Wednesday, January 28, 2009

How To Play Violin Lessons For Beginners - A Journey For Sarah

Any struggling musician trying to learn how to play violin lessons for beginners will probably be able to identify with the aspiring violinist in this story. According to statistics, out of every 10 individuals who attempt to go on the self taught path for the instrument, only about 54% would succeed in the end. This means that for every 100 who do try, only 54 will know how to play it eventually. You should use this statistic to your advantage and believe that you belong in the good half. Sarah used to be a student and is now an accomplished violin player with a deep love for the music, because she did that and believed in herself. But before she reached this stage, she was just like you and me many years ago, or in the current stage, where learning the instrument went beyond finding online violin lessons or acquiring suitable tutoring at a beginner level. Being able to find out how to play the violin for beginners was something Sarah spent a lot of time on, and it took her many years of going through scores and theory on her own as well as numerous violin lessons on dvd before she broke through. The effort was immense, as Sarah was not extremely gifted in music, but she knuckled down and believed in herself. She put in many hours of hard work and dedication, and went through many other details that most students would never bother to spend time on, such as asking around about the best violin to learn various techniques on, saving enough money so that it could be better used on investing in a good violin since the instrument is vital in achieving the desired results, and even picking up much needed classical skills through the violin lessons that were available online and on dvds.

Sarah admitted that it was a struggle at the start and for many years thereafter, but she never once though of giving up totally. There were times when everything looked lost and she came close to ditching her instrument. But a key to the ability to continue on for many musicians is reminding themselves how much effort they have already put into their craft, and the ultimate satisfaction they will savor once their goals have been achieved. If you are playing violin as a beginner just like Sarah once used to be, then remember that it is not about having a good coach, but to learn the instrument without a teacher need not be more difficult than doing so with one, as long as the belief and commitment is strong, as well as using all the available resources at hand to improve progressively and gradually. The best violinist you might know might even be able to play the instrument without being able to read a score and even though they might be more correctly know as musical geniuses or even savants, this does not mean that you cannot attain the same or near the level of skills they have just by your own effort and perhaps with a dose of online violin tutoring.

Returning to Sarah, I could still remember how I was planning to teach her at the start, since a proper introduction to the violin is important to beginners in lesson 1, or at least around the first few meetings. Whether it is the standard acoustic model or someone hoping to master the electric violin for beginners, a key is to understand what the instrument can do and what you expect it to do in your own hands. I told Sarah to develop an understanding with her piece, and to always become one with the instrument, since things would flow more naturally when that becomes reality. It might sound abstract to many of you, but imagine an instrument or even any other machine or gadget to attach itself to and become part of you. Using it becomes second nature and that is what the best musicians in the world actually have but it is not often said enough. It is just like driving a car and just sort of knowing when you might hit the curb while parking after years of maneuvering it around. It becomes an extension of your self and Sarah slowly understood the meaning of doing that more so than whatever she might have learned from any violin dvd learning course or free tutorials.

Sarah received minimal coaching from me and it was normally prompted by her own questions on her journey towards becoming a skilled violinist. One of the early queries she posed to me was whether it was possible to learn how to play violin online as a beginner. As one might well know by now, there are many free lessons that can be found online that proffer to teach the instrument. Many of these are useful, and there are millions who use them as learn violin lessons. Another question Sarah always asked me in the early stages was how long it takes to know how to play the violin. This is a common one that continues to revolve in the heads of students because they are naturally impatient and wish to master the instrument as quickly as possible, so that they can start playing their favorite pieces of music. I told Sarah that the answer to both questions were the same. Whether one can learn to play the violin well for a beginner can be assisted with online violin classes and whether progress can be sped up if one continues to devour all the different lessons regardless of where they come from such as online sources or through a violin for beginners DVD, it all boils down to the desire, discipline and dedication of the learner him or herself.

Learning as a beginner on the violin can be a long and arduous journey as Sarah will no doubt tell anyone, as every fiddler will also agree. It becomes even harder if one is unable to find a guide to start to play the instrument. Things like how the fingering on a violin should be done correctly or where one can learn to tune it properly can only leave many students stumped. Sarah picked up these skills on the violin as a beginner through constant and diligent practice. She will likely use the same ideas and avoid similar mistakes she made, in the future when she decides to embark on teaching other beginners how to master and play the instrument. Sarah mentioned to me that for the most part, she relied a large amount on the various free online violin lessons to understand and master the skills required on the four stringed instrument. She also turned part of her attentions to learning violin from dvd, since many of them were able to teach using the ideal combination of visual and audio aids.

