(1) Can I teach myself to play the violin?
A lot of people try, but it's very difficult to do and you end up having to unlearn a lot of things. Please see:
How to teach yourself the violin
http://beststudentviolins.com/PedagogyTech.html#2
Which includes:
FREE STRING VIDEOS
STRING PEDAGOGY TEXTBOOKS
STRING METHOD BOOKS
(2) Where can I get FREE violin notes to popular songs (such as Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" or a song by Taylor Swift)?
This question is asked several dozen times a day. It's usually stated something like this: "Were to find FREE VIOLIN sheet music for modern songs? i want to find free sheet music for the violin like viva la vida by coldplay come on eileen and fallin apart by all american rejects. i do not want to pay money and all the places i check dont have any of the songs i want please please help" |
I don't mean this to sound harsh, as I think that most people are basically decent and honest, and are just not really aware of these issues. So please note that "not wanting to pay money" is stealing--you would be illegally obtaining the work product of the artist. If you download music which is under copyright, you will be breaking the law.
If the copyright owner wants to prosecute, they can get a court order to obtain ISPs (Internet Service Providers) of the people who have downloaded the illegal files, and this can easily be traced back to you with another court order to your ISP. Copyright infringement is punishable by state and federal law, often associated with heavy fines. This would NOT LOOK GOOD ON A RESUME. [See links to legal cases, below right.]
If you are really dying to play a popular tune on your instrument, you need to either buy it or sit down at a keyboard with some manuscript paper and figure out the tune, yourself. In my many years on the net, I have noticed that people can get really frustrated with me when I make this suggestion. People often say they "can't" do this, but they haven't tried. Figuring out the tune on your instrument will increase your musicianship substantially, and I highly recommend it. [See: PracticeSpot, Free Manuscript Paper.]
Note that if you buy the work (see links, below), there is frequently no violin part, per se, but if you have a piano/vocal version, the violin can play the vocal line. If you only have the piano score, the violin line is usually in the upper, treble staff of the piano music.
Legal copies:
Beyonce:
At Last,
Halo,
If I Were a Boy
Coldplay:
Viva La Vida,
Speed of Sound,
Best (Easy Piano)
Christina Aguilera: Back to Basics
Jonas Brothers: Jonas Brothers
Michael Jackson:
Number Ones (voice/piano/guitar),
Thriller (voice/piano/guitar),
Say Say Say - Jackson/McCartney (voice/piano/guitar),
We Are the World (voice/piano/guitar),
ABC, I'll Be There, Billie Jean (vocal/piano),
Bad (band),
Tribute to MJ (band),
You Are Not Alone (band)
Heal the World (flute trio/keyboard),
Alicia Keys: No One
Mettalica: Nothing Else Matters
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Best of
Rihanna:
Take a Bow,
Shut
Up and Drive, Don't Stop the Music
Taylor Swift:
Love Story,
Fearless,
Our Song,
Teardrops on My Guitar,
White Horse
Shania Twain:
Greatest
Hits
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A few recent law suits:
Students hit with copyright lawsuits
Music Copyright Lawsuits Continue: Houston Man Pays for Illegally Downloading Music on the Internet
Music copyright lawsuit targets Microsoft, Yahoo, Real
Here is the applicable federal statute:
Title 17, United States Code, § 506. Criminal offenses:
(a) Criminal Infringement…Any person who infringes a copyright
willfully and for purposes of commercial advantage or private
financial gain shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for
not more than one year…
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For a more extensive list of older, popular works, please see:
Popular Music
http://beststudentviolins.com/sheetmusic.html#popular
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(3) What is the cheapest violin I can buy?
Student Violin - Outfits
http://beststudentviolins.com/violins.html#outfits
Do NOT go to Ebay or Target and buy some piece of junk which will NEVER sound good (a "violin shaped object"). The very least you can spend is $180.00. I've done extensive research, trying all kinds of violins, and this is the best instrument you can get at this minimum price.
(4) What instrument should I play?
This question turns up a dozen times a day and unfortunately, it's very difficult to offer advice, given the limited amount of information offered. People are drawn to performance on an instrument based on pieces they've heard, or friendships at school, and a myriad of other reasons. You might consider the following:
- Will you be able to acquire a decent instrument to work with? Stringed instruments are typcially more costly than brass or woodwinds; this is especially true of fine instruments. And the larger the stringed instrument, the more costly.
- Do you like the way the instrument sounds? (this is usually the first reason for asking the question)
- In what venues would you like to play the instrument? There are no stringed instruments in marching band, but most chamber music gigs for churches and weddings, etc., use stringed instruments rather than brass.
- Will you be able to get enough instruction to get good at it? Many great guitar players are self-taught, but string players need private instruction, and that which is offered in public school is really not sufficient in itself.
- Are you willing to immerse yourself in the instrument, and take the time for daily practice? Studies indicate that it takes about five years to get into the violin, 10 years to master any subject (instrumental performance, programming, chess, etc.)
- Will your family support you in your efforts?
- Can you do this without your schoolwork or job suffering?
