Teaching

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Violin String Notes

Violin String Notes

This article will attempt to explain how the violin string notes work. The violin strings each have basic notes and more advanced notes, but for a beginner violinist, it’s important to understand the basic string notes and how they work with sheet music.

Your violin strings are the notes G, D, A and E. And on each one of those strings, each finger you place on a string represents another note. I highly suggest that you have a look at my article on finger positions to familiarize yourself with the violin finger positions before attempting to understand the violin string notes and how to read them.

The notes on the music scale are written in the trebble cleff, and for a basic violin lesson, in D Major. The violin string notes will therefore look like this on paper except that there are two sharps, not three:

Each string’s finger position has been marked above the note. So for the G String, you will have G, A, B and C# (keeping in mind that the basic violin scale is in D major. D major has two sharps. The image shows it as three sharps, but take the G sharp out, it’s only F and C sharp that you need to deal with.

For D, you have D, E, F# and G. In the same way, you can read the other two string notes. There are more notes on each string, still following the basic violin scale, but those are notes in position which we will not deal with in this article. For all our purposes, the notes we are dealing with here are for the first position of the violin.

It is also important to note that the music stave has lines and spaces. Therefore, some of your notes fall on lines, and other s fall on spaces. An easy way to remember which notes are on the lines are to say the sentence “Eat good bread dear father” and the spaces being “F A C E spells Face”. That way, if you need to know which note is on the third line, you just say the sentence, counting from the bottom line as you go, “eat good bread”. The third line falls on B for bread, therefore the third line’s note is bread.

Those are the violin string notes. for more info on these, please remember to go to my YouTube channel or browse my articles about this topic on violin string notes. It is important to grasp the violin string notes before embarking on playing the violin.

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How to read violin notes on sheet music

An Easy way to learn how to read violin notes on sheet music

If you are looking for an easy way to learn how to read violin notes on sheet music, I can provide one. Violin is one of the most complicated instruments to learn but with enough concentration, determination and practice, you can start learning relatively fast.

The way we learn how to read violin notes on sheet music is by starting to learn the actual notes. Musical scores have different clefs. You get the trebble clef, base cleff and the F cleff. Violas use the F Cleff so we are going to ignore that one. Instead, we are going to focus on the base cleff and the trebble cleff. You need a basic understanding of the base cleff to understand that some of the trebble cleff notes on the violin are borrowed from the base cleff. So without much more to say about this, let’s dive into how to read violin notes on sheet music.

Your trebble cleff has five lines and four spaces. But some of the notes of the base cleff extend on the trebble clef, making the trebble clef the only cleff that violin sheet music is written in.

The five lines on the trebble cleff is easily remembered by a sentence, “eat good bread dear father”, each word representing a letter, in other words, E, G, B, D, F. In the same way, the spaces (those places in between the lines) are named “F A C E spells Face”, each note on a space being F, A, C, E. See the image below.

Now, below the line, the notes go down. You get D and then middle C. Middle C is the note that separates the two cleffs, Base and Trebble. Now you are going to borrow notes for the violin front he base cleff. Go down with the lines as in the image to get to G.

The next image will show you the finger positions associated with the violin notes on the sheet music.

This is how the violin notes on sheet music works and how to read them. If you are still wondering more about how to read violin motes on sheet music, feel free to browse the rest of the site for information pertaining to how to read violin notes on sheet music and so on.

Click here to see my lesson on how to do finger positions on the violin

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How do you tape a violin fingerboard?

How to correctly tape a violin fingerboard

There are several ways and methods to tape a violin fingerboard. So if you are asking the question “how do you tape a violin fingerboard?” you have come to the right place. In this article, I will attempt to show you how you tape a violin fingerboard correctly.

The measurements for finger taping a violin fingerboard needs to be absolutely correct. Even being off by one mm is going to make you false. The violin strings have very little space for error. Therefore, it has to be exactly correct. There are two ways you can tape a violin fingerboard correctly so that you won’t make mistakes while playing. The first way is to just buy a fretboard sticker or download one for free. This is by far the easiest. But if you feel more adventurous and would not like a fretboard sticker covering up your entire fingerboard (this is not necessary), you can measure out the exact measurements on the violin fingerboard and place the tape on the fingerboard, correctly. I will explain how to do this in the paragraphs below.

