I am 56 years old and have just began to learn to play the violin and when doing a search I came upon your Tutorials. I am so glad I did. Your Violin Tutorials are wonderful. I still sound like I have a cat by the tail with a pair of pliers, but with LOTS of practice, I know I can do this. Thank you so much for the wonderful videos.
Good on you for taking it up now! Too many people think "I didn't start playing an instrument at the age of 5 years old like everyone else did so I just won't bother." Better late than never! :)
This is very inspiring! I'm more on the idealistic side and many people are like "oh, I didn't start young, I'll never be good." I honestly think it's crap to believe that (though sometimes I do get affected by it). Thanks for being an inspiration!
Thank you so much Joshua for your kinds words. I've always been one of those that was Told oh you can't do that, but I love to prove them wrong. Always believe in yourself. You can do anything you set you mind and our heart to.
Great to hear that! I'm 36 and have been playing violin for 1 week! I refuse to spend one more day of my life saying "I wish I could play an instrument properly"!! I hope you are enjoying it as much as I am. I love these tutorials too....... thanks Alison
$100 an hour or more in the SF Bay area yeah. Online for free? Yeah. I mean, the basics have been free for ages if you know where to look. Yehudi Menuhin did a how-to on BBC public TV in England, and you can find it online, and there's a book by him about it too.
I’m a string teacher of 22 years. Your videos are awesome. Your way of describing things is exactly right & I frequently send links of your videos to my students as technique reminders (especially now during covid stay at home). Thank you for being detailed in your mini lessons online & for taking the time to make these videos. Much appreciated
I love the atmosphere in this comment area！It's so positive and full of people love violin！I quit when I graduated from high school, but I want to take it back and keep playing. Wish everyone improve and have fun！
Suggestion to my fellow learners out there: I find recording yourself is an invaluable tool. When you play back, you can observe what you are REALLY doing, rather than what you THINK you are doing. It is a great diagnostic tool. Just don't beat yourself up. Look for the positive as well as the negative. Alison, thank you for all your good advice. I just completed lesson 10 and am busy practing Gypsy Firelight :-)
I played violin as a child but stopped in high school. I have finally got a violin again as a 35 year old woman. I am IN LOVE with playing. I wish i had your videos back in the 90s when i was learning. Maybe i never would have stopped. When i have a question or issue i ALWAYS hurry to see what Alison has to say about it. If im looking at a new one i check your review! If you dont have one I dont bother 😂😂 thank you Alison for explaining so well and simply without making people feel like a moron for not knowing. You are amazing
I think the next tutorial you should do is ways to not give up learning violin. Dang! These scratchy noises and hitting other strings makes me wanna throw away my violin and just give up learning. I'm a guitarist since the age of 6, so even the proper grip of the violin frustrates me a lot.
Dani Cruz Girl I know what you mean. It makes me want to quit too... but I just keep getting insight on how to fix it and have a listen to my favorite violinists, like Anne-Sophie Mutter and Lindsey Stirling and remember that at one time they sounded scratchy and squeaky too. ❤
Found a violin from a local Mom that was getting rid of. Since my daughter and I are under strict quarantine rules, we decided to start learning. I am a 45 year old single parent and very excited to learn together with my kid. You are tremendously good teacher! We will be watching your videos.
You are my only teacher, I had a violin teacher 10 years ago, but I quit after a year. I was never taught the things you’re teaching me, I am amazed! Thank you so much!❤️
you have to be careful and turn the pegs very SLOWLY not quickly as that is why you are breaking them. When you have thread the string through the hole in the peg and then turned the peg to get the string taught so its not loose, then you have to turn slowly to get it to the right note/pitch.
If your don't feel like playing your violin again and feel like throwing it in the junk, you need to watch Your Lie in April. You'll again be motivated to learn the violin. Your welcome.