As far as which instrument is easier, I would refer you to the next question: "Which instrument is easiest to learn?"
(5) Which instrument is easiest to learn?
Aside from the harp, the violin is considered to be the most difficult instrument, but really, any instrument which you take seriously, is "hard."
Having said that, the piano is much easier to learn, initially, than the violin. The piano is more expensive to purchase than the violin, however. You can get a decent student violin outfit for $180, but it's extremely unlikely you can get a decent piano for $300, and probably more like $500. Many people start piano studies with a keyboard, mainly because of the cost of an acoustic piano.
Ultimately, the guitar is the easiest instrument to play, initially, lends itself most easily to self-teaching, and is very reasonably priced.
See also:
How long will it take me to get really good at the violin?
http://beststudentviolins.com/PedagogyTech.html#31
Good Student Violin
http://beststudentviolins.com/violins.html#outfits
Yamaha Keyboard with piano style foot pedal
http://beststudentviolins.com/sheetmusic.html#keyboard
Good Student Guitar
http://beststudentviolins.com/guitars.html#studentguitars
(6) What is this violin worth?
Unfortunately, unless you encounter the unlikely circumstance that someone reads your post who is intimately acquainted with that particular instrument, no one can determine the value of an instrument based on the name on the label and the year. Even if you have photographs and the label is genuine, the violin has to be held and played, and examined, by hand. The only way that can be done is by taking it to an experienced luthier for an appraisal. Look under "violin" in the Yellow Pages.
Please see:
Requests to appraise an instrument
http://beststudentviolins.com/StringCareSpecs.html#2
(7) Where can I find a teacher?
Please see:
How to locate teachers and violin shops
http://beststudentviolins.com/PedagogyTech.html#1
(8) What size violin should I buy?
Please see:
Size Charts
http://beststudentviolins.com/StringCareSpecs.html#5
(9) How do I play this scale?
I agree that http://sarkett.com/vsc/violin_scale_charts.shtml and similar charts, are not very helpful. This is better:
Violin/Viola Fingerboard Charts
http://beststudentviolins.com/fingerboard.html#violin_fingerboard_chart
But don't confuse the issue of scale fingerings and positions, with key signatures. There really is no direct relationship. What you really need is a good scale book, such as the Carl Flesch Scale Studies: Violin | Viola
See:
Handout: Violin/Viola, Piano: 3 octave fingerings
http://beststudentviolins.com/3octave_fingerings.html
(key signatures, and a system of memorizing fingerings for three octaves scales)
Handout: Analysis of Carl Flesch Scale System
http://beststudentviolins.com/scales.html
Free one- to three-octave Printable Violin and Viola Scales
http://www.theviolincase.com/music/index.shtml
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RULE FOR SHARPS:
The key is 1/2 step above the last sharp (the sharp furthest to the right in the key signature). Sharps are: Fat Cows Gulp Daisies And Eat Beans. So if (say) you have three sharps - Fat Cows Gulp -- then the key signature is 1/2 step above G#, or A Major.
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RULE FOR FLATS:
The key is the next to last flat. The flats are backwards from the sharps (isn't that amazing?): Beans Eat And Daisies Gulp Cows Fat. So if you have (say) four flats -- B E A and D -- then the key is A flat. You have to say A flat; the key of A is three sharps. Also, in the flat keys you have to memorize that one flat is F Major, since there is no "next to last."
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(10) I just bought a violin, but it won't play.
It's probably because you haven't rosined the bow. See:
Rosin
http://beststudentviolins.com/StringCareSpecs.html#rosin
(11) What is the difference between a violin and a fiddle?
See:
Are the violin and the fiddle the same instrument?
http://beststudentviolins.com/StringCareSpecs.html#3
(12) What is the difference between the violin and the viola?
See: http://beststudentviolins.com/StringCareSpecs.html#4
Note that the viola is "not just a big violin." Violists will have you assassinated if you even think that. Playing the viola requires a very different touch, different fingerings, different position work, different vibrato, and an entirely different mindset with respect to its role in the orchestral and chamber music repertoire. Violists are very sensitive about this.
See also:
(13) I'm a new violin student; show me pages online to help me?
Internet Resources for Violin/Viola Students
http://beststudentviolins.com/resources.html
Violin/Viola FAQ
http://beststudentviolins.com/FAQ.html
(14) Free violin/viola music?
(15) I hate the violin and want to quit. How can I convince my parents?
This is a very sensitive subject, and I think only you and your parents can work it out. As a teacher, I can't tell you how many times adult students have approached me about lessons, saying they wish their parents had made them stick with it. Give it a chance.
(16) Is it too late for me to learn to play the violin?
No. See:
Am I too old to learn the violin, which has always been my dream?
http://beststudentviolins.com/PedagogyTech.html#3
How long will it take me to get really good at the violin?
http://beststudentviolins.com/PedagogyTech.html#31
How to teach yourself the violin
http://beststudentviolins.com/PedagogyTech.html#2
(17) Do you know of a teacher or violin shop in _____?