Firstly, you need the measurements to get the exact positions to tape the violin fingerboard correctly. These you can get by clicking here or just look at the bottom of the article for the measurements. Carefully measure from the nut, which is the end part of the fingerboard right up against the neck of the violin that stands up a little and potrudes a little. From that corner in the fingerboard where the nut is, is where you start your measuring. Measure each position and carefully make a light pencil mark.

The next thing to do to tape the fingerboard correctly is to slowly insert your first finger sticker or fingering tape underneath the strings and place it on the pencil mark you made. Do this for each of the measurements. You should be placing three pieces of tape / stickers.

The last thing you do to ensure that you have taped the violin fingerboard correctly is to test it. Find someone that can play the piano and with the violin tuned, press your finger on each placement while bowing the violin or plucking the string. This will tell you if it’s in tune. you can also use a tuner app to do this.

The notes should be the following:

  • G String: Open G, First finger A, Second finger B, Third finger C#
  • D String: Open D, First finger E, Second finger F#, Third finger G
  • A String: Open A, First finger B, Second finger C#, Third finger D
  • E String: Open E, First finger F#, Second finger G, Third finger A

    • I hope this has been helpful in how to tape the violin fingering correctly. Please ensure that you measure correctly and test it to avoid learning wrong finger placement.

    Check out how to tune your violin here on this video
    Check out how to bow correctly on this video

    How do you tape a violin fingerboard? Measurements for violin fingerboard taping / marking.
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    Violin Fingering Tape

    Violin Fingering Tape

    Violin fingering tape is something that beginner violinists use to get to learn the different finger positions and help train their musical ear. It is important to get some assistance with finger placement with the use of violin fingering tape as new violinists don’t know where to put their fingers and don’t yet have a trained ear when it comes to playing the violin.

    A trained ear is knowing and hearing when you are playing something wrong. Over time, you develop this sense of knowing where to place your finger and what it will sound like. But beginner violinists usually don’t get this right at the start and need some sort of aid such as violin fingering tape to help them get started.

    Violin fingering tape is used to place markings on the finger board of the violin so that the beginner violinist knows exactly where to place their fingers. Standard notes are marked so that there is a base from which to start working. Exact positions are marked out to place the fingering tape at so that the violin finger board is marked correctly.

    To find out more about the measurements and where to place the violin fingering tape, please click on this link: Violin Finger Positions It will take you to my article on violin finger positions etc.

    An alternative to violin fingering tape is to purchase a fretboard sticker for your violin. This is a sticker that you place on the fingerboard, marked clearly with the different positions for the fingers. It helps if you are a beginner and you do not know what you are doing, to have a sticker to mark out the positions for yourself. At the bottom of this article are links to the violin fretboard stickers on Amazon.

    To find out how to place violin fingering tape, check out my article on “how to place violin fingering tape”

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    Violin String Notes

    Violin String Notes

    The violin string notes are written across two octaves, three and four sometimes. But for basic beginner violin, you will play across three strings only.

    As with any music, musical notes go from A to G only. So A, B, C, D, E, F, G and then it starts again with A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C etc. In between these notes, there are half tones as well which makes up sharps or flats.

    The violin string notes are ordered according to standard music theory. In other words, your notes are still A B C D E F G, but you start on the G string. Each finger is a different note. The notes on your strings are as follows:

  • G String: G, G#, A, A#, B, C, C#/li>
  • D String: D. D#, E, F, F#, G, G#
  • A String: A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#
  • E String: E, F, F#, G, G#, A

    • Of course if you are a beginner player, your violin string notes to start with will be in the scale of D Major. And for that to work, your fingers will be placed in the standard violin finger positions. To find out more about the finger positions, click on this link or watch my video here.

    It is advisable to get a fretboard or mark your violin so you have the correct string positions to learn with the correct placement for the violin string notes to begin with.