3) maintaining finger positons, its a difficult one to explain in words, you could try using one of those 'Dont Fret' stickers you place on the fingerboard to help you with finger positions for a short while? I know that doesnt help much but to be honest, the violin is all about the ear and learning to 'hear' where the fingers go im afraid - its what makes the violin so dam hard, but worth it in the end!! lol Does that help - even a bit? Alison
So, I've had my violin for about a month and a half. I knew RU-vid would be full of videos to teach me how to play. I found your videos and I LOVE them. Honestly I would watch your videos whether or not I had a violin cause I love your accent :-D Thanks for making these videos. You've been a big help.
Thanks for these videos! I'm a 42 year old guitar player and piano-dabbler who has always wanted to try fiddle/violin and my wife surprised me with a 'student pack' for Christmas. Not the best quality, of course, but a quite playable once i got enough rosin on the bow (thanks to one of your other videos). I can even approximate a couple songs already. Now to learn the proper technique from the start. Thanks again.
I've only been practicing for about a week, but I've noticed another reason that I often hit other strings is because I'm pressing too hard on the bow which pushes the string down too much. Applying less pressure makes me more accurate and also produces a better sound.
This is now my official 'go to' teacher for violin lessons! Great job! I took violin lessons for a couple of years when I was 8-9 years old. One thing lead to another, & I've been playing guitar for 37+ years. I've done pretty well on it, but I've always wanted to return to my "first love", the violin. It's a VERY different instrument in comparison, and in my opinion, even more expressive as a musical instrument! After my initial shock of picking up a violin after close to 40 years & sounding HORRIBLE, I've been motivated to put in a bit more practice & I've gotten a little bit better. Your thorough, detailed, helpful videos have motivated me to delve even further to strive to an intermediate violin level, if possible. I don't know that I'll ever get as good on violin as I am on the guitar, but if I can even get remotely close, I'll be one happy cat! I'm sure that I will attribute much of this to your videos! I'll be sure to share some of these to my other musician friends on Facebook, & spread the good word! For what it's worth, THANK YOU!
Afurthyclays Same! The instrument I've always dreamed of playing is the violin, but somehow I ended up playing guitar. I bought a violin last week though, and I'm sooooo excited to learn and get better. Allison is such a wonderful teacher!
This is my second attempt to play violin and improve my technique. I started playing without instruction and quit several years ago because I felt that I wasn't improving. I find your videos to be specific, thorough and personally helpful ... I wish that they had been available to me earlier.
In case it helps others who're trying to learn, I'll mention that I've also found that I was getting a lot of scratch sound, because I was simply moving the bow too slowly. When I pick up the pace a bit, the scratch goes away entirely. Also, hitting multiple strings unintentionally, I was accidentally putting a bit too much downward pressure on the bow. I honestly don't think there's a more delicate instrument on Earth, than the violin. It's a very interesting change for me.
You're incredible. I play piano and guitar by ear and finally decided to take the leap of faith and buy myself a beginner violin. It's so different and there is so much technique involved. So thank you for calming my nerves and making every step-by-step process pain free ;)
thank you very much for your free lessons and tips , i love your style of teaching . im still rubbish and i squeak and scratch a lot , plus i am playing a really cheap violin , but your uploads have really helped , thanks for taking the time to make these.
I went from having to brush up on reading music in general, and never having been able to play a stringed instrument (never tried, I played trumpet as a kid) to playing violin like an amateur in a week watching your videos. I probably put in about 20 hours so far and I can play basic songs pretty slowly and my intonation isn't bad. I can make all the notes (slowly) and know a ton of stuff I never even knew about music before! Thanks so much Allison. I am definitely sticking to learning this and you are part of the reason. I can't wait to see what I can do in a year!
Thank you for posting. I'm learning so much from your videos. I've wanted to learn the violin since high school. Now at 35 years of age I'm finally get my opportunity.
You are AMAZING! I've only been practicing for a few days now and I'm surprised at how quickly I am learning to play. This video was a lot of help in touching up small details I had not realized at first. Thank you for your help!
