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Hi everybody,

I know that there are many posts like this and I've been reading through them and getting some ideas already, but I thought I'd make another post to hopefully get some recommendations that really cater to my needs.

I may or may not be about to buy quite an expensive violin and would like to get a nice case to go along with it. I have tried to get my priorities straight and have identified a few things that are a "must", some things that would be really nice to have and some things that I'd like, but I could live without.

Musts:

• Sturdiness and good protection for the violin. Sometimes I have to carry it across town in temperatures below freezing and it can also get quite hot in the summer.

• Enough space for a shoulder rest and a strap/compartment so that it doesn't fly all over the place.

• A compartment for rosin, pencils, extra strings, stuff like that.

• A pocket for sheet music.

• Backpack straps.

Not absolutely necessary, but would be great to have:

• Large compartment(s) for accessories.
• Large pocket for sheet music. (could maybe be added with a case cover or something like that)
• Not super heavy.

Nice to have, but I could live without:

• Hygrometer

• More than two bow holders.

I don't have a fixed budget yet, feel free to tell me what you think it should be, but I'm definitely not looking at anything Musafia-priced. Maybe like 500$ max. Honestly, I'm quite lost when it comes to choosing whether a hard shell case or a more traditional wooden case or something else entirely would be best. I've heard that hard shell cases do not offer the best insulation. Would that be an issue?

Recommendations I've read so far and found interesting have been the Gewa Pure case, which looks like it would work space wise, but I'm not a huge fan of the looks of the interior.

I've also heard that Bobelock cases are often recommended. Those look really interesting to me, but I'm a bit unsure if choosing a wooden one, a featherlight one or even a fibreglass one would be a better idea. Again, it's most important to me that my violin is well protected, but I'd spend a bit more money for it to be a bit lighter. Also I'm not sure if there ist a reputable seller in Germany. I've seen some of them on Amazon, but don't know if they are legit.

Sorry for all of this text and thanks in advance for all ideas!

I am In Australia.

I have been making my own electric viola-cello-guitar for a few years and am about to start playing my third model. People really like my sound and I have been invited to play at council events and even have my own concert planned at the conservatory.

So i must have got some things right

5 strings f2, c3, g3, d4. a4

can get a octave on the a4 to hit a5

About to make my own instrument bows. None are designed for my instrument.

two carbon fibre bows over $200 each went in the bin. They sounded harsh. Currently using a $40 1/2 cello bow

The cello width hair grips the fat f2 string and the 1/2 bow is fast enough to play my style.

The whole design with little wedges and metal parts are not practical for changing the hair or synthetic.
synthetic can last 30 years, horse hair lasts 6 months. cost of rehair $150 which is not acceptable and is more than my latest bow
The metal parts make it sound worse.
Have purchased the right beech wood for it for $50 which should make 6.
Cost to buy? $1600 TO $3500 each

I like the 17th century bows as being easier to make and more practical to rehair.

I have been encouraged to do this by Andreas Grutter the bow maker

https://www.andreasgrutter.com/2015/04/how-to-make-your-own-bow/

I've been playing violin for over 15 years, I started with Suzuki for a few years and then went into school orchestra which might've been the first problem since there is such little emphasis on reading sheet music in Suzuki. When I got to school orchestra, I had to learn to read sheet music for real for the first time, but I never got much better at it, even a decade later and with a few teachers.

As I got into high school and college orchestras, it became looked down upon to write fingerings above the notes, and our teachers and conductors disliked us doing it so it was discouraged. There was also more of a need to practice at home since the music got harder, which was always really difficult because I didn't have the orchestra there to hear and couldn't really read the music.

It's really difficult for me to understand more complex rhythms off the page and I frequently confuse notes that are too close to each other or look like other notes, for example, A and C, which look similar on a staff. I searched one day to see if music dyslexia is a thing and it is! There are some articles on dysmusia, but there aren't really any tips on how to play with it or any treatment or anything to do about it.

I haven't played in a few years and want to start playing with a community orchestra, since I miss playing my violin. It's been a part of my life for so long. I love playing with an orchestra and miss the days in middle and high school where I could do it everyday, but now practicing is difficult for me. How do I get around this? Is it not practical for me to play again?