    In this case, your string notes will be as follows:

  • G string: First finger, A, second finger B, third finger C#
  • D string: First finger, D, second finger E, third finger F#
  • A string: First finger, B, second finger, C#, third finger D
  • E string: First finger F#, second finger G, third finger A

    • These are the basic violin string notes and names. Some of these are sharps because the first basic violin scale that everyone learns is D Major. D Major contains two sharps namely F and C. Thus, your violin string notes to start with will have these two sharps.

    Click here for my video on the violin finger positions

    Click here for where to place the finger positions.

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    Violin Finger Positions

    Violin Finger Positions and how to do it

    One of the complicated things about the violin is to get your head around the violin finger positions. It can be confusing, especially in the beginning, especially when you don’t have a musical background and this is the first instrument that you are attempting.

    Violin finger positions on the strings need to be in the exact place so that your note pitch is not off. The slightest incorrect spacing and your notes will sound false. So before you attempt to put your fingers on the positions, you need to put some sort of a marker on your violin fingerboard. Click here to go to the violin finger positions and see how to mark your violin properly.

    When you have done the marking of the finger positions, you need to remember your violin fingering. Your pointing finger is your first finger, middle finger is your second finger, ring finger is your third finger and pinky is your forth finger.

    The basic violin fingering works with the scale of D Major. D Major has two sharps, F, C sharps. Therefore, your notes that fall on these will be sharps. Below is an image of how the violin notes work.

    So in other words, for the G string positioning, first gfinger will fall on A, second finger on B, third finger on C#.

    For D string, first finger will fall on E, second on F#, third on G and so on.

    For A string, first ginger will fall on B, second on C#, third on D

    E string: first ginger on F#, second on G and third on A

    Below is an image of how to position the fingers on the violin fingerboard. The tips of your fingers need to be pushing down on the strings, your fingers need to be curled and your pulse need to be out.

    For more on violin finger positions, please read my article on the placements or watch my YouTube video on the finger positions for the violin.

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    Easy Violin Lessons

    If you want easy violin lessons I have good news and bad news for you. There is no such a thing as an easy violin lesson. Violin is one of the most difficult instruments to play, and easy does not come into it.

    For some people, playing violin comes much easier than for others, but there is still technique to master, basic concepts to master and hours of practice to do, even just to play a simple little song. Therefore, I don’t believe in the existence of easy violin lessons.

    However, I have done the best I can to simplify violin lessons to the point of what I could call easy, even if you do not find it easy. Some people will find it easy, others will not.

    I recommend that when you start watching my YouTube videos on violin lessons, start with the basics, and don’t move on until you have grasped the one lesson well. Only when you have mastered what the one lesson teaches, will you be able to progress to the next lesson.

    The lessons are structured in an easy way so that even the most musically challenged people can learn. I would not call them easy violin lessons though.

    Basic easy violin lessons that I have on my YouTube channel are:

    How to tune a violin

    How to get your bowing right

    Violin bow exercises for absolute beginners

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    What are the violin string names

    What are the violin string names and where are they?

    If you have recently picked up a violin or you are wanting to learn to play, you may be wondering what are the violin string names and where they are on the violin. In other words, which string is which string.

    The violin has four different strings. The strings are called from left to right, G, D, A and E. G is the lowest, deepest sound and E is the highest sound. If you are still wondering what the different violin string names are, a picture below indicates the names of the strings.

    Violin string names

    On the piano, the violin string names match up to the G just below middle C, the D next to middle C, the A above middle C and the E one octave above middle C. An octave is 8 notes. These are the string names you will be using to tune your violin. An image below indicates the different violin string names and where you will find them on the piano. The C next to the note marked D is middle C.

    Violin String Names on the Piano

    The other thing is that once you know the violin string names, you need to tune the violin according to the right pitch. You can use a piano to do this with a trained ear, but if your ear is not yet trained, it’s best to use a violin tuner that will tell you if your strings are on pitch and in tune. The violin tuners are usually programmed to the violin string names and the correct pitch. A list of violin tuners available on Amazon are below:

    The thickest of the violin strings is named G. D is a little less thick, A is less thick and E is the thinnest string. This information will come in handy when you need to replace your strings. Also how to trouble shoot the tuning pegs or how to replace violin strings. You can see an article on how to troubleshoot the tuning pegs here called “When the tuning pegs keep popping off”.