I dont care who anyone is, what they look like, where they come from - if they wanna play violin I will dam well teach them! lol :)) Dont let him put you off, just practice what he tells you and you will not only surprise him but make him happy as there is nothing worse than a student who doesnt practice; unfortunately. Im always here for help and support if you have further questions :)
I just found your videos last night! I love them! I played Cello as a youth and got myself a Viola to pick up the orchestral strings again recently. Your videos are great! Thank you for these. You break things down in such a wonderful way without being super formal and condescending and your videos have been a great help (in the twelve hours I've watched them)!
So for me It almost feels like I got into the lift,but then as soon as I reached 4th floor I was told to leave the building by the security team. That's how well I play violin.
My violin arrives tomorrow, at my age I've got a lot of ground to make up. looking forward to hours of practice. thank you for these excellent videos. I feel further along and I haven't even held a violin yet.
Thank you so much for doing this videos.. I thought this was going to be sooo much harder to learn, but you explain everything so good that while it's not easy, it's challenging (in a very good way) and that helps not to be frustrated :)
Will keep practicing then and hope the neighbours can't hear :) Thanks again for all your help, it's so useful to have someone like you online who takes time to respond to questions as well as posting your videos, you're a star.
My neighbours are really good. They appreciate my efforts by banging on the wall, irrespective of the time. Day or night, they’re always banging on the wall and shouting their encouragement.
This video clarified a lot of things for me. Thank you so much. You probably have seen other comments of mine on other videos and I don't mean to be a repetitive bore, but goodness, you are pretty beyond words.
Thank you so much. I'm a 70% self taught violinist and I've really been needing to learn how to properly hit just one string. I'll be honest I just play by ear and learn new songs and peices in just a few hours, I'm a left hander but play the violin like a normal violinist your videos are just as helpful as a teacher😄😊
Thank you ! I'm still trying to get a grip on where to place the violin under my neck. It feels awkward and I'm wondering if the neck saddle can be adjusted higher?
Dan Constancio Jr you need to experiment with different chin rests perhaps or try a shoulder rest or cloths sponges etc etc. Without seeing you, thats all i can suggest im afraid.
Yes, thank you. Right now, I'm using a small soft washcloth. It's comfortable so I can continue to listen to my longbow resonance. I love that whole note sound. I'm practicing to maintain two whole notes w/o breaking the beat.
I bought a violin two weeks ago. Always wanted to learn, but now I'm in a town with few things to do and found cheap one to practice on at a pawn shop. It's just a general comment to apply across several of your videos, but I wanted to say thank you for posting. I wish I was able to have a lesson in person for fine tuning, but you really are doing an amazing job at helping beginners like myself. Thank you a hundred times over!
You have great tips. I just rented a Violin last night and signed up for 12 weeks of lessons at my local music shop :-) I haven't played since the 3rd Grade, 28 years ago Oh My! but look forward to the adventure. Thank you for taking the time to put these together, your wonderful :-)
She's beautiful and informative, I'm just looking at getting a violin / fiddle and feel I have good understanding of how to sound decent from the videos thanks
I have played the cello for many years and my sister plays violin. I picked up the violin a week ago and I'm making very good progress. Thank you for your help
Thanks for the tips on new rosin. No problem with bow after scratching the rosin. I also want to thank you for your advice on practice. You are truly an inspiration and a wonderful teacher. Since I don't live in the UK, your videos are the next best thing. Very appreciated. Thank you.
No, I disagree, the violin and guitar are absolutely NOTHING like each other in any way except they both have strings and the violin is certainly anything but easy!
The Online Piano and Violin Tutor I can attest to that. I've played guitar for a year, and I just picked up the violin. I can hardly play twinkle twinkle. ):
I don't know, I've been playing electric guitar for 15 years (professionally for 11 years). I played all the virtuoso repertoire (Jason Becker, Malmsteen, etc). I took the viola barely 2 months ago and I am already on Kayser 5 and Sevcick 5...I do my fair ammount of practice but I would say being a professional musician already and playing a string instrument helps a lot, I definitively would not be going that fast otherwise...
