#studyingstrong

As with most instruments I know, I took the most convoluted way possible to learn violin. I borrowed a friend’s old violin and learned the very basics using good ol’ Essential Elements, then had to give the violin back. But soon after, I joined my school’s orchestra as pianist, which was a giant help. Just watching section work and paying attention to the director’s critiques taught me a lot. Since I played piano, I got a lot of conductor’s scores for the pieces and exercises we were playing (most pieces have no piano or an “optional” piano part), and I’d use the violin parts of those to work on the same things that I heard about in class that day. 

Also, I’d practise with a chromatic tuner, playing scales very slowly using the whole bow. For the first several months, I spent about 3/4 of a given practise session playing the same scale at various speeds and rhythms, paying attention to different parts of technique (mirrors are VERY helpful when it comes to this), and just listening to various notes with my eyes closed once I was sure they were in tune. I’ve heard scale books are extremely good for technique, intonation, etc., but I haven’t personally used one (yet). I’ve heard several people recommend Carl Flesch Scale Book, though, if that’s something you’re interested in.

Recording yourself is always a good idea, and learning about beats, intervals, and intonation in general will help you wean yourself from the tuner and reach a more advanced level of playing. 

IMSLP is a resource that’s great for finding free classical sheet music, though a bit difficult to navigate at first. I personally recommend starting here, with the baroque composers, especially Vivaldi once you feel ready. When I was feeling stuck between beginner and intermediate, someone advised me to look into Vivaldi’s violin concertos, and my playing advanced rapidly. 

Finally, watching and/or listening to good violinists is great for becoming a better player yourself. Isaac Stern was the first person I looked up to when I started playing violin (and he has a great documentary in which he teaches violin students in China - very helpful), so he’s the first person that comes to mind for me. Joshua Bell is another pretty obvious example.