    The first thing every new violinist needs to know is the different violin string names and where they are placed on the violin. It is also handy to know where they sit on a piano. I hope this article has informed you of the different violin string names and that you can now go ahead with tuning or starting to play the violin!

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    Violin Finger Chart

    Violin Finger Chart for finger placement

    When starting out with a violin, it can be quite hard to know where to do the finger placement. Especially if you have not had your ear trained yet. The violin fingerboard has no frets. For that reason, it could be a good idea to get a violin finger chart.

    What exactly is a violin finger chart? This is a sticker that looks like a fretboard of a guitar, that will help guide you on how and where to do the placement for your fingers.

    The reason that you need to know exactly where the finger placement needs to go is that when you put your fingers down on the violin, even if it is just slightly out, even by just 1mm, the sound will be off and you will sound false.

    A violin finger chart will help you have the correct finger placement every single time. It is clearly marked with each note’s position so that you can do an exact finger placement. Some charts only use beginner positions, but other violin finger charts use more notes and options.

    When looking for a violin finger chart, it would be useful to know that it is also sometimes called a violin fret board sticker. Also a violin finger placement sticker. If you do a search on Amazon for violin finger placement, the violin finger placement or violin finger chart stickers will come up. Below is our violin fretboad print out that can be downloaded for free.

    Violin Finger ChartDownload

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    Can I teach myself the violin?

    Can I teach myself the violin is a frequently asked question

    Many people wonder this exact question. Can I teach myself the violin. The answer is hard to give. It is yes and it is no.

    Violin is a very difficult instrument to master. For some, it will be nearly impossible. For others, it will be as easy as pie to learn. But whether you can teach yourself the violin depends entirely upon you.

    My answer to the question “Can I teach myself the violin” is a definite yes. I do believe it is possible. With enough dedication and an online tutor, it is possible. It is not the best, but it is possible. If you just want to learn for the sake of playing for your own enjoyment, then my answer is definitely yes, I believe you can teach yourself the violin. But if you want to learn to play professionally or you want to enter for violin exams, then my answer is no, I don’t think you can teach yourself.

    Of course, to further answer the question “Can I teach myself the violin?” one needs to look at your own dedication and commitment. How much endurance do you have? How easy is it for you to grasp a new concept? How much time do you have to practice?

    My answer is yes to the question. You can teach yourself the violin. I, myself have learned how to ride a horse just by watching others. You won’t get exam ready, and you probably won’t get qualified, but I do believe the answer to the question “Can I teach myself the violin ” is a yes. With correct help along the way, such as good course material and videos to watch, it is possible to teach yourself just for the fun of it.

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    Violin Finger Positions

    Violin finger positions

    Having the correct violin finger positions on the violin is crucial to successful violin playing. If you place your finger on the fingerboard and it is just slightly off yes even 1 mm, you will get a false sound. It is important to get the right finger positions when playing the violin.

    This involves both how and where you place your fingers on the fingerboard. First we will start on how you place your fingers on the fingerboard.

    To get your violin finger positions right, your fingers need to be curled and the tips of the fingers need to press down as in the image below. But, since the violin does not have a fretboard, it makes it quite hard to put the fingers in the right place, even if how you position your fingers on the violin is correct.

    Violin finger positions

    The next thing you have to do is to make certain that you know where the fingers need to go. With a trained ear and many hours of practice, knowing the correct violin finger positions will come naturally. But for beginners, it is important to have markers to show where the finger positions are. Teachers will generally place these on the violin in the form of stickers. But in the case where you are attempting to teach yourself, you will need some help.

    You can place the stickers yourself, but you need to know that it does have to be in exactly the right position. The measurements are at the bottom of this page, but they are measured from the nut as in the image that is also below.

    Violin finger positions are measured from the nut

    The alternative to get your violin finger positions right is to get a violin fingerboard sticker or sometimes called a violin fretboard sticker. This is easy to put on and a quick fix. There are links below to these on Amazon.

