Im sure we all have something that we are passionate about. For me that's music, I fell
in love with the violin. I've known I wanted to be a musician when I first picked up the guitar and saw my dad play. I always wanted to inspire others then hopefully they will have the chance to inspire more.
Typically a violin has four strings. First string is G then D,A,and E from low to high. For this “how to” I'll be teaching you how to properly hold the violin and the bow and play a easy song “mary had a little lamb”.
Things you will need: - violin
- bow
Steps: for holding the bow and violin
1. With your right hand make a circle with the tip of your thumb on the tip of your middle finger when holding the bow and keep your pinky extended out for balance on the end of bow.
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Stand or sit with correct posture.
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Place violin on your left shoulder and place your chin on the chinrest.
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Position your left hand like you're holding a taco never let the neck of the violin
rest on your palm
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With your right place bow on strings halfway between the bridge and the
fingerboard.
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Raise right elbow up or down to hit the string you want to hear
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Press the bow firmly on the string and hear a note
1. Place bow on the D string which is the 2nd string
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Place your second finger on the note F# which is this distance of making a peace
sign but on the violin and bow down
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Place your first finger on note E and bow up
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Play the note D by placing no fingers on the strings and bow down on only the D
string which is called open D
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Follow the notes
These steps are important because if you are not holding the violin correctly you can strain your wrist believe me it has happened to me. Holding the neck of the violin like a taco will help you reach the further notes and to also be precise, being slightly to the left or right with give you a different note.I also recommend getting a shoulder rest I didn't
know they existed so my collar bone was bruised so many times. I have been playing
violin for about two years now and I played in a symphony at the Claremont College. I
hope this was not hard to follow and that you liked my “How to”.
23 comments:
Breanna carrillo
This reading of steps of how to play a violin is so unique because the violin is such a different instrument to play. Also, loved how you added a few notes to get the reader to start playing something on the instrument. great work, loved it!
Alyssa, thank you so much for taking the time to teach us how to hold a violin properly and to play a simple song on it. I have been wanting to play the violin for a long time but never had the courage to pick one up because I thought it would be hard. But now with this "how to" I feel like I was provided with the proper basics to starting how to learn to play the violin. Your easy chronological order of each step and the division between holding the violin to actually playing it provided me with simple logic that made it very easy to understand. As I read through the article I was following along with the motions you were explaining to do. Thank you so much and well done!
This is such a different type of instrument that a lot of people dont know about so it was really nice to get an insight how different have to be played. I loved reading the first couple of sentences and learning why you fell in love with music and instrumentals. Thank you for letting us know what can happen if we dont play it right. I really think this was an great thing to write about about amazing job!!
I always wanted to learn how to play the violin but it seemed so difficult. I really enjoyed reading your piece, mainly because you described everything so well. I liked how your writing was in chronological order and this step by step tutorial would be very useful for people trying to learn. Good job Alyssa!
This was very easy to follow and doesn't seem all to hard to play. I could test that out if I actually had a violin, but nevertheless, this was a great how-to and I'm sure it will simplify a difficult instrument into something very achievable.
You made learning to play the violin seem so simple. I loved how you told the step-by-step process to a difficult instrument and even described how to play a song. It seems very easy to follow and I will being playing the violin soon. Good job!
Alyssa, This how to seemed relatively easy to follow, especially for me who does not know a lick of musical language and who has never picked up an instrument ever. And i also love how you first describe your passion for music and say why you want to teach us how to play a violin. Great how to !
What stood out to me that I liked the most in this piece was you giving us each note. You made playing the violin seem easy after explaining which finger goes on which note and how to play it with simple and understanding steps. Great job!
I'm currently in the process of learning the violin and your advice is right on the money. Learning proper posture and holding techniques was so difficult to learn myself and your how to sums up what a beginner would need nicely. Gavin Gnaster
The way you explain playing the violin makes it seem so easy yet I know it's a very difficult to play just like all instruments. These steps seem like they could be very helpful if I were to try to play the violin. Also thanks for the portion of your writing that has different notes I could try to play and seem like a good starting point for a beginner
-Austyn Coleman
Period 1
I'v been wanting to play the violin ever since I was 12 and your easy to follow instructions really motivates me to finally begin to learning! I really liked the phrase " the neck of the violin like a taco", it was a hilarious comparison and a nice visual of how to properly position the violin. Great work!
I used to play the violin but never had the time to play it again. With that, I lost the ability to play it like I used to. But with this, maybe I can try playing it again. This was a wonderful piece.
Playing the violin takes a lot of practice and patience, thank you for making this "how to" it motivates me to try it one day! I remember learning how to play and instrument when I was in elementary school and the first song I learned how to play was Mary Had a Little Lamb as well. I also like how you warned the audience of consequences on your collar bone with the use improper mechanics when first learning how to play the violin as well because it is a little warning of how tough playing a violin really is. Great job!
I really like in the beginning the brief background of how/why you began to play the violin, which leads to the reason of why you decided to make a "How To" out of it. I actually never knew how passionate you were about it, let alone knew you even played it. I'm happy that I read this because not only is it a starter pack of how to play the violin, but I also got to learn something new about my friend.
I felt nostalgic while reading this. I used to play violin in elementary and middle school and the instructions you gave were so much easier to follow along to than the teachers trying to teach me in the fourth grade. I loved how you included things, such as "never let the neck of the violin rest on your palm" and small details that beginner violinsts tend to do wrong. Great job!
This is a very well described and precise "how to" tutorial. Thank you for this descriptive step by step process that had me pretend playing an air violin, all I need now is an actual violin. Good use of comparisons (holding a taco) to describe how to hold or shape ones posture.
I love your article so much! As a fellow string player, this brought me back to the days when I first learned how to play the double bass. Learning how to play a new instument is something that isn't very easy on its first try, though through your detailed piece, I somehow feel confident to pick up a violin and go at it! Excellent job on describing the process very thoroughly!
This was extremely intriguing. I have always wanted to play an instrument but I never had the time or the courage to pick one up. However after reading this how - to I may pick up the violin and follow these instructions on how to play it.
-SteveMartinez P.1
This brought me back to when I first learned how to play the piano. For a while, Mary Had a Little Lamb was all I knew how to play. It drove my mom insane. You showcased your passion while teaching at the same time. Nice job on this "how to" tutorial.
This is a great way to express your passion for music especially the violin. Being a musician I understand that love to learn more and this is a great way to explain to beginners that look to expand their knowledge of such a beautiful sounding string instrument.
-Sara Hernandez
Per.6
I really enjoyed this because it took me back to my days learning to play the trumpet. I had to learn the basics and much like the instructions given I had to learn to play Mary had a little lamb. Although I no longer play the trumpet, I enjoyed reminiscing on the days where I had because of this blog entry.
As someone who has practiced playing piano, I know the difficulty of learning an instrument, but the potential is limitless. With that being said, the violin is no easy task, and I like that you made a quite detailed yet simple guide on how to begin! My sister has a violin and I was able to "play" (sounded more like screeching) with the instructions. Overall I found this really useful and with a few hours of practice I might be able to have learned and memorized the notes, if my fingers don't succumb to the pain first haha
- Travis L.
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