You will be expected to follow the rules.

Will be playing Mendelssohn first movement for concerto comp in 22 days. Any tips?

Hi! Ok I am an adult returner and going back to play pieces from the standard rep that slipped through the cracks for either my teacher just didn’t give to me or technical overlap with other pieces. One of these is p&a. I’ve been working on it for probably 1-2 weeks and it’s pretty clean aside the double stops on page 2 and not quite up to tempo yet. I don’t have a teacher yet because I’m still looking for the right fit- so that’s why I’m posting this here. I have a few questions for people who have studied this piece.

Is there a standard fingering for page 1? Can I just play this in any position? I’ve been kinda just switching between 1st and 3rd and when necessary 5th but I kinda just play it how I feel like it that day because I can’t lock anything in as being “the best way” and my subconscious desire to avoid fourth finger vibrato

There’s like 2 particular bars I’m struggling with in the double stop section to play at tempo and that is the shift to first pos where you have the 1st finger e and 4th finger d (in my ed line 5 bar 3). Any tips for this section to get that to tempo?

It’s funny this piece really intimidated me as a child bc the tempo and the double stops section , even after playing bruch and Mendelssohn and now as an adult my brain processes it so much differently after recognizing the patterns and repeatability of the sections.

Such a fun piece

So I had a violin in the past, but it had gotten damaged and I sold it. I’m now looking for a new violin but I’m unsure of what I should purchase as I come from a past of guitar playing and I now want to learn a new instrument. I’m more or less looking for something that once learned has a relatively clear and rich sound, and I’m also curious as to where it can be purchased from be it online or in person. I thank any helpful replies in advance. If you need a budget I’d give a maximum of $2,500 for the violin only. Bow and case recommendations are also welcome.

As the title says - looking into trying out new strings for funsies! Any general consensus between the two, or insight into a Silver D or a Gold E?
I currently use Dominants with a Gold Label E. I'm currently considering keeping my Gold Label E, but I am curious of the general opinions.

Would you say that songs like Song from a secret garden and Adagio from the same album are beginner songs, or easy to learn? I’m trying to learn and these melodies are something I really want to be able to play. Weird question I guess but something I just thought I’d ask. Thanks

Hello everyone,

So there is this violin cover from ZAZ that I really like, but unfortunately can't decode how it has been played i.e. I can't figure out the double stops/ or if it is just another complimentary back up track in the background (Same notes)

https://youtu.be/8C1brsEer60

Thank you in advance! :)

hi everyone,

i'm wondering which eq pedal i should get to make my violin pickup sound richer & more violin-like : )

any suggestions?

For advanced violinists - is Vivaldi the Four Seasons (specifically summer and winter) harder to easier to learn than Czardas ?

Anybody got any tips or recommendations on how to Rehair your own bows? Are there any tools needed etc?

The price of rehairing is astronomical and it always seem like less hair is used each time I get it done.

Thanks!

Hello to all I would like to know if any of you have specific bibliography on HIP. I have only read authors such as John Butt or Helga Thoene and I would like to know or know first hand of people who are dedicated to it or have specialised in this field.

Thanks

What’s the worst accident or worst thing you’ve ever had happen to (or did yourself to) your violin?

I was just reading about the Strad that got swept away by a flood only to be found in pieces, and David Garrett’s unfortunate fall crushing his Guadagnini. Realizing these makes me feel both horrible, and also less bad about my own less than brilliant things I’ve done.

I’ve made a few…mistakes…with my violins over the years. If you play everyday and travel with violins, it’s inevitable! I was on my phone and dropped it right on the top plate of my shiny new modern instrument putting a fat dent in it. Luckily a wonderful luthier fixed it up like it’s not even there. I’ve also let my case fall off the end of an airport security screening into the floor. Oof. Oh yeah…I also banged my bow into the $50k 18th century violin of my new stand partner after she just showed it to me. And she was none too pleased. Finally I basically sat on my violin yesterday…luckily I didn’t put much weight on it before I realized what I was doing…looks like no harm. Put the damn violin in your case when not playing…I’ve only known that for 30 years.

Figure this could be a fun topic…maybe part therapy…

Edit - totally forgot the time I went to dinner and left my backup violin - also very nice - in a car at 90 degrees. Took it to the luthier - has a separated seam, but otherwise got lucky it didn’t cook even more.

I realize one reason I gravitate towards moderns every time I think of investing in a fine old Italian is id rather feel horrible than feel like I lost my life savings given my clumsiness!

I started violin when i was 12 with a private teacher because i assume they don't let anyone in music school if they're over 10 because my fellow friend tried to join when he was 9-10 and they told him that he was too old but still managed to get into there so there was literally no way i could get there at 12. I'm now probably at 2nd(?) Music school grade level and play 1-2 hours a day and the main question here is will i ever be good enough to get into some music school and play publically because it's depressing to only play for yourself and you basically get no motivation to practice because you won't perform for nobody(if you're saying you can perform for your family 1. It's not the same 2. My family doesn't want to hear me playing and they're usually annoyed when i even practice).

