You will be expected to follow the rules.

I'm 40 and started playing in January. Finally starting to transition to book 2 of both Essential Elements of Strings and Suzuki, and the last few weeks my VSO has just been driving me crazy as the pieces are getting harder.

I didn't want to blame the violin, but the luthier who setup my VSO warned me, and after reading some posts here, I finally couldn't stand it anymore as I was for the first time starting to not want to practice. So I went back to my guy (shoutout to Wargaski Violins in Chicago!) and got a rental, and... wow.

I mean, I still suck, but now I can much more readily tell the difference between when I suck vs the violin. It just sounds better, much warmer and rounder. I think the improved ability to get feedback will really help me moving forward.

So, just a PSA to anyone thinking about it, I don't regret learning on my VSO the last 6 months. But if that's what you are using, you will get to a point where it starts to hold you back, and that's when it's time to take the next step and upgrade your instrument.

That being said, the rental is $27 a month w/ credit towards a purchase. So if you're on the fence and starting out, just do the rental and skip the VSO.

I could actually see my bow slipping sometimes, so I bought an expensive rosin that someone on this sub recommended (Cecilia signature formula).

I didn’t mention it to my teacher and she noticed an improvement. I did, too, surprisingly. Long notes sound more true and overall I just have a bit more control.

I wasn’t expecting that big of a difference…can rosin do that or am I putting too much faith into it?

Hi, I’m around ATCL level on piano, training for my LTCL and approaching ABRSM grade 8 level on violin, with the hopes of reaching the great concerti level in around 5 years time. Some hardest repertoire for each

Piano: Pathetique, Moonlight sonatas, Rach prelude in G minor, Liebestraum working on other similar levels of music ~Henle 7-8 currently Violin: the current grade 7 pieces, Meditation and Bach concerto in A minor 1st mvt , Tchaikovsky 2nd mvt

I noticed that due to my piano background, I tend to learn these pieces (notes wise) on the violin really quickly, of course intonation and proper technique for the piece take more time. Musicality is not a foreign concept and gets added easier too due to piano training

with this is mind is it going to be much faster for me to progress and reach maybe the Sibelius violin concerto level? in around 5 years?

Hi! I am from the Philippines and I’m looking for a luthier here in Cebu, I’ve been playing for a while now but I really need to get my violin checked and set up (for better sound). If you happen to know anyone please let me know below. Thank you so much!

I'm at my grandma's house these days. Im letting her hear my practice sessions and also giving some inside on the piece and etudes I'm playing but she barely cares about it. I even gave her some music history and explained how the violin works and how it evolved over time, but nothing... I told her about the beauty of playing in the orchestra but still nothing. It really got me frustrated because it feels like we are in two different worlds and I got so much demotivated from practicing at her house. Am I the only one who feels like this sometimes?

Hi everyone, just want to ask if anyone here practices with tuner. How do you practice? Any methods or tips? Do I have to hit green for every notes?

Those who teach both adults and kids, how do your expectations of adult students differ from expectations of younger students? Are you more lenient with adults even if they’re advanced?

Does anyone happen to have the violin book for fiddler on the roof not just the cadenza bit if so could you share it with me

If you can, please send me a recording of what it should sound like, this is for a competition and I was unable to find anything online regarding this piece, Help will be very much appreciated!!

I've just finished up my solo recital of the Bruch violin concerto in full, as well as other pieces such as Scherzo tarrantella, Zigunerweisen and Zapateado. I'm now looking for the next major violin concerto to learn and potentially audition to a con with. I would say that I was quicker than average, transitioning from the 4 seasons, to Bruchs vc. So I'm thinking of a concerto of the difficulty of Lalo or even Tchaikovsky. My teacher said that Mendelsohn or Saint Seans 3 is too small of a jump, but something like Sibeleus would be too large. I'm trying to find a good inbetween concerto. Maybe Barber or a Mozart? My teacher mentioned Tchaikovsky, but I feel like it might be pushing it. I want a concerto that is in the circle of the major ones. (Something a little more niche like viextemps is fine). And I understand it is different between each player. Maybe a few suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

I have an event I'm going to this weekend and I'm performing to my friends family as return for the invitation.

I wanted to get a music stand for myself (I'm around 174cm tall which is a little under 5ft 9) and this stand I have is about 147cm (a little over 4ft 10).

So the question is: Will this stand be good enough as I basically memorised the piece I'm going to play? If its good, how high should I set it?

