Hi, I am a sophomore in high school and wanted to learn a new instrument I could compose with. I have bee playing trombone for 2 1/2 years, french horn for about half a year, guitar, off and on, for about a year, and keyboard, off and on, for about 3 years. I know my share of music theory. What I would like to know are a few things.

Why does it sound really scratchy no matter what I do when I play? I tried many different bow positions and pressures, but it didn`t seem to become lese scratchy.

And how do you finger the frets without hurting your hand? I don`t have any idea where the notes are, and also I can`t switch notes very fast, but I could prbably go faster with practice. I had that same problem with guitar. I can only do eighth notes at the fastest. Anyway...


Anyone have any tips?

Why does it sound really scratchy no matter what I do when I play? I tried many different bow positions and pressures, but it didn`t seem to become lese scratchy.

And how do you finger the frets without hurting your hand? I don`t have any idea where the notes are, and also I can`t switch notes very fast, but I could prbably go faster with practice. I had that same problem with guitar. I can only do eighth notes at the fastest.

You will find this advice coming up time and time again on all the violin/fiddle forums.

PRACTICE,PRACTICE, PRACTICE...

There ain`t no easy way. As a beginner, the fiddle is difficult but you will make progress. Do you have a teacher? If not, and if you can afford it, get one. A teacher is a great help and can assess your progress by comparing it to other beginners rather than your wish to compare it to your ability on other instruments.

You talk about fingering the frets. I assume this was a typo and should have read "strings". There is a simple answer, guess what it is. A clue, it has 8 letters and begins with P.

ok, they are wrong..of course you do need to practice but that is not all there is to it.

It is probably scratchy because you need a lot of rossin on the bow if it has never been used before. hi, I`m 14 and I`ve been playing for about a year now. Finding the fingerings, it will usually tell you in the beginning of the noraml red beginners book. A teacher is a lot of help. I`m sorry if it sounds like I`m bragging but my private lessons teacher used to be in the orchestra and is an elder so I trust her very much.

Your first note on the D string (second string) is like all other notes on the strings, it is about an inch away from the top of the finger board. your next one is about an inch away from that finger and the next Directly next to it. those are the basics, sharps are easy and flats are a little harder. I also recomend a teacher, they shouldn`t compare you to other students but to how you are learning and the right way to do it, like the foundation of a building. good luck and if you ever have any questions or just wanna talk, my aim s/n is silverlight322. I hope you enjoy it!! - Sarah

Thanks for the tips. I might seek a personal teacher.


Oh, and all I had to do was tighten the strings on the bow. The last person who used it had them all loose.

And I already knew the open strings. EADG, it`s like guitar but starting from the right instead of left, and missing the fifth string.


Thanks.

You are supposed to loosen the hair on the bow every time you finish playing. When you play they should be tightened so that the hair is about a pencil width from the stick at the middle of the bow (if that makes any sense), but it can be different for different bows. Just remember to loosen the hair after you play so that the stick doesn`t warp!
For the fingering, it might be helpful to check the tuning against a piano or keyboard (for example find a b with your first finger on the A string and then play the same note on the piano to check that it is in tune).

man. your gonna break the bow if you tighten the bow hair to much. and don`t put pressure on the strings with your bow. but don`t make the bow kinda float above the strings. it don`t help making a piano dynamic sound. it tires you out. if you want forte then use more bow. if you want piano then use less bow. and don`t fence with your bow.