I'm 57 and started learning to play again recently. I haven't picked up a violin in over 40 years. I'm currently taking virtual lessons (thanks Covid) but will probably find an in person teacher soon. Your videos are great!!
i know your struggle i am in my 3rd week with the violin and whenever i try to play the a string i tend to hit the d funny enough not the other way around tho
You're amazing violin teacher. Your movement is very graceful and beautiful, which is very important for beginners who took the violin for the first time. Thank you very much for your lessons.
Use of a shoulder rest and chinrest must conform to the body of the player. There is not only one right way to hold the instrument. Advice from teachers who insist on all students using or not using a shoulder rest casts doubt on the teacher's other advice on technique.
Min Tee... Uh, yeah, you and the 44 people who up-voted don't know what you're saying. Your comment makes no sense, as the shoulder rest, how you use one or not, has nothing to do with professionalism. Thank you.
Even though i'm not working on the violin that's sitting in my closet i am enthralled watching you teach. Piano or violin or whatever else you bring to the table, you have my full attention :) Thanks again for a superb insightful lesson :)
Lift? Otherwise known as an elevator to us Americans ;) How do you play fast and still make the notes sound clean? And not mumbled? You look very pretty in this video, keep up the good work :)
***** im pretty sure thats just hundreds of hours of practise. Ive only been playing for about 6 months but im practicing as much as I can and ive alreasdy noticed a huge difference in the speed I can play.
Nice! Your info is always helpful and presented in a way that is very digestible. The string-changing exercise you mentioned is a good one; my teacher used to have me to do that to find the bow's plane of intersection for each string. For the fiddle players out there like myself, you can do another variation on that exercise to find the correct planes for individual strings, plus each combination of dual open strings. So find the correct bow arm angle for G, G/D, D, D/A, A, A/E, E. Then go back down. I created this exercise when I noticed I had a harder time isolating strings after coming off playing lots of drones and double stops.
Having to watch 3 things at one time is really harsh in the beginning. (1) Keep 'sawing' in the right place, avoiding bridge and fingerboard. (2) Hitting the right point on the fingerboard to desperately prevent dissonance. (3) Adapting the angle of the bow to change to another string. It exhausts me! So, it happens at times, that my finger hits the right spot on the fingerboard, while my bow arm forgets to move on. Then I wonder why it sounds terrible, both hands convulse and it sounds even worse. And because I'm in perfect confusion; I'm unable to analyze and realize what happened. I think I tend to practice too long and lack concentration then. I keep telling myself to stop playing earlier, but it's difficult because I obviously don't want to. :oD
+David Bessette You're talking to the me of 3 months ago. Saturday, August 29, I performed in the Mixtape show of our club. There I was told by a violin player, I sounded like after 2 years violin lessons. Next Mixtape will be in late October and my goal is to sound like 3 years violin lessons...... __________________________________ I knew I had to learn how to watch all three things I named above at one time. One has to learn how to deal with that, or give up playing the violin and just play recorder or whatever. It's like driving a car, where you have to manage several things at one time or keep out of traffic. Well, I did not give up and managed it gradually. I say gradually, because presently I am pushing myself into fast eighths in faster jazz titles. In this case, those problems of 3 months ago are coming back while being rushed by my play-alongs. But it's time to now push myself into faster phrases and I WILL learn that too! Yes, in June I felt like I would never get ahead, but after all I didn't disappoint myself. I taught myself to play many instruments--violin was the hardest of all of them.
Started as total beginner in November with a borrowed violin and weekly group Zoom lessons (for Irish fiddle style). I’m in mid-60’s and had never touched a violin before, and never learned to read music. Your description of the multi sensory and multitasking nature of learning to play violin sums it up well! I’ve found it helps to follow Alison’s videos for beginners and practice sub-skills separately, as well as practising the tunes for group sessions. Took several weeks to find a shoulder rest that I felt comfortable with, which slowed my progress in fingering and bowing. Patience (not beating myself up for sounding bad); practice (no such thing as “enough”), and perseverance (stick at it) = progress 🤗. Planning to buy my own violin from a local music shop when we’re freed up from Covid-19 lockdown!
