violinnewb

Study the score. Study the orchestral lines. Study the history of the composer. Study the time frame during which the piece was written. These are things that help shape the music. Of course, the tried and true advice to play what is written first is the foundation. For example: Start with tempi. If the piece is in common time and marked allegro, are you going to play it 100 bpm because its what "So-and-so" Master Artist does? Maybe. But I wouldn't. I would start at 120 bpm. that sets the stage for colors and phrases along with how the melody runs. Then, once you have the tempi, dynamics, accents, etc under your belt (of course with intonation and bowings), ask yourself when was this written? Beethoven pieces sound different pre-5th symphony and post-5th symphony. His First Symphony is very much Mozart and Haydn inspired. So, I would never play that music with thick , rich vibrato. Look at what the other instruments play from the score. Who has the melody? In the Brahms violin concerto, the piece is symphonic and the soloist IS NOT always the most important line. Simply put, there is no bright line rule or method, but you have to think much more broadly than listening to other musicians or "just feeling" things. A good teacher will often beg the question, "why" is that artistic choice the one you choose. You better be prepared to answer with research. My teacher will listen to my response, correct me if I am wrong or a little off, and show me alternatives. otherwise, I am the boss and my teacher lets me play how I want AS LONG as i can play it how she wants first LOL

What??? As a player, I give very little deference to anyone's opinion as to a maker or even the identity of the maker in general. As a player, I am left to my ears, fingers, and eyes to determine whether I like an instrument enough to drop the cash. I do not understand what the goal here is. Do you go to a Toyota dealer intending to buy a Honda and ask the Toyota dealer about Honda's reputation as a manufacturer? Do you go to McDonalds and seek opinions about Burger King? If one is to buy a modern instrument for the sole purpose of playing, then the focus should be on sound and playability. period. P.S. There is no intended tone here in my response. I am genuinely confused and am not seeking to incite negative feelings.

I do not profess to know whether you are qualified to speak on any subject. In fact, it means very little to me whether you are Ray Chen or Hilary Hahn or a beginner. You have just as much freedom to speak on these subjects as does anyone else. That being said, of course the less one knows, and the more one professes to know, the more open they will become to criticism. In know that for me, and I try to qualify that statement often, I know that I could not change a fundamental technique without proper guidance. Period. So, that experience is enough for me to suggest to the OP that simply changing technique without such guidance may present challenges. I do not go on to point out anyone's lack of experience or knowledge to the point of publicly shaming or lessening their opinion. I think that in the modern age of social media and widely used medium of communication on internet forums, it would be beneficial to approach these types of questions in a manner that is more positive, or at least differing perspective, than entering into pissing matches.

Ah, but who says Ray Chen or Perlman switched bow holds for yours, or anyone else's ear? They may have done so for their own personal reasons. For me, its not about how I feel about your bow hold. Its about what works best for me. When someone like the OP asks a question about FB or Russian bow hold, It not for me to say which is better. I can only offer my experience. My experience is not to change something so fundamental to violin playing without proper training. I brought up Chen and Perlman because there is video evidence of them saying they simply switched. It worked for them, but most of us are not them. That was my point.

Woah. First, if it is "painful" something may be wrong. 1. After my last few comments on this topic, I have become much more finger independent. I rarely keep a finger down now unless I need to return to it very quickly on strong crossing or something like that. 2. Muscle memory? Keeping the fingers down in a manner that causes pain will teach your muscles to tighten. In turn, this will teach your brain to remember the anxiety and stress. There is no way that, in my opinion, that what you are doing will be beneficial in the long-term. 3. Light fingers. Minimal pressure. Eliminate necessaries. The positions of the fingers in each fingerboard position should be fluid, not rigid. Otherwise, why not use a fretted fingerboard? If your second finger slides around as a reaction to the third finger stretching, it is because that is the muscle memory left behind from keeping your fingers down in certain keys.

I changed from a Galamian-style bow hold to Russian (Auer) bow hold within the last year or so. I will tell you that for me, I could not have done it properly without a teacher who was also taught the bow hold. It is funny because on one hand, there are many nuisances required to be learned while at the same time being much less complicated than the other types of holds. Here are a couple of things that I can suggest you work on: 1. Bow speed. 2. Letting arm weight and gravity have more effect on volume. 3. Letting the bow do the work instead of using the fingers to manipulate effects: IE spiccato. Of course, there are people like Perlman and Ray Chen who have gone on record by saying they simply switched without too much thought, but I suspect that you and I are not at that technical level or have that innate musical acuity to simply switch. I really think that you need a teacher that can teach the proper mechanics of the Russian bow hold. That's just my opinion though. Let's see what others say. Good luck.

That is really good, really sound advice! On the same note, your violin should be with you at all times anyways.