Hoping someone might have a good idea to help me with a silly problem. Six months ago i fell in love and bought an old fiddle for my second violin and its now my favorite. It has a delicious smell of old books in a library at the f-holes and when I play vigorously, it also wafts this glorious scent like an old wooden barrel into my face. The problem is, my nose starts to tickle more and more, and now i have to blow frequently if jamming with a group and really getting into it. Anybody have ideas for reducing this problem as i seem to be getting allergic to the dust. I do not have allergies normally. And I sure love this fiddle.

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Whenever I do pizzacato, every other string also rings out a bit. Its very subtle, but when I need to pluck anything super high it gets noticable. Am I doing something wrong, do I need to mute the other strings like a guitar player, or do I just have to deal with this?

Hello! I hope you're having a good day so far!

So I've been playing violin for 2.5 years now and for the past 6 months I've been learning vibrato. In the first 2 months I've made good progress and at that point vibrato "clicked" for me in the sense that I had got a feel for the motion.

But at the 4 month mark I feel that my vibrato has stagnated. I can control the speed of my vibrato pretty good but the absolute fastest I can vibrate is in 16th notes at 70 bpm. Beyond that I tense up.

The reason that's a problem is that I'm just not satisfied with how my vibrato sounds and it doesn't feel "natural" in the sense I still always need to concentrate so much when I want to vibrato at a "high" speed which makes my intonation worse and my bow not go straight or not articulate notes well. At lower speed vibrato that's not a problem but then it doesn't sound like vibrato but more like a loud mosquito.

How can I speed up my vibrato without tensing up? Or should I try to go faster and solve tension problems later? I'm not having lessons for the next 2 weeks so I can't really ask my teacher.

How do i count this rhythm????

Hi, I’m curious if anyone has experienced issues with knuckle soreness in their left hand? I notice it about an hour after I had played. I don’t feel any pain while playing. The knuckle right below the nail on my 2nd finger is the worst, following by 3rd finger. The pain is somewhat better after I pop the knuckle. But I’m guessing middle finger has the most pain due to being the longest finger? I am double jointed in a lot of my joints (Not sure if my fingers are). If I straighten my hand fully it will curve upward and that knuckle below the nail does bow backwards.

Anyone have any ideas, insights, tips of what I can do to help this pain I experience post playing? Do I just need to build these muscles? Am I pressing too hard on the strings (if I press lighter I don’t get a good sound though)? Are my fingers doing something funky?

in a lot of practice routines I've seen here many people are spending like an hour and a half on scales... are they just straight playing it or do they have exercises? could someone share their routine I need help!

I have been doing violin for 7 years, AND MY INTONATION IS SO CRAPPY. Even with the tuner and drone my fingers are out of tune, and one I tune one finger the others get out of tune. Please help me I have a competition next month and my intonation shows no signs of improvement :(

Edit:

I’m currently 14 years old, and I start violin at 7 with my first teacher. I recently changed to my new teacher a year ago and I’ve impoved a lot since my old one wasn’t as strict as my new one. According to my teacher the reason for this is because of old habits that I need to break. I’ve tried a drone and it actually helped me for a bit but my fingers got back to old ways and won’t follow the drone anymore.

I play for an orchestra and I managed to get into a final round, my old teacher tells me she knows I can do it but i find it really difficult as my fingers keep getting out of tune :(

I will not stop trying with my instrument, as I’ve been playing for a long time and I genuinely really enjoy the instrument and I know I can do better but, I just need to find other ways to push myself.

I’ve been practicing 4 times a week from 9am-5pm and I still cannot fix my intonation:(

Please comment suggestions

I was practicing my violin when suddenly my pinky started hurting the moment I pressed it on the finger board. I can barely bend it or use it to type so I'm typing this with my right hand. My left finger sometimes snaps on the fingerboard and it might be a "trigger finger" idk I looked it up and it seems similar. I shook my hand off and it spread to my ring finger. What is it?

I don't know notes, keys, I can slightly read sheet music as in know what note im currently on as I play by ear. Apparently Teachers thought I played by ear so well they put me in the first/second rows multiple times during performances (7th to 10th grade). I don't know how to shift properly.

That was several years ago now. I want to get back into the craft and become professional. But what keeps turning me away is the steep relearning process along with years of serious inactivity. Like imagine hearing a song you like and want to play for yourself to not even make it 3 notes in. Severely demotivating.

I've thought about branching to other instruments like piano and brass, but I'm constantly being reminded that i'm letting a 2500 dollar instrument rot in a case in my closet.