How to play the violin;

Tips and strategies that will make you smile

Learning how to play the violin is no small task. It looks easy in the movies and sounds simple on the CD, but somehow you can't quite figure it out.

WHAT finger plays an F sharp? WHEN will this squeaking stop? WHERE in the world do you put your hand on the bow, and HOW will you ever get a vibrato that doesn’t sound like someone singing opera under-water?

You might find yourself wondering if it is even possible for you to learn the violin. The answer is YES! You can do it and I can help.

For simplicity I have broken down the “Learning how to play” into smaller categories: holding the violin, bowing, fingering, playing in tune, shifting and vibrato.

The key is to break down your violin playing piece by piece, practice and master the individual pieces and then put the puzzle back together. On the bottom of this page, you will find the indvidual 'pieces' to the puzzle. Well as the old saying goes, “Starting is half the battle.”

So, let’s start playing!

Choose which area you feel would benefit you the most. If you are a complete beginner start with the first, master one, and work your way down. After you feel confident in holding the violin and bow, you can work on the fingering.

Holding The Violin

Even the most advanced student will benefit from going back to the basics of properly holding the violin. Getting this right is the single most important building block in learning how to play the violin and becoming a sensational violinist.

Using Your Bow

“Keep it straight! Curve your thumb!” were things my wonderful violin teacher had to constantly remind me of when using my bow. Using the bow can be tricky; learn to use it right to get the sound you want!

First master the basics of holding the instrument. Then let the fun begin. As you build note after note with your fingers the payoffs are huge!. Click here for great fingering charts and tips.

Finding the right note with your finger is tough; playing it in tune is even harder. But it's not impossible, click on this link to learn how to develop your musical ear and get those notes in tune!

Shifting Into Position

Like an airplane coming in for landing; shifting into higher positions needs to be a gentle transition. Begin on the old note and slide into the new one. Read tips on shifting positions right here.

Relax! Relax! Relax! One simple exercise you can do to help your vibrato is to slide your whole hand up and down the fingerboard while relaxing your wrist and arm. Also, try doing the vibrato motion OFF of the fingerboard and away from the violin. These tips plus everything you need to know about vibrato can be found by clicking here.

Just in case you haven’t already… I would also encourage you to look into finding a violin teacher or studio near you. This site is designed to give you all the information and tools possible for a great violin experience, but ‘offline’ violin teachers give you personal one-on-one help that's great for learning and instant feedback that’s hard to match. Visit again for more lessons on how to play the violin and in the meantime KEEP PRACTICING!

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