Curious if anyone is familiar with this maker. I’m looking at vintage violins and I couldn’t find much on his works or history. All I found was “Birth : 1861 in Mirecourt (Vosges) in Montreal (Quebec) Death: 1928

Career: Auguste DELIVET served his apprenticeship in MIRECOURT under his uncle Victor RAMBAUX, and François CHARDIN. In 1887 he went to Paris to join the workshop of Hippolyte Chretien SILVESTRE. In 1892 DELIVET set up his own workshop 10 rue Paradis, in Paris, before moving to 49 rue Richer. In 1918 he moved to Canada to joined WILLIAMS & SONS in Toronto as foreman (premier ouvrier) . In 1923 DELIVET moved to Montreal where he established his own workshop. However we know that he continued his collaboration with WILLIAMS & SONS as one can find DELIVET violins bearing both his name and theirs as late as 1925.

Honors & Awards: 1904 Gold medal at the National Nantes Exhibition (France) 1905 Silver medal at the International Liege Exhibition (Belgium)

Collaborator: Martin Louis”

The violin looks of beautiful craftsmanship. I was just curious to learn anything more.

What is the most heartbreaking vc you have ever listened?

a while back, i was in contact with a professor at a local university for a music summer camp that i was doing at the time, and we talked extensively about various things. during the camp, he helped me to improve a lot, and i was wondering if it would be reasonable to send him an email and ask for private lessons? he has a website but it only talks about lessons for university students. there's nothing about lessons for students outside of the school he teaches at. id pay him, obviously. however much he asks for. I just need to know if this is something that's typically possible or usual. thank you

So I started violin 3 and a half months ago (30 minute lesson per week in school and can take violin home to practice, have to give it back in july) and I have got to using 3 fingers on first 3 finger placements, playing small pieces in one go and that, finger vibrato I have taught myself

Any of you have any tips though to like focus on the conductor and sheet music since I don't want to play at the wrong time

I'll attack the sheet music

https://preview.redd.it/ksztbekgadge1.jpg?width=2448&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5e416b118af1bbc2f3c8a0d0f616a24bee4dea00

Hey looking for some advice regarding a cheap electric violin.

I play daly on my acoustic violin but I als got a lot of free time at work where I would love to practice but acoustic violin (even with mute) are not really an option, therefore I looking for a cheap electric violin that I can plug headphones in and play.

Don’t need be fancy don’t even need to be good just enough to bring be to 1-2h a week at work to kill some time.

Any advise on “good” cheap ones?

Edit: thanks for the advise that it makes less of a difference than I thought so I may get a cheaper audible one and use the mute (don’t want to take my violin to work, don’t trust my colleagues enough not to touch and break it)

I am a beginner violinist and I always get frustrated when my strings turn out of tune because the peg is loose, now I am stuck with my E string out of tune 😭 and I cant turn the tuning peg

Good day to you all. I have been gifted my first ever violin. It is a cheap student violin but I am ever so happy about it. Within an hour of setting it up I managed to find a very useful video on YT and I can just make out “Twinkle, twinkle little star” haha. I’d be grateful for some tips, advice and tricks for a complete newbie who has never played violin. I’d like to learn basis before I can buy something better in the future. Thanks in advance.

I currently have a rental carbon fiber viola bow worth around $50 and I'm starting to feel that I'd benefit from something a bit nicer. There's a luthier near me (very reputable and in business for several decades) from which I'm renting both the bow and my instrument (worth around $2000), but what concerns me is that they recommend upgrading to a Brazilwood/Pernambuco bow, when everything I've read suggests that a carbon fiber would be better at this price point. In fact, I don't think this shop carries any pricier carbon fiber bows.

My main concerns are an improvement in tone quality, especially in quiet passages, easier playing of fast detach/legato orchestral passages, and easier overall handling. I can live without easy spiccato, and I don't use sautillé. I suppose it's actually worth upgrading? I've been considering trying a few bows from Shar Music or Fiddlershop and seeing what works best.

Any advice on how to proceed here?

violas arent actually bigger than violins. violinist's heads are just so big that it makes the instrument look smaller.

stole this from a twoset video!

I own three violins (semi professional player who practices/plays 3-4 hours a day).

I play one of the instruments probably 75% (a beautiful modern violin) of the time and change strings monthly. The others probably get 10-15 or so hours of play a month each - one is a less expensive master made instrument, the other a top of the line workshop instrument, both sometimes sitting for a few days without being touched followed by a few days of playing.

How often would you change strings on the backup violins?