I dont understand why people on this site are giving people negative information littered with veiled insults and telling them there not and never will be good enough to play - just for the sake of boosting there overblown ego`s and delusions of grandeur?

personally i find it disgusting!
and i have a genuine sympathy for anyone who feels the need to do that!

i found the piano a hell of a lot harder to learn than the violin!
and i hope anyone who has the desire to learn follows their instincts rather than the opinions of people who use there ability as a way to make themselves feel superior to others who have no ability! even children!
to anyone who doesnt understand what i mean,
read scotch`s posts!

K.O!

I think its time for everyone to realize that sanzenkoan is simply screaming for attention. Time to realize that he`s just messing with your brains, and enjoying it too. unless he`s on crack. LOL OMG LIKE WOAH. hah loser.

Re: "I dont even need to return the insult after that statement!"

What you need to do is get the hell out of this forum and pronto. You don`t belong here, and no one wants you here. Is that plain enough for you?

LMAO!!!

You spend way too long on this forum scotch!

I think you should go for a walk or somthing!
LMAO!!!

I think ive said all I need to say to anyone who wants to learn to play!

good luck everyone!

Well, what YOU`VE said is "Don`t play at all".

Anyway, there`s nothing wrong with playing at the age of 18. First, I would learn the note names of the strings, which are G, D, A, and E. Most books start with the D string, because it`s where most beginner songs/excercises start. When you play the strings (open strings, don`t place any fingers down on the finger board), say the names of the strings out loud. That way, it`ll help you memorize which string that you`re playing on. Without a teacher, I`d recommend spending about half an hour every day in about 1 week playing the open strings with your fingers, not the bow. Bowing can get very hard at first, you should have a book that teaches you how to hold it. Which is having your thumb bent at the "frog", and having a curved pinky somewhere along the screw where you tighten your bow.

After learning to pizzacato (pluck) the strings for a while, you can go on to placing your finger on the finger board. EVERYONE should recommend getting tapes on the finger board showing you where your 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4rth fingers are placed. You should see that the strings have different pitches wherever you place them. I`ve removed all my tapes, although I`m still rusty at shifting... ( >___>;; ), but the notes on the beginner books have the names of the notes in them. There are 7 names for the notes, which are also the first 7 letters of the alphabet (A, B, C, D, E, F, and G). A piano also comes in handy because there are differences in pitch. The tapes should be in a pattern where the 1st and 2nd fingers are spread apart, the 3rd finger is next to the 2nd finger, and the 4rth finger should be spread apart from the 3rd finger.

The spread out fingers are called "Whole steps", which means that they are 2 pitches above the note that is lower than them. Look at the D string, your 1st finger should play an E. A whole step from that is an F#, which is your second finger. When you play F# to G, it`s a half step.

The difference between half steps and whole steps is that there is an F natural (without the sharp, but you`ll be learning WITH the sharp for a while before moving your fingers around) which is next to your 1st finger E on the D string.

There are a lot of basics, but a beginner violin book has a lot of stuff that you need to learn BEFORE you play, it will help, like reading the time signature of 4 over 4. The top 4 means that there are 4 beats in a measure, depending on how fast the tempo is (or the rate at how fast you have to play 1 beat). The bottom 4 stands for that a quarter note (the one that has a black head and a single line/stem coming from the note head) gets 1 beat.

Also, probably the most important rule is...

Don`t expose your violin/viola/cello/bass to sudden cold/hot temperatures... The pitch will go haywire...

The people here who are saying that you can't get good at violin by starting at 18 are totally wrong, and suffer from IES (inflated ego syndrome). I played the violin casually for about 3 years from when I was 10-13, never practiced more than 30 minutes per day - usually more like only 60 minutes in a hwole week - and I was not that good. Then I picked up the guitar a few years ago, when I was about 23 (27 now) and I have gottten pretty good now! I'm better than some people who've been playing guitar for a long time, and I figure in a few more months, I'll be considerably better than them. My point is that it's never too late to start...it's not how long you've played, but how systematically you approach your playing/practicing, and - this is the key - how much music you listen to/absorb that really moves you. For me, it's blues.

I meet "classically trained" pianists and violinists all the time who can't improvise to save their lives...it's almost like all those years of training to simpy execute what they see on the sheet music has rendered them incapable of independent thought on their instruments. I'm allowed to say this, because improvising was REALLY HARD for me when I took up the guitar because of, in my opinion, my background in violin. I have way more respect for someone who can improvise well than someone who can read sheet music and execute well.