Has anyone else had this problem? Especially anyone who has played for a long time? Having played for a long time, I feel like I have left the learner's circle and entered a more professional sphere where other players, teachers, and conductors are less understanding and forgiving to things like this. I want to know if anyone else has managed it or has any tips! Sorry for a long personal story! I hope I can find people with similar experience!

Do you have any techniques or exercises to work on your relative ear?

…when the audition doesn’t go well and the judges have a noisy keyboard.

https://youtu.be/87zfS8apfcY

When learning the violin, what’s more difficult to do well? bowing or the fingering? What’s more important to the overall sound?

I have a violin teacher and have been learning for a pretty long-ish time. I haven't made the world's fastest progress since it wasn't my priority (I got to RCM lvl 9 and then stopped with RCM), but over the last 2 years I've been really trying to get into properly.

One of the things I've realized is that before the last 2 years, I never tried to play with proper technique (I was just playing because my mom told me to, pretty much). I did like okay on my exams, but really a) I was literally just playing notes, and b) I just focused on repertoire and never really focused on scales or any technical stuff.

Now, I'm trying to practice scales and double stops and stuff more often. I'm really working with my teacher to kill some of the old bad habits. The thing is there's so much to do, and I'm not really doing it in any kind of ordered fashion - like, I'm worried I might be missing things, I don't know what to do when, etc. I'm practising a lot and am getting better, but I want to organize things in some way.

1. Are there any specific courses/books for people who DON'T want to learn the basics again (I know how to hold a bow, I know how play notes and do vibrato and all the easy stuff), but do want to basically rework everything from scratch? Essentially, any totally all-encompassing 'how to play the violin' books but for people who already play?
2. same thing, but for scales? Are there any giant scale books that you'd recommend that don't just have the scales in them, but actually teach you how to play/practice scales in an efficient/effective way?

Essentially, are there any good resources for 'starting from scratch'?

FYI, I've talked about this with my teacher, but she doesn't seem to think it's a big deal - we're just going to continue with the RCM, and she's gonna point things out as they come up - but for me I really want to do things properly this time through, and now that I recognize all that I've missed I'm starting to get overwhelmed. I need some way to organize everything and work things through in a systematic way.

Even outside of the above questions, has anyone else been in this position and knows what to do

I need to replace the tailgut on my violin but won’t be able to get a proper one for a while. Is there anything I can use temporarily in the meantime?

We (me and my girlfriend) have been fighting with this violin for the past hour. I was a cello player for a good year, so I assumed that tuning a violin would be similar. This particular peg wouldn't sit; everytime we tuned it, it would come undone. She was trying to attach the string again (for the fourth time), and it snapped. Is it beyond repair?? We tried to glue it but glue doesn't save everything. It was a rather cheap violin, according to the original owner.

hello everyone,

I have my region orchestra audition later this week, and I just wanted to confirm this; in this excerpt, we are told to only play the top note for divisi and double stops. Does that include the grace note ? (because without the bottom note, its much harder to make it sound clean and the note doesn't sound right).

https://preview.redd.it/px1b4ytvxa4e1.png?width=1400&format=png&auto=webp&s=a199c8908fd879770c0b1ad4a9efecea8173fc83

for reference, i'm a freshman in high school and i've been playing since fourth grade. i've never taken any private lessons but im pretty proficient (shifting isn't a problem, i know my scales, etc) and i'm doing a NYSSMA level five this year.

i def understand that making all state takes tons of devotion and much more skill than i currently have, but i'm curious on if i started to take regular private lessons if i would improve enough by junior year (say like once a week, 40 min)

hope that made sense 😅

I had a brother when I was in my 1st year playing violin who explained vibrato..Just shake your finger. So for years I've done it wrong. I've recently just been teaching myself thru books & videos..there are no teachers in my area, and not ready time wise to take the online leap. I get the concept and have practiced for a year on correct techniques. But when I get to the step to have the finger stick on the note and do it, my finger slides off the note. If I press a bit harder my knuckle is no longer loose enough to vibrato. I am 53 and hands becoming arthritic but I think still loose enough I should be able to do this. Is there a trick to it?

How long should I expect to work with an instructer before I can move on to being self led?

I for one, love the D string. Simple, to the point and most of all, fun!