    Whatever you decide to use to get your violin finger positions right, you need to remember that the measurements or fretboard stickers need to be placed in exactly the right spot, measuring from the nut.

    Always remember that practice makes perfect. I know that violin finger position aids are unsighly but in time, your ear will get trained and you will be able to remove the stickers.

    Full Size Violin (4/4)
    Tape 1 – 35mm (1 3/8 inches)
    Tape 2 – 66mm (2 5/8 inches)
    Tape 3 – 80mm (3 1/8 inches)
    Tape 4 – 106mm (4 1/8 inches)

    3/4 Violin
    Tape 1 – 32mm (1 1/4 inches)
    Tape 2 – 61mm (2 3/8 inches)
    Tape 3 – 75 mm (2 7/8 inches)
    Tape 4 – 100 mm (3 7/8 inches)

    1/2 Violin
    Tape 1 – 28mm (1 1/8 inches)
    Tape 2 – 54mm (2 1/8 inches)
    Tape 3 – 68mm (2 5/8 inches)
    Tape 4 – 91mm (3 5/8 inches)

    1/4 Violin
    Tape 1 – 25mm (1 inch)
    Tape 2 – 48mm (1 7/8 inches)
    Tape 3 – 60mm (2 3/8 inches)
    Tape 4 – 79mm (3 1/8 inches)

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    Violin Bow Exercises

    Violin bow exercises for beginners

    Violin bow exercises are incredibly important to correct your violin bowing technique. Especially when you are a beginner and you are struggling with balancing the bow on the strings and hitting different strings at the same time.

    Violin is not an instrument that can be learned overnight unless you are a super musical genious. There is a lot involved in learning the violin. A lot of technique and also musical knowledge goes into it. Part of the technique is getting the bowing right from when you are a beginner. For that you need the right kind of violin bow exercise for the particular issue that you are struggling with.

    There are several exercises that you can try to correct your bowing. The most important one is learning how to bow. I have outlined some exercises below that you can use to get your violin bowing right.

    1. Try to bow a long full bow on just one string. This would be from the end of the bow to the tip. This should have enough pressure to make a nice sound, but not so much that it scratches. If you hear a scratchy sound, you will know that the bow is being put down too hard. You will also need to balance the bow so that it only touches the string you want to play. Do this exercise going up and down several times at 60 beats per minute (use a metronome) on each string. Count four. After you have done this on each individual string, do it on different strings eg A D G D A E A E
    2. Do the same violin bow exercise again except this time, use only half the bow.
    3. The same exercise can be done again using a quarter of the bow and counting one count per note.
    4. When you get the balance right, do a down bow, full bow. Pick up the bow and put it down for another down bow. Just do down bows.
    5. Do the same as no 4 except now its an up bow.
    6. Try two strings on a bow. Move from A to D on the same bow without stopping. If this is an issue, try stopping in the middle of the bow first and switching. When you get that right, you can try the switching without stopping.

    These violin exercises will help with the basics of the bowing. If you can get these right, you should be good with beginner violin bowing.

    You can see more on my YouTube video regarding beginner violin bow exercises. Below is a link to the video on violin bow exercises.

    Link to YouTube video: Violin Bow Exercises for beginners

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    Violin finger placement

    Violin finger placement woes

    So you have started violin lessons and have gotten to the part where you learn where to place your fingers on the fingerboard. But the violin finger placement is quite tricky and you don’t always get it right.

    Many times it’s false when you play and you just struggle, especially with that third finger.

    A big part about violin finger placement has to do with your ear and how in tune you are to the pitch of the notes. That’s why developing your musical ear is important. I believe that this is possible, even if you are completely tone deaf. With enough practice you can definitely develop enough of a musical ear to deal with these challenges.

    Another part of correct violin finger placement is how you hold the fingers on the fingerboard. Are they curled or flat? A flat finger is not going to give you the correct sound, even if your finger is in the right place. But a curled finger on the other hand, will give you a better tone and have more of a correct placement too. It is important to remember how to hold your fingers on the violin fingerboard. The placement needs to be correct and the fingers need to be curled.