But anyways, I'm in the process of trading a couple of my "number 2" guitars for a used violin worth about $1,000 and I'm going to practice hard over the next 6 months because I have an extended vacation coming up. I know I can get pretty good in that amount of time, especially if I don't waste my time trying to execute every nuance of classical sheet music, but instead spend my time learning different scales from blues and jazz contexts and improvising over various progressions. Of course, I will focus on my technique too.

Plus I listen to and play lots of blues music...it's all about feel when playing blues, and I plan to import that mentality into violin playing. 5 year olds and 12 year olds and even most 16 year olds haven't lived enough to be able to put that sort of authentic emotion and "feel" into their playing, so the 18 year-old prospective violin player has a leg up on them in this area. Dude, get yourself the best violin you can, and get some CDs by Stephane Grapelli (Venupelli Blues is really good) - he's a jazz/blues violin player. Try to play some of his licks - learn basic scales, the rest is up to your imagination.

gusto ko na rin magviolin...

im saving money to buy one, but i have no idea how much it would cost me, and where to buy a good one...

ive inquired in a studio offering violin lessons, the lady said the training(?) would take 24 sessions 1 hour per session, it's about PhP5,400.00 ($100)...

im inspired and interested to earnhow to play this instrument, i ve dreamt of having a solo concert... hehehe


i think i would love it

anyone who can give me tips?

well miko, i suggest posting a bulletin so more people could see ur request and help u out


now to specialk: i disagree with the fact that 18 is too old. u can never be too old to play. sure, it'll take u a bit longer to learn than children, but thats fine because in a year you should be playing quite fluently. and this whole little "argument" going on between these two people, i suggest we end it now and act a bit more mature. the ego thing is partly true, so lets drop it and act our age, shall we? arguing isnt going to solve ANYTHING, but compromise will. arguing just stirs up more trouble.

well miko1983, i suggest posting a bulletin so more people could see ur request and help u out


now to specialk: i disagree with the fact that 18 is too old. u can never be too old to play. sure, it'll take u a bit longer to learn than children, but thats fine because in a year you should be playing quite fluently. and this whole little "argument" going on between these two people, i suggest we end it now and act a bit more mature. the ego thing is partly true, so lets drop it and act our age, shall we? arguing isnt going to solve ANYTHING, but compromise will. arguing just stirs up more trouble.

Fact: One of the main differences between the guitar and violin is that in order to play the violin, you must have "muscle memory" because of the lack of frets. It's like trombone, in which you need to remember all seven slide positions.

Advice: It would be wise to just experiment with the violin first. That way you will become familiar with it. Later, if you wish to continue, you could look for a teacher and they can help you develope a good tone and good habits as well.

Remember: Practice makes permanent; only perfect practice makes perfect.

That's about all the information I can recommend- I'm not a violinist, I play woodwind instruments and percussion. However, I know a thing or two about string instruments and advice.

By the way, I don't think age matters much. Yes, it is recommended to learn at a young age, but this does not apply to everyone.

Violin is an extention of the mind - once you have mastered the fingering, you can 'feel' the mood of the music, adjust your mood and show it on the violin. I've actually done most of my learning in the last two years while i've actually been learning for five. I think it's better to start older rather than at 3 days old, because at that age you are just making notes-not playing the violin

P.S. Don't listen to Sanzenkoan-playing violin is possible only through knowing what your violing is-being comfortable with it. I think that is what it talks about with violin as 'playable only to the chosen ones'.

However if you want to go with the SANZENKOAN approach by all means put frets, saw through it, cut up the finger board, mutilate it then by a pretty fretless violin

Fretted viols were kicked out for a reasson

+the Platinum rule is never expose your bass/cello/viola/violin/oboe/bassoon/clarinet to extreme temperatures.

Hey, I give you an A for guts. Go for it. It is never to late to start. The key is the committment and intensity that you give this endeavor once you start. Violin books are cheap - lots of used ones. So many people have started - and then given up. Just watch and look and you can get all the beginning books that you need. As for an instructor, try going to the music building at your school and look for one of the "nerdiest" students. That one will probably also play the violin. Trade out lessons for help in your strong subjects or do a load of laundry for them?! A few good lessons up front will be worth a hundred hours of reading a book. Ultimately, you will always need a teacher or coach to help you develp your skills. Better to learn to play the right way that to learn bad technique. I know. It takes a lot of time to unlearn bad habits on the violin. Anyhow, be innovative and good luck.

I too agree with eri. Violin is very difficult than guitar, but difficulty comes into picture when you do it at a competitive level. You always can study , enjoy playing and even pay professionally (depending on your practise).

There are many websites that gives you tips on violin. I recently came across a website called violinwizard.com and they have listed some nice stuff ( some i have bought earlier)
under playing section.

ABCs of violin might be good for you i hope since you are a beginner in violin.

Thanks