Carl Stross

It actually carries all the load. If the block is well glued to the plates and the neck heel, the button does nothing. The force required to prevent the neck rotating around the edge of the top is actually very small and does not even register as taxing the glue's strength in shear. ( Most of the string pull is directed through the block ). That means any contribution of the button will have to compete with the ( much larger ) patch of wood under the block. IF that one fails then sure, the button has something to do. If the wood of the heel creeps then the button prevents an incipient crack from propagating.

Just my opinion, nothing more. You have your opinion, I have my opinion. Not my intention to be argumentative.

I think you won this one. Congrats.

What a nice, relaxed, mildly mannered teacher ! I wish mine could have been like that. I could take the beatings, it was the insults which left life long marks.

There is no need to wonder and tapes and pedagogical should probably not be in the same sentence. Once tapes are off we are still left with the old and trusted "fingers closer, closer still !" which does wonders for one's ear.

Not uncommon...:) Basically a deal is a deal, I let yours win last year how dare you tell me mine plays out of tune this year ? Have you no decency ???

Oh, this is nothing. I remember a violin competition in 78 where the distinguished judges spat on each other over intonation disagreements. Like 10 minutes of spitting.

Sorry, I wasn't following : which post was that ?

I don't have "experience" as I never taught violin but tapes indicate the teacher is incompetent, unable or unwilling to explain the pupil the procedure for achieving good intonation on violin. And I have seen this done by teachers who should really know better. Once the brain finds a way out from the chore of listening to one's "emanations" on the violin it's going to be very hard to put it back to work. Tapes invite lack of awareness. AND, if a child can not aurally compare two notes at unison then he should definetely not be busy with violin. It's wise to start children on some theory and eliminate the ones who can't cut the mustard. There are some painfully amusing Bruch c/tos on YT by teenagers for whom a half tone is only an opinion.

That's pretty standard in Europe, too. Very few people have good enough ear for string playing. Not much to do about it, if anything.

1. Could be. I don't know. But when you figure(d) out why starting in 1st is better do tell, please. 2. True. A bit rough I suppose. Not as rough as ballet people had it though : half a size bigger foot and you're out, eight years down the line. What a waste of time ! It's a great help for teachers to have pupils with the notes already in their heads.

The (old) traditional way was to start learning in 3rd position followed by 4th and then 1st. I learned like that but don't remember much, was 3 or 4 y/o. But I believe a lot of issues will become clear in 3rd position. Also, the tone of a violin takes off around 3rd, too. Easier to hear what you are doing. Lots of violins are foggy in 1st. With a decent sized hand you can cover a lot of space from 4th, up and down. Food for thought. You'll do just fine.

Wonderful musician !

Who's "going after" Oistrakh ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Certainly not me. I gave an example of GREAT violin player who was not obsessed with perfect intonation. I ( personal taste ) do not prefer other violinists. I prefer Oistrakh and I think his reputation was well deserved. And are you subscribing to the idea that one can not have a critical opinion unless one is on the same acknowledged competency level with the subject ? And your level as a football player is irrelevant. What is relevant is your knowledge of the subject.

Wonderful post. Might be worth mentioning that each approach had it's strength and weaknesses, it's proponents and detractors. The Dean of the Bucharest C/tory ( Peter Csaba's teacher ) was a very close friend of mine for many years. French trained. He designed in the early 50s the basis of the ( violin ) musical education in Romania and lived long enough to see the process hijacked by the theory teachers with actual violin instruction becoming some sort of fifth wheel. The solfege / dictee skills of a very average student from the G. Enesco Institute would shame a lot of conductors. Pity the violin scratching skills were not quite there.