full strokes at first. Then do half strokes from the frog (bottom) to the middle and back again. Try to make the transition at the return point as smooth as possible. Practice changing from playing one string to playing another. Continue practicing until only one string is being played at a time without touching the other strings.
7

C Major Scale Fingerings

Practice playing scales. A scale is where you begin by playing a note on a lower string. In the C major scale, you play third finger on the lowest string: C...as the first note. You then play open string: D, first finger: E, LOW second finger: F, G, Open string: A, B, and low second finger C on the second highest string. There are many scales: D major, F major, and A major...to name a few. To play these scales, you must place each finger down one at a time while bowing the string. The goal is the relaxed playing of each note, with no sudden stops. Try to produce a warm sound, and to not make it sound too shaky.
8
Practice every day. Start with a short time (15 minutes) and work a little longer every day until reaching at least an hour. If you are playing violin only as a hobby, this can be less. But if you are serious, it is absolutely necessary to spend large amounts of time practicing (2-3 hours). However, this doesn't mean sitting down while holding the violin for two hours! Every practice session should have a goal, and practicing means improving. Don't just play everything once. Work on the hard parts of the piece you're working on. Remember: "practicing isn't performing".

Get a private teacher as you will learn leaps and bounds very quickly without building up bad-habits. Check for teachers at local universities, community colleges, orchestras, and some high schools. A thirty minute lesson once a week is all that is needed initially.
Have fun! Violin playing should not feel like a chore. While you should practice the music you need to for your teacher or orchestra, leave time at the end for your favorite music.
Being a violin player, you will need to keep up with the other violin players at an early stage, continuing your high level throughout to the professional level. Don't be put off since you'll be used to it pretty soon.
Don't worry if your hands hurt the first few times. Your fingers will get stronger and your muscles get more used to the unusual positioning of the violin. It should feel very strange at first, but soon enough it will feel natural. However if it does not improve, you may be doing something wrong, so contact a violin teacher for advice.
Buy a shoulder rest. This way, you will not be forced to raise your shoulder and crane your neck to support the instrument. It may take some getting used to at first, but it will pay off in the long run. Most beginners use one. If you don't you may get arthritis later on in life!
- Contrasting opinion: Some lifelong violinists do not use a shoulder rest and do not have shoulder or neck pain. It is argued that playing without a shoulder rest allows for a better tone from the instrument. While you may, at first, naturally raise your shoulder to help support the instrument, it is not necessary in order to play the instrument. One must simply get into the good habit of not doing such a thing in the first place.
Don't play with long fingernails. Long nails only make it harder to play, especially your first few times, and could possibly damage your strings. Even after you have been playing for a while, it's just not a good idea to play with long fingernails!
Don't try vibrato (light finger warbling) until you have learned to play. According to your level, you should try when you have played for at least one and a half to three years.
Suzuki method can really help if you don't know how to read music/ play the violin. Many other books can help you too. However, it is not difficult to learn to read music, so don't be put off learning to read music simply because today you don't know how.
Be sure not to rush ahead and try things that are too difficult; you have to crawl before you can walk. First, learn the simple things like learning how to use a bow. Before you know it, you'll be ready for more difficult things!
Practice is critical. The violin has no frets or marks to help place the fingers. If you have a teacher, he or she can put tape where your fingers should go, and, after a while, can take them off when you're ready. If you don't have a teacher, practice helps with memorizing the position of the hand and fingers required for each note. A good player will practice every day to prevent losing the feel of the right position for the hand and fingers.
A good idea would be to practice with someone playing the same notes on the piano. Adjust the hand and fingers to make the violin notes match the piano tones.
If you do not have the money to buy a violin, renting is always an option. You can rent a bow, and a case with your violin, too.
Make sure to clean off rosin buildup after every practice session. Use a clean soft cloth on the strings, on and under the fingerboard, around the bridge, the wood part of the bow, and anywhere else on the violin it falls.
Etudes are very helpful. Some good books are Kreutzer, Mazas, and wolfhart; but there are many others out there. I was once told "practice a piece like an etude and an etude like a piece.
Practice hard parts that are fast slowly then work it up to tempo.
Joining an orchestra can help you a lot in tempo and pitch.
During practice, focus on improving and playing musically. Play a small segment of music, then ask, "What can I do to make that sound better?" Then play the segment again while trying to implement your ideas.
If you feel yourself getting upset while practicing, take a short break and calm down. Do not expect to play something well the first time, or even the first twenty times! Even very gifted musicians must practice hard and may struggle when learning something new. Patience is the key!