    There are aids that can help you with the finger placement, although these aids should only be used right at the beginning. We do not recommend using these aids for more than a couple of weeks. If you keep using violin finger placement aids, your finger placement will not develop on it’s own as you will start to rely on the aids instead of your tone and yourself. Below, I have linked to some aids on Amazon that can help you with violin finger placement.

    Getting the correct finger placement right from the start is incredibly important to having success with learning how to play the violin. In the video linked here, I share some insights into the correct finger placement and where to put your fingers, as well as which note each one of the fingers represent. I hope this helps you with your violin finger placement and that you can finally overcome those woes that get you down.

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    How to effectively practice violin

    How to effectively practice violin

    The secret to practicing an instrument is not how many times you practice the same exercise over and over. The secret is in playing the same thing over and over again, but in different ways and with different methods.

    For example, if you are going to practice Mary had a little lamb effectively, first analyse the piece of music. Look at the time signature, Look at any ornaments, volume indications and other symbols etc. Then play it through on the violin once.

    The second time, practice it with counting out loud as you as you play the piece on the violin. The third time, play it in perhaps playing each note four times. Make sure you practice it in different ways, at least three different ways.

    The key to how to effectively practice the violin is in variation in your playing through of the music.

    Another important thing to do is in any piece of the music that you are struggling with, play just that one piece, that one bar or one line slower and over and over again until you get it right. then add it into the rest of the piece again. This is how you effectively practice the violin.

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    Violin Bow Hold

    Correct violin bow hold

    Playing the violin is not just a “pick up the bow and play” like a plug and play device that you can do with a kitchen or computer. Playing the violin is a combination of technique and the effort that you put into it. Part of this effort is the violin bow hold that you have.

    If your violin bow hold is not correct, your bow stroke and your violin sound may sound bad. It will look off and just be wrong. You will bow skew (yes you will) which will NOT help your sound and your general playing. The bow can fly out of your hand during fast music and in general, your playing will be bad.

    So to get your violin bow hold right, you need to put the time and effort into practicing the bow hold so that your violin playing ultimately becomes professional. It is hard practice and many people struggle getting the correct violin bow hold right from the start.

    Howdo you hold the bow? Your ring finger and middle finger needs to be around the frog. Your pointing finger needs to be around the finger grip and your pinky needs to be on the top of the bow. The image below shows you how to do a correct violin bow hold.

    Violin Bow Hold
    Violin Bow Hold

    It does not stop there though. The back of your fingers over the bow also has to curl. Below is a picture from a different angle on the correct violin bow hold and what your thumb is supposed to be doing.

    Violin bow hold
    Violin bow hold

    Several aids can help in how to hold the violin bow. It can help your fingers get used to the position the bow has to be held in. This is a known fact, it’s hard to hold the bow in the way it’s supposed to be held. Especially if you’re new at this. That’s why the aids are useful. Below, you will see some aids to help you with the bow hold.

    There are other factors involved in holding the violin bow correctly as well. Your upper arm needs to be still as you attempt the bowing and you need to go straight between the bridge and the finger board. Check out my YouTube Video on how to bow straight and have the correct violin bow hold.

    I hope this article has been helpful in you learning more about the correct bow hold for the violin. Remember, with a lot of practice your fingers will eventually get used to holding the bow. If it feels like the bow is about to fly out of your hand, you are probably holding the bow correctly!

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    Violin lessons for adults

    Many adults wonder if it’s too late for them to start taking violin lessons. The answer to this question is a resounding NO! You are never too old to learn.

    In my life, I have taught violin lessons for adults and kids alike. People from all ages of life between the ages of 5 and 65 have come for lessons. And what I have found is that there are a lot of adults out there needing violin lessons.

    Just because you have reached a certain age does not mean that you have to stop learning. New learning opportunities are available every single day of your life until you eventually pass away. And each day is a new beginning to attempt something new.

    So whether you are an adult seeking violin lessons for adults or you have kids you need to provide lessons to, never ever thing that it is too late. It is never too late to start.