Make sure your fingers are fully on the string they are meant to be and are in the correct place on the string and also make sure your bow arm is giving you enough sound with the bow, but not too heavy or too light....does that make sense?
Oh my gosh this made so much sense. Especially my bow and wrist hold. I am holding my wrist lower than my bow and will try today having my wrist higher. You are so good at giving advice and demonstrations. Thank you so much.
because of watching violin lessons by you Ms. allison, i bought a violin online! 😙❤ i will keep watching when it arrive! 😉😄 love from Philippines ♡(●´з`)♡
You should also start exercising your hands and arms for the bowing techniques and strokes. Also for moving your fingers on the fingerboard. Also from the Philippines😊
what about playing in time to a metronome? You can get them for free on your phone if you have an App phone? Or look at a ticking clock (one with a second hand) and count to 4 in time with the little hand moving and bow in time? You could try that and thats all free?
Thank you!!!! I just started playing again and I kept hitting the other strings when I was supposed to be only playing one at a time in this piece! forgot the first lesson my teacher ever made me do. I'm so glad you do these videos.
either - doesnt really matter as every violin bought is based on personal preference and ability. You may like the bright one, i may like the dark one - its all personal. I would say though that as a beginner violin, just make sure there is the least amount of scratch on it as that is prob most important at this stage and something cheap violins have in common until you start spending quite a bit of money... Does that help? I know its not an answer as such, but helps a little i hope?
hi, 1) the 4th finger will be exactly the same as the open string above it (except for 4th finger on E string) so you could use the open string above the 4th finger you are using to make sure you have it in tune. Other than that, there isnt a lot one can do to help this.
Thanks for the tips, I now have a new drill to add onto my finger placements. Really made sense and shone some light on what my instructor had told me. Thanks again!
Thank you so much for making this video! Im in advanced orchestra in my school and I've noticed that I've been sounding a little weird because of that this helped me a lot and i also watched your video on vibrato that was great too
Hello from down here in Argentina (although I'm American)! I just wanted to say thank you for these videos, they REALLY do help. I've been taking lessons for the past few months and when I started, my instructor told me she was impressed by how much I already knew how to do. I have to admit that the credit goes mainly to you xD Although down here they teach "GDAE" as "Si Re La Mi"
The tip about upgrading absolutely good advice. My mom bought me a cheap violin on Amazon, I’d always wanted to learn. I am really enjoying it, but am having issues with scratching, I received my new upgraded stentor graduate violin today. It indeed has resolved the majority of my trouble and my god the sound is nice. Thank you for your tips, I also found I was holding my wrist too low.
I used to play making a little bit of scratchy sound. These instructions were very helpful. (I learned violin by watching your beginners' lessons few years ago and practising accordingly. Thanks a lot Alison)
I played from the age of 4 to 17 and just picked my violin back up recently… it’s kind of like riding a bike but I definitely needed a little refresher!!! This was great!!
Press your fingers hard enough into the string so that you feel the fingerboard - or that the string is depressed enough that your finger presses the fingerboard if you see what i mean. You dont need to try and push through the fingerboard as if you are trying to burn through it (lol), but enough pressure that the string is fully down on the fingerboard. Does that all help??
I've come a long way from using these simple videos. I'm very grateful for the help. Once I started reading the music I found I needed a lot of work on bowing and always hit multiple strings. This video covers my problem perfectly. I'm practiceing more often because I have direction and see results.
You are awesome. I am in my fifties and wasn't sure learning to play this elegant instrument was within my reach but with your guidance in just two weeks I have suprised myself. Now I need to learn about PayPal. You are an amazing instructor.
Thank you so much for this! I was just about to throw my violin out the window when I paused and thought to myself "Allison has a video on this. Let's go watch it." I can already see an improvement after watching this. Thank's again! You're a violin saver. ;)
I've been practicing sitting down, and the sounds I've been producing has not been heavenly, so to speak. But today I tried playing standing up, and immediately it sounded 3 times better. Btw thanks for all these lessons, they've been really helpful!