Warnings

Do not touch the hairs of the bow. Oils from your skin will prevent the rosin from sticking, requiring the hairs of the bow to be replaced.
Do not let the violin come down straight from your chin-- it should come down from your left shoulder. You should be supporting the weight of the violin entirely with your arm, NOT your shoulder and head. Your arm and shoulders are designed for lifting, not the delicate parts of your spine and neck.
Do not hit anything with the bow, even a cushion, no matter how frustrated you are with your playing. The tip of the bow has a lot of pressure on it and can snap really easily; apart from if the music states to play col lengo (with the wood of the bow)
Always treat your instrument with great care. Treat it like you would a newborn baby. You wouldn't drop a baby, so do not drop your violin. Never wave the violin using the neck as this can break the neck from the violin. Don't leave the violin in the car, even for a few minutes.
Don't try vibrato yet until you are more skilled and an experienced player teaches it to you. If you try to teach yourself, you may be doing it wrong and it will impair your learning. It can be difficult to get out of that bad habit of your mistake. In fact, it can become nearly impossible to fix a bad vibrato.
Always keep your bow straight, as once you get into the habit of bowing with the tip over your left shoulder, or bowing on the black fingerboard, it is really hard to break that habit.
Always stand with your back straight and feet firmly planted a little less than shoulder width apart. NEVER slouch, as this can lead to muscle pain, and will prevent you from being able to play in tune. If you are sitting down to play, sit at the edge of the chair with your back straight.

How to Start to Play the Violin

Start to Play the Violin

The violin is mostly known for being used in classical music, but there have been performers who have made a name for themselves composing more modern music for the violin. In a symphony orchestra the violin is the main melody instrument. It's a fine instrument for a music student to begin at an early age.

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You'll Need:

Violin Cases
Straight-backed Chair
Violin Pitch Pipes
Sheet Music For Violin
Music Stands
Violin Chin Rests
Violin Bows
Block Of Violin Rosin
Violin Shoulder Pads Or Rests
Metronome
Violin Strings
Violins

Starting Out

1

Find a private area with a straight-back chair and a music stand.
2

Take the violin out of its case and place the instrument base on your lap.
3

Pluck each string using your right or left thumb to test its tension and hear its pitch.
4

Use a pitch pipe or a piano to tune your violin to G - D - A - E. ("E" is the top space on the treble clef on your sheet music. "G" is below the second ledger line of the treble clef.)
5

Wrap your left hand around the upper body where the neck and fingerboard extend from the instrument.
6

Place the base of the violin and the black chin rest below your chin.
7

Bring your left shoulder around so it's under the chin rest and forms a support from below.
8

Keep the violin level using your left hand. Your shoulder and chin provide firm, but easy contact and support.
9

Be comfortable and relaxed.
10

Place your right thumb at the corner of the fingerboard nearest the bridge.
11

Put the pad of your index finger on top of the "G" string.
12

Apply slight pressure so that your finger lands on the neighboring "D" string. This is "plucking" and is called playing "pizzicato."
13

Pluck the "G" string four times in a steady rhythm. Use no fingernails.
14

Repeat on the "D", "A" and "E" strings. Count with a steady beat or use a metronome.
15

Say the names of the strings each time you pluck to make a sound.
16

Mix the sequence and keep the tempo at a slow rate. Focus on accuracy.
17

Identify the location of the "D" and "A" quarter notes on the treble clef of your sheet music. "D" hangs just below the bottom line. "A" occupies the second space.

Using the Bow

1

Tighten the bow hair so there is a 3/4-inch space between the hair and the bow at the closest point.
2

Place your right thumb on the inside part of the bow where the frog creeps forward and back.
3

Lay your three middle fingers on the outside of the bow. Place your pinkie on top, near the adjustment screw.
4

Rest the side of your index finger (just above its second joint) on top of the bow stick.
5

Place the frog end of the bow hair on top of the "G" string halfway between the end of the fingerboard and the bridge.
6

Allow your hand to fall naturally from your arm at the point of your wrist.
7

Apply a slight bit of pressure on the bow and draw a straight line while vibrating the string. Stop near the bow tip. This is a "down bow."
8

Reverse the direction and move the bow on the string from the tip to the frog. This is an "up bow."
9

Move the bow at a medium-slow and regular speed.
10

Focus on producing a steady and pleasant-sounding tone.

Left-Hand Fingering

1

Place your left thumb under the violin's neck about 1 1/2 inches below the nut.
2

Play two pizzicato notes on the open (no fingering) "G" string.
3

Keep your index finger arched and press down firmly on the "G" string with the pad of your fingertip.
4

Play two pizzicato notes on this same string. This produces the note "A" - eight notes (an octave) lower than the open "A" string above.
5

Play this low "A" with your index finger on the "G" string. Then play the high "A" on the open string above. Listen to how they match in pitch.
6

Adjust your finger placement on the "G" string to make the "lower A" pitch match the upper.
7

Put your middle finger on the "G" string one inch closer to the bridge.
8

Pluck the string. This note is "B" - two whole steps above the "G" string.
9

Play B - A - G - A - B - B - B and you've played your first tune, "Mary Had a Little Lamb."
10

Try these steps while using the violin bow.

how to play violin for beginners video

Violin Lessons for Beginners - How to play Amazing

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Drumming

2010/09/05

Steps

Warnings

How to Start to Play the Violin

Instructions