    In my experience I find that adults generally fare better at violin lessons than children do. This is because they are mentally more mature and can understand things better. They also generally pay for the violin lessons themselves and for that reason are willing to put more time and effort into it than children who gets violin lessons that their parents pay for.

    Do not let the fact that you are an adult put you off having violin lessons. Like I say, it is never too late to start. You can always start by watching some of my videos on YouTube and if you like it, you can subscribe. Yes, violin lessons are for adults too!

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    Violin bowing techniques

    When you look at violin bowing techniques, it is important to learn the correct technique and not the wrong technique. Now, while there are several violin bowing techniques out there, only one has ever worked for me.

    The different ways to hold the bow on the strings, the different grips etc can all be debated. This is an important part of violin technique that needs to be gotten right from the start. We do not advocate the “Russian” way of doing the violin bow hold as we feel this is going to teach you the wrong technique.

    Along with having the correct violin bow grip, you also need the correct bowing technique. Learning how to bow straight is a very important part of the technique that needs to be gotten right from the start. There is no point in learning the violin unless you have got this bowing technique down. It takes many hours of practice to get right.

    So what violin bowing techniques to you need to remember? There are several. When you go onto my YouTube channel, I explain the violin bowing technique in detail. But for the purposes of this article, let me take you through some of the important techniques that you need to know.

    Bowing straight is an important part of technique. This is obtained by keeping your upper arm still and bowing straight. Along with this, your eye needs to be on the bow to make sure that it’s moving straight between the bridge and the fingerboard. You cannot have the bowing go sideways. Straight upper arm, straight bowing.

    Another one of the violin bowing techniques is to have your pulse move up with the up bow stroke and down with the down stroke. This is also important to remember when practicing bowing techniques.

    Next, you need to remember to not bow too heavy and not to softly. The bowing needs to be just firm enough to get a sound, but not so firm that you are going to get a scratch out of it.

    Also remember when practicing bowing technique to make sure that your posture with the violin is correct. The violin needs to be up to your side and parallel to the floor. This is vital.

    The last thing to remember when practicing bowing techniques is to make sure that your bow is balancing between the two strings on either side of the string that you want to play on. Tip it if it’s touching another string you do not want it to touch.

    For more on violin bowing techniques, please check out my violin lesson channel on YouTube. The link is on your left at the top.

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    Easy violin lessons?

    Is there such a thing as easy violin lessons? This will be explored in this post. Do we get such a thing considering violin is one of the top ten most difficult instruments in the world to play. Easy? Really?

    Many people think that having a couple of violin lessons is easy. It may be easy in the beginning, but the more advanced you become, and the more you learn, the more difficult it becomes. Yes, while easy violin lessons are out there, it usually is not what you think. Violin is not an easy instrument to learn.

    Much technique goes into the violin. A lot of your lesson time will be dedicated to learning all about technique and practicing the technique. Another part of your lesson time will be dedicated to theory. And while it’s easy to take in information, it’s not so easy to apply the information into what we do ourselves.

    Mastering the technique of the violin depends on the dedication and effort you put into the violin. But also in how well you listen when you do start out learning how to play the violin. This is not easy and does not happen fast.

    Easy violin lessons is not something that really exists. But if you put enough time and effort into it, you may actually find that you are learning it relatively easily. For the beginner stages anyway. When you get to positions and more complicated pieces, easy goes out the window and that’s when hours and hours of practice starts to happen. No longer is it easy, now it’s downright hard and frustrating at times.

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    The different violin strings

    Different violin strings

    When you are just starting out with violin, you may wonder what the four different strings on the violin are. What are the different violin strings called and how do they sound.

    The first violin string is the G string. It is the G below middle C. That is the lowest note of the violin. The Google string in first position is played and ends at middle C or even D. Further positions can take it up to E or even F in the second octave above middle C.

    The next violin string is the D string and ranges from the D above middle C to the A. In different positions it can even go up to the second octave above middle C.

    The next violin string is A. It starts on the A above middle C and goes up to E in first position. Different position can take it up to F in the third octave above middle C.

