How to Play Some Simple Tunes on the Violin
Know what size you need., Learn the anatomy of your instrument., Get a beginners book, something that has a CD/DVD to help you., Learn the strings., Learn how your instrument works., Take a look at the book. , Hold the instrument properly, with your...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Know what size you need.
Test this by holding your chin on the chin rest.
The chin rest is the black piece towards the bottom of the fingerboard.
Most newer violins have one, but some people take them off or an older violin may simply not have one.
Getting one attached is a simple matter of going to a music store or a violin instructor.
Then, grab the scroll.
The scroll is the elegantly carved piece at the very end of the fingerboard.
Once you are holding it, if your arm is stretched out but you aren't straining to reach it, that's your size.
The sizes are Full, Three-Quarter, Half, and Quarter.
Keep in mind, however, if you're between 9 and 18, you may want to buy a Full size one.
That way when you're finished growing for a while you won't need a new one right away, it's pretty easy to play one a size big.
If you're a little kid and you need a Quarter, a Half will most likely accommodate your size for a little bit longer. -
Step 2: Learn the anatomy of your instrument.
It goes as follows.
The body is the basic wooden structure.
The fingerboard is the long, often black, piece containing most of the strings.
The scroll is the end piece, which contains the peg box, where the strings are attached to the violin.
F-holes are the black scrolling openings on either side.
These allow the vibrations to escape from the sound post, the part that is responsible for turning vibrations into music.
The bridge is where the strings run over on their way down.
This is connected to the internal sound post, causing the vibrating strings to make the whole violin come to life and make music appreciated worldwide. , Many books designed for children are good no matter your age; the notes are often labeled. , Hold it by the curve in the middle so you are looking down the whole structure towards the scroll.
Facing this way, the string to the far left, the thickest, is G.
The next one to the right of G is D.
The next one after that is A, then E. , The bow, made of wood and horsehair pulled from the tail of a horse (no animals harmed, that's not painful and the horse can grow the hairs back), is drawn across the strings to create a vibration, carried through the bridge and down the sound post.
You may wonder, with only four strings, how can such a wide range of notes be produced? The player placing their fingers down, that's how! ,, Reverse these directions for lefties. , The middle strings are easier to switch between at first.
Then you can move on to E string.
Try G when you're comfortable. , These are easy to learn, only too difficult to explain.
If you bought a good book though, you'll be confident in what it says.
If the book makes you feel like you're doing something wrong, pop in the CD/DVD that came with it.
If you're still not sure, go buy a new book, but keep the other one.
Even if they're poor in basic instructions, they'll have some good practice songs for later. , -
Step 3: Get a beginners book
-
Step 4: something that has a CD/DVD to help you.
-
Step 5: Learn the strings.
-
Step 6: Learn how your instrument works.
-
Step 7: Take a look at the book.
-
Step 8: Hold the instrument properly
-
Step 9: with your left hand on the fingerboard midway down and your right hand maneuvering the bow.
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Step 10: Start with something played on D and A.
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Step 11: Learn the notes.
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Step 12: Start playing!
Detailed Guide
Test this by holding your chin on the chin rest.
The chin rest is the black piece towards the bottom of the fingerboard.
Most newer violins have one, but some people take them off or an older violin may simply not have one.
Getting one attached is a simple matter of going to a music store or a violin instructor.
Then, grab the scroll.
The scroll is the elegantly carved piece at the very end of the fingerboard.
Once you are holding it, if your arm is stretched out but you aren't straining to reach it, that's your size.
The sizes are Full, Three-Quarter, Half, and Quarter.
Keep in mind, however, if you're between 9 and 18, you may want to buy a Full size one.
That way when you're finished growing for a while you won't need a new one right away, it's pretty easy to play one a size big.
If you're a little kid and you need a Quarter, a Half will most likely accommodate your size for a little bit longer.
It goes as follows.
The body is the basic wooden structure.
The fingerboard is the long, often black, piece containing most of the strings.
The scroll is the end piece, which contains the peg box, where the strings are attached to the violin.
F-holes are the black scrolling openings on either side.
These allow the vibrations to escape from the sound post, the part that is responsible for turning vibrations into music.
The bridge is where the strings run over on their way down.
This is connected to the internal sound post, causing the vibrating strings to make the whole violin come to life and make music appreciated worldwide. , Many books designed for children are good no matter your age; the notes are often labeled. , Hold it by the curve in the middle so you are looking down the whole structure towards the scroll.
Facing this way, the string to the far left, the thickest, is G.
The next one to the right of G is D.
The next one after that is A, then E. , The bow, made of wood and horsehair pulled from the tail of a horse (no animals harmed, that's not painful and the horse can grow the hairs back), is drawn across the strings to create a vibration, carried through the bridge and down the sound post.
You may wonder, with only four strings, how can such a wide range of notes be produced? The player placing their fingers down, that's how! ,, Reverse these directions for lefties. , The middle strings are easier to switch between at first.
Then you can move on to E string.
Try G when you're comfortable. , These are easy to learn, only too difficult to explain.
If you bought a good book though, you'll be confident in what it says.
If the book makes you feel like you're doing something wrong, pop in the CD/DVD that came with it.
If you're still not sure, go buy a new book, but keep the other one.
Even if they're poor in basic instructions, they'll have some good practice songs for later. ,
About the Author
Lisa Moore
Committed to making pet care accessible and understandable for everyone.
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