One of the many questions I have been asked from students and readers is also when is the best time to start violin learning. For any instrument, the ideal age will be as young as possible. But this often does not take into consideration the development of a passion for most individuals for any instrument which takes time and is also ultimately essential for proper growth as a musician. Without a real love for the instrument and the music it can help create, it is extremely difficult to sustain an interest, which eventually results in a waste of time and effort. So before you start investing in lessons for beginner violin whether it be online or from a teacher, and buying piles of what reviewers call the best violin learning dvd lessons, be sure of what you want and hope to achieve when picking up the instrument. Sarah was adamant that she knew what she wanted, since she nurtured her love of classical music over a number of years during her formative stage.

Monday, January 5, 2009

How To Play Violin For Beginners

For many striving to learn how to play violin for beginners it can be a long and arduous journey, especially with a lack of knowledge and careful guidance. There are a plethora of learning aids that can be sourced from the Internet, including free lessons online, DVDs that teach you the ins and outs of the instrument, from how to hold it right, to mastering the various advanced techniques and scales that one needs to know to be fully considered a master of the violin. But it is exactly this problem that has most beginners stuck and not knowing how or where to start. For example, there are many violin lessons online, but which one is the best and how can you determine that, other than checking each program out and spending some time to gauge its usefulness? It is also a situation that can discourage many, with them not realizing their dreams of becoming a violinist, or turning instead to spending huge amounts of money on professional violin instruction or schools, which is not necessary at all.

For anyone that might be keen to know how to play or to learn to use the violin, it has to start from choosing a good one while investing time in violin lessons for beginners. Buying a poorly made violin from the start will cause a lot of harm and heartbreak down the road. This can come in the form of bad posture, a lot of physical pain and the prevention of being able to master or learn the various skills properly. Make sure the right violin is selected, whether it is an expensive brand that has garnered great reviews, or one that is cheaper but with a quality that is highly rated. Do not forget that some investment has to be made, and that a violin is essentially still an expensive instrument, but one that is well worth the money spent.

If you are more adventurous, getting an electric violin might not be a bad choice. However, it is not necessarily easier to learn nor play on, and it could be harder to find a tutor who might be able to teach that. Using how to play violin DVDs might help, but the selection for the electric violin is much smaller and could cause headaches for a student.

There are students who will be looking for the best online violin lessons for beginners. There will definitely be many of such learning resources, some of them you have to pay for, while others are free for use, created by equally passionate fans of the musical instrument. But which ones are the 'best'? Which online lessons provide the fastest, quickest way and methods to master the violin? Unfortunately that is like chasing the pipe dream, because at the end of the day, the factors that determine whether one succeeds in knowing how to play beautiful songs on the stringed instrument is not the most popular or best lessons out there online or from a music school, but the determination and discipline that the student applies to his learning process.

Getting a violin dvd beginners are most suited to use will be helpful, but do not forget to apply the lessons taught within, and then practice them regularly till the techniques and skills become part of habit and routine. Along with this, it is good to find out more about the various parts of the instruments, from the violin bow to knowing how to take care of the bridge and strings. One badly working part might lead to many future issues, such as a warped neck, or poor sounding strings when played. If this sounds too difficult for you to do, then consider the amount of money you have already spent buying the violin itself. That is way too much to waste just because you are too lazy or finding things too technical. Getting an extensive knowledge base of the various violin accessories will always be important, and many students starting out always neglect this and pay the price for it in the future.

One of the most basic skills to learn is knowing how to tune the violin correctly. This will involve knowing the various pitches that the strings should be tuned at, and takes a bit of practice. Those who suffer from tone deafness might experience some problems with this, but there are enough gadgets out there nowadays that will assist such individuals. But if you are perfectly right of hearing, then make sure to master tuning the violin properly, and do not rely too much on accessories that could impede future growth. You will be surprised at how important this skill becomes down the road when learning songs and new music. If you know how to tune the violin well, you will be able to play songs without having to read it off a score.

Do not be shy about investing on books, learning materials and the various violin lessons online offered by various music programs, that can show you how to master the instrument. Learning to play the violin as a beginner is very challenging, but can be much more fulfilling and rewarding when one takes the time to study as many techniques as possible. There is no need to rush it though, as every student will have different learning curves and abilities. Model your own lessons by determining your level of absorption and practice time. Not everyone can become a music prodigy, but most can learn how to play their favorite songs on any instrument given time and dedication.