    The last violin string to mention is the E string. It’s the highest string and starts on the E in the second octave above middle C. It can go all the way up to C in the third octave above middle C.

    So in other words across the different violin strings you can reach about three octaves. Your basic beginner will only be able to play the basic position though which will allow two octaves. More advanced players will be able to reach three octaves as they know how to navigate the different violin strings.

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    Holding the violin bow

    Holding the violin bow

    Holding the violin bow correctly is a skill that needs to be mastered over time. It takes many many hours of practice before the skill is properly mastered.

    To hold the bow correctly, one’s fingers are stretched in an abnormal way, making it feel like the bow is about to fly out of your hands. If it feels like the bow is about to fly out of your hand, the bow is held correctly.

    Many people struggle getting the hold of the bow correct. There are several methods, but the most popular method is the one I will show below. To hold the bow correctly, you need to curl your thumb into the frog, hold your ring finger and middle finger together over the frog on the side, and point your little finger at the top of the bow by the little mechanism that winds the bow. Your pointing finger kind of just rests over the bow. The following image illustrates holding the violin bow correctly.

    If you do not hold the violin bow correctly, you will find that your sound will be affected as you play. You will also find that when you play fast, you might actually have the bow fly out of your hand. These are the two main reasons you need to hold the bow correctly. But there are more reasons too.

    Holding the violin bow correctly also influences how you bow. Every good violin student is taught to bow straight. But if you are not holding the violin bow correctly, you will not be able to bow straight without huge effort and it will affect your performance.

    There are several ways that you can practice holding the bow correctly on the violin. On Amazon you can buy a bow grip which you attach to your bow to help you grip the bow correctly. Or some of my students have actually used elastic bands to train their middle finger and ring finger to stay together.

    There are many ways that you could practice holding the violin bow correctly, but whatever you do, make sure that you practice it right, and don’t practice holding the violin bow incorrectly. This is a very important part of playing the violin.

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    Most difficult instrument to play

    Violin is the most difficult instrument to play

    Yes, that’s right. Violin is the most difficult instrument to play. Google and you will find that out for yourself. But why is violin listed as the most difficult instrument to play and master? Surely it can’t be that complicated!

    Well the truth is, it is a difficult instrument to master and play. There are so many aspects of the violin that is just practically impossible to learn in one day or lesson. Some do, but those are people with a lot of talent. For the most people, it takes years to master how to play the violin.

    One of the reasons the violin is the most difficult instrument to play is because holding the violin and the bow incorrectly can alter the sound a big amount and it will no longer sing. Sometimes people can still get away with it but it will never sound as good as it can and professional unless the posture and holding of the violin and bow is correct.

    Another reason is that if the violin is not held correctly, the bow will not go straight and that will also alter the sound. It will also make it very complicated to actually play it, especially later on when more advanced work is done.

    Violin is the most difficult instrument to play because of all the technique that needs to be mastered to make it work. It can take years to master the technique that is needed to be a good violinist.

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    Holding the violin correctly is important

    Why holding the violin correctly is important

    Many people start out with the wrong posture and learning how to hold the violin incorrectly. They practice the violin, sometimes for years, and then realize that getting further is going to be complicated. This is why holding the violin correctly is VERY IMPORTANT to playing correctly.

    When you hold the violin the wrong way, not only do you not make a beautiful sound, but you also hamper your progress in the long run. Later on, when you get to more complicated pieces to play you will find one of the following scenarios if you have not held the violin correctly from the start

    • Your sound will be horrible and won’t sing
    • Your bow will be playing skew
    • Your fingers won’t be able to reach the fingerboard properly
    • You won’t be able to play in position correctly
    • You muscles and bones will hurt
    • You won’t be able to play vibrato

    The list goes on. But I cannot stress enough how important it is to hold the violin correctly from the start. This is paramount to any successful violin playing in the future.

    Many students have arrived at my music lessons holding the violin incorrectly. I then need to first teach them the basics again of how to hold the violin correctly before I can move on and proceed to continue teaching them where they left off. This is why holding the violin correctly is such an important part of getting the basics right.