How to Play the Violin

Playing the violin requires a variety of skills, yet all of these skills can be developed with persistence, practice and most essential, an excitement and passion for music.

The Key Ingredient

Before deciding to learn an instrument, the potential student should really search their heart to check for a core desire for learning their chosen instrument. Learning an instrument to please family members will not motivate the student enough through the required practice hours and the work it takes to master the instrument. However, the good news is passion can also be developed. Attending a live concert can increase the passion for an instrument as the potential student catches the excitement of playing as part of a group.

Choosing Lessons

The next step is to choose a teacher and to choose your mode of learning. There is a variety of options available, including music schools, which may run lessons in the evenings or after school or on weekends. Many schools include music lessons as an optional extra for students. Alternatively, private teachers can be hired for in-home lessons. If a person is motivated for self study, purchasing a course online may be the best choice.

Obtaining an Instrument

Once the mode of learning has been chosen, obtaining an instrument is the next step. Sometimes music schools offer a hire purchase program where the money you pay to hire the instrument pays off the total cost, so you can own your own instrument. Online auction sites such as eBay can be a great place to get an instrument for cheap, but ideally, you need to be able to test the instrument's sound and quality before buying. If you are not an experienced player, take a teacher or a more experienced violinist with you to check the instrument.

Investing in Quality

Music shops are also a good choice if you are prepared to invest in a quality instrument, which will definitely give rewards in a nice tone and long life span. There is no doubt that spending money on a good instrument can mean the difference between endless frustration and beautiful effortless-sounding tone. The bow is especially important in choosing a violin and many professional or concert violinists will have more than one bow. In fact, it is not uncommon for the bow to be more expensive than the instrument itself. The quality of strings will also affect the tone of the violin and it is worth paying a little more for higher quality strings.

Get to Know the Instrument

When learning how to play the violin you will become increasingly familiar with the anatomy of the instrument. Some of the basic parts of the violin are, the scroll at the top, the neck and finger board where the strings are found, the bridge, the tail piece and the chin rest, just to name a few. The bow is separate from the violin. Learning to hold the violin in the beginning is not a natural instinct and takes patience and practice. It is important to master this as holding the violin wrongly can dampen the vibration of the strings and thus the tone quality.

Once all these factors have come together, you are ready to begin learning how to play the violin.


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