You are not there to play for the luthier or staff. Playing open strings and scales are a wonderful way to see what the violin sounds like. Nothing wrong with that. When I go, I play certain sections of pieces depending upon the instrument. In general, this is my standard: 1. Open strings and scales for general tone and projection. 2. Opening passage of the Bruch, slow passage of the Bruch, string crossing section of the Bruch - for tone, projection, and ease of playing under my fingers. 3. Slow sections of the Mendelssohn, Cadenza of the Mendelssohn - for tone on the A and D strings especially. 4. Rondo by Mozart/Kreisler, to look for responsiveness in fast passages. Depending upon your level of playing, you can switch these pieces out. You don't have to play multiple pieces at all. You can stick with one. Just make sure you are listening for tonal variety across all 4 strings, projection, complexity of sounds, and playability. Again, this is NOT a recital opportunity. You are not there to impress anyone or play for others. You are there to test the limits of the instrument for yourself, test your limits as to whether the instrument would be too difficult for you to break in or learn to figure out, and to find YOUR next instrument, not something you think others will like. Lastly, your comment about "metal strings"....you should not be expected to know all terminology, anatomy of a violin, or anything else technical and related to the instrument. Don't sweat it if you misstate something to a luthier. Speak in plain terms. For example, "I like how dark it sounds," "I don't like how it sound tinny," "the violin is difficult for me to play in third position." You are there to learn and a good shop owner, luthier, staff, should be willing to provide you with the best experience.

That's heavy. Have some fun!

I might be wrong, but the OP is an amateur musician. I am an amateur musician. This post was about how to go about joining an orchestra. So if not for fun, what then? Of course learning is essential and improving one's technique, musicality, etc are important, but my understanding of community orchestras are to engage the public with classical music played by members of the community. If one is not having fun doing it, why waste the time and effort? Of course if you are a professional musician, yes, you can, and probably should, take the mind-set of playing at one's peak, because you are likely getting paid, or doing it for some future opportunity to advance one's career. For everyone else, especially late adult learners, those who played in school but are not professional musicians, and those who are retired from professional playing but still miss the camaraderie and playing, community orchestras are fun.

I don't disagree. Valid point for those who are looking to become more serious about playing in a community orchestra. Personally, this is not the way I would go about it yet. Just enjoy the experience knowing that you will make mistakes. Learn little secrets and hacks that will get you to make it to the end of a concert. Incorporate little things you learn in playing your instrument and apply to the orchestra music. For me, learning the violin by itself is a monster task for a non-professional musician. I just want to play and enjoy the music while still working full-time in a non-music job and going about my adult life. Piano is hard! LOL

Yep. This is far too common. Practice SLOW. Train your muscles to be relaxed when practicing. That way, your muscle memory from sightreading does not become the default tension setting. I have this problem all the time but I have made great strides in the last 6 months by practicing slow. Slow practice is not only for intonation and other technical mastery, it is also the building block for your body to recognize that you can use minimal muscle movement and maximize stamina later.

This is so great to read! I was in the same boat 6 years ago! Here are some follow-up thoughts. 1. Yes! Make friends! But remember, that even those who aren't friendly, and there will be alot of those people, have things you can observe and learn from! 2. Yes! There are so many orchestral parts that give you cues! Especially brass parts in many of the heavier symphonies. 3. You contribute in several ways. One is just by being there. The more violinists, the more confidence it gives to the section. I once played in an orchestra with 6 first violinists and I had anxiety all season. Even one more violinist takes the burden/anxiety/stress down a notch. Two, generally, those fast passages will be doubled with winds or padded by brass. Generally. Don't sweat those notes. Of course you practice them, but they will not make or break you. Remember, faking is an art. 4. Yes! But don't stop moving your bow. It exposes you. By at least air bowing, you can physically feel the beat. 5. Long rests are a necessary bore. Mark cues in your music. For instance, if you have a 15 measure rest, but there is a flute solo in measure 8, mark it in so that you are actively listening for it and you have a fail safe in case you miss counted the first 7 measures. 6. That is right! Play out when you can, back off otherwise! 7. No! YOU WILL IMPROVE IMMEDIATELY. It will not take 2 years. By conquering anxiety of playing challenging music, by learning to blend your sound, by actively engaging and counting, by putting yourself out there, you are chipping away at anxiety, building confidence, and improving technique from day one. Be very aware that there is a flip side too. for example, if you are learning to play fast spiccatto or sautille, and there are so many notes that you are overwhelmed, you are likely to just hack away instead of cultivating and applying the technique correctly. You must be aware of this so that it does not set you back on your technique.

Wut? 40 is the new 5. That is what my wife says. Actually, what she says to me is: "why is it that a 40 year old man acts like a 5 year old child?"

LOL. This is great (sarcasm) marketing. Bow arm fatigue comes from lack of sustained practice, improper/problematic technique, or sudden bursts of long playing without having played much prior. There may be some other factors, but I am doubtful that resonant frequencies are a main contributing factor.