I've noticed a number of top soloists for other instruments perform concerti with scores. To be specific Yuja Wang (example here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDxKtkkbE7w ) and I was surprised to see a very high profile cellist recently perform the Elgar with the music. In both these cases, they clearly had the confidence of their established profile to break the 'rules'.

I've got nothing against this- clearly both cases I've given were using the score as a bit of a safety net rather than depending on it, but it's got me wondering. How long before this becomes something a high profile violinist would do? Are we finally calling Liszt's bluff? If a violinist with sufficient profile were to do this, who do we think would be the first to have the courage to do so?

Hello! Where can I learn the violin (preferably 1 on 1) in the Philippines? Maybe around Malate, Makati, and (if possible) Taft Avenue (near dlsu)?

I already have a 4/4 violin (hand me down). I’m in my late teens and a complete beginner.

Hopefully violin lessons with no recitals since I’m only pursuing this as a new hobby.

I have a conrad goetz chinrest that cradle my chin like a baby crib; so I hope I don't have to change it out. Problem is its height is less than desirable. As you can see in the image, the bracket can extend quite a bit. I'm hoping to find ways to increase the chinrest height perhaps by inserting spacers/inserts underneath the cork legs. I don't know which material (I don't have cork lying around) to use or how to approach a solution without affecting the sound. I thought about putting paddings on top of the chinrest itself, but it would cover up an autograph. Any suggestions?

https://preview.redd.it/p4xnazhuk84e1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=645a0a11f9147f6a6577e5ad72650adc6ebf564f

Hello! I bought a 150€ bow and a 1000€ violin years ago. And I wanted to know if the difference of price between both is good

As an adult violin learner, neck pain is a significant issue for me. Since I've worked long hours in front of the computer every day, my neck isn't in the best condition to begin with, and learning the violin has unfortunately exacerbated the problem.

do you guys have a similar issue?

I find it cognitively draining to shift tasks.

Sometimes I just like to spend the whole week focusing on 1-2 reps.

Also if I have a sepcific technique I want to work on maybe just spend 3 - 4 days just on technique.

This seems to be quite different then my teacher and most people as most people use their technique and mere warm ups and not as ways to improve. ( of course for advanced players they might not need to do this anymore ).

THis is more for early intermediate players.

I’m a regular member of this group, posting anonymously bc I’d be easily identified on social media and you never know who’s lurking.

I freelance, and one of my jobs is on the sub list with orchestra A. It’s my first year back with them after a long break, and winning that audition was pretty big for my confidence. A month ago, there was an incident where I was erroneously accused of a fairly serious stage etiquette infraction because they failed to investigate the incident at all. It was straightened out in the end, and they apologized, but it was really stressful. I was only contracted for one other concert this season, which happens next week. I accepted their apology, but made it clear that I believe they owe me. Kind of like that scene in The Godfather, “Someday—and that day may never come—I may call upon you for a service”

This week, I got a much better offer—sitting principal with orchestra B for a gig with better music, people I love, twice as much per service, more services. I’ve played with this ensemble a bunch and it’s just all around a better gig.

Normally I wouldn’t request to be released from my obligation, but after what happened with orchestra A, I really wasn’t looking forward to playing with them so soon again (if ever). Even though it was less than two weeks before, I decided to cancel my obligation with orchestra A and cash in that favor.

Unfortunately, it was denied by the music director, one of the people whose carelessness led to me being falsely accused of misconduct. They don’t want to take their mistake into account and allow me to miss this concert cycle without penalty. I’ve been advised that there may be consequences to my relationship with orchestra A should I choose to miss the scheduled services.

I can appeal the decision to the attendance committee, or I can do what I’d really like to and tell the administration thanks, but I don’t want to be associated with an organization that treats the musicians so callously, and to lose my contact info. I think I’m going to appeal, and just accept whatever happens knowing I adhered to my own ethical and professional standards, but I’d kind of love to tell the music director exactly where he can stick his baton. It’s possible they’ll remove me from the sub list for this, but the pay sucks and the way they’ve treated me not just now but in the past is disrespectful (the personnel director mishandled my medical leave). I’m in a position where this won’t affect me financially, but I don’t like to close doors or burn bridges unless I have to.

I’m mostly just venting and sharing some drama that I can’t on my main, but if anyone has dealt with a similar situation (even if it’s not in music), I’d love outside opinions.