Finding a good private teacher is essential to learning an instrument effectively. For a list of ideas about how to find teachers, and a collection of online teachers' directories, please see:
How to locate teachers and violin shops
http://beststudentviolins.com/PedagogyTech.html#1
Also see:
Lesson Fees: Comprehensive evaluations of private lesson fees (violin, viola, piano), worldwide
Characteristics of a Good Private Teacher
What Students want from their Private Teachers
Private Lesson No-No's
(18) I play violin in my high school orchestra, and would like to be a professional player. What should I do, and how long will it take?
While it takes about five years to get into the violin, studies suggest that it takes 10 years to master a subject: instrumental performance, programming, chess, etc. The most effective way to become a professional string player is to work with the best teacher you can find, continually strive to find better equipment, and plan on going to a good music school. You should attend as many concerts and master classes as you can, and summer music programs where the string teachers and coaches you'd like to work with, teach. See:
How long will it take me to get really good at the violin?
http://beststudentviolins.com/PedagogyTech.html#31
Issues in Choice of Undergraduate Programs
It's also important that you (a) get good grades in school; and (b) don't make yourself ill practicing -- which will not work, long term. Never spend more than 20 minutes practicing. 20 minutes of focused practice is worth more than hours and hours of, "oh gosh, I gotta practice." If you can do two, three, or four 20 minute practice sessions a day, you will be doing well; I did eight or nine when I was preparing my Masters recital.
Take care of your health. Listen to a lot of music. Read books about music, and learn to read scores. Being a musician requires that you love what you're doing -- because, mainly, it takes a long time, and there are no shortcuts.
ADDENDUM:
A distinction should probably be made between wanting to play, or striving to play, in the top 10 or 20 major orchestras, and just wanting to play in orchestras; we mustn't forget that there are thousands of orchestras besides the "major" ones.
See:
ICSOM Statistics
http://beststudentviolins.com/AuditionsGigs.html#4
Two Essays on the Development of Student Orchestras
http://beststudentviolins.com/developmentstudentorch.html
(19) I'm a complete beginner; how long will it take me to play at an acceptable level, and how much will it cost?
The question of "how long will it take me to get good at the violin" is addressed in a couple of recently published NY Times Bestsellers, Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers: The Story of Success, and Geoff Colvin, Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else. [Both books also available on Kindle.] Both authors were interviewed (separately) on Charley Rose a few months ago.
Both books cite a study done in the early 1990's by the psychologist K. Anders Ericsson and two colleagues at Berlin's elite Academy of Music. The answer seems to be that it takes about five years to really get into the violin. According to the research, it takes 10,000 hours (about 10 years) to master it; success, perhaps not surprisingly, is primarily based on practice time.
Other research supports this 10 year requirement, as well. From Peter Norvig's "Teach Yourself Programming in Ten Years," a webpage about learning programming:
Researchers Bloom (1985), Bryan & Harter (1899)*, Hayes (1989), Simmon & Chase (1973)** have shown it takes about ten years to develop expertise in any of a wide variety of areas, including chess playing, music composition, telegraph operation, painting, piano playing, swimming, tennis, and research in neuropsychology and topology. There appear to be no real shortcuts: even Mozart, who was a musical prodigy at age 4, took 13 more years before he began to produce world-class music.
In another genre, the Beatles seemed to burst onto the scene with a string of #1 hits and an appearance on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964. But they had been playing small clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg since 1957, and while they had mass appeal early on, their first great critical success, Sgt. Peppers, was released in 1967.
From:
How long will it take me to get really good at the violin?
http://beststudentviolins.com/PedagogyTech.html#31
Also see:
Lesson Fees: Comprehensive evaluations of private lesson fees (violin, viola, piano), worldwide
http://beststudentviolins.com/lessonfees.html
(20) I would like assistance with:
- Cleaning/Polishing and Removing Dust Bunnies
http://beststudentviolins.com/StringCareSpecs.html#15
- How to protect the violin from extremes of temperature and humidity
http://beststudentviolins.com/StringCareSpecs.html#6
- How to replace a string
http://beststudentviolins.com/StringCareSpecs.html#7
- Categories of strings
http://beststudentviolins.com/StringCareSpecs.html#9
- String sets
http://beststudentviolins.com/StringCareSpecs.html#string_sets
- Bridge set up
http://beststudentviolins.com/StringCareSpecs.html#10
- Tuning instructions
http://beststudentviolins.com/StringCareSpecs.html#11
- My pegs are not working right; how do I fix them?
http://beststudentviolins.com/StringCareSpecs.html#12
- My chinrest came off; how can I fix it?
http://beststudentviolins.com/StringCareSpecs.html#13
- My tailpiece came off; how can I fix it?
http://beststudentviolins.com/StringCareSpecs.html#14
- Mutes
http://beststudentviolins.com/terms.html#mute
- Rosin
http://beststudentviolins.com/StringCareSpecs.html#8
- Fingerboard tapes and pinky pads
http://beststudentviolins.com/PedagogyTech.html#33
- What on earth is a "Violin Hickey"?
http://beststudentviolins.com/StringCareSpecs.html#16
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