Are you thinking about teaching yourself the violin? And if you do try and teach yourself, will it hold back your development? We discuss these issues below.
If you would like to learn more about our violin lessons in Brooklyn with a professional, please get in touch!
Can the Violin be Self Taught?
Yes, you can technically teach yourself how to play the violin. You can watch videos on how to hold the violin and bow, you can study flashcards for note values and fingerboard positions, and you can learn vibrato through method books. But please note that your progress will be much, much slower if you try to teach yourself how to play the violin.
Simply Producing a Decent Sound is Difficult
Unlike other instruments like the piano or guitar, it’s hard to simply make a beautiful sound on the violin. The violin requires the correct amount of pressure when bowing to produce a full sound (let alone maintaining a nice sound when playing loud and soft), and it is also a challenging instrument to play in tune.
Advanced Levels of Coordination are Required
You will need to balance the instrument, place your fingers correctly on the fingerboard, and move from note to note without the benefit of frets. This requires a tremendous amount of muscle memory and coordination! Add to that the fact that you will be bowing at the same time, and strategically up-bowing and down-bowing.
Physical Technique Must Be Learned
You’ll need to maintain a healthy and safe posture, hold the violin properly between your neck and shoulder, keep your left arm in perfect alignment, work the fingerboard without too much tension in your wrist, and of course hold your bowing elbow at a right angle with the ground. There is so much more to consider in addition to these elements, but that’s a good starting point.
Teachers will often need to correct their student’s posture and technique for at least two years before the student is completely confident.
Can You Learn Violin in 6 Months?
No, most students can’t exactly learn the violin in six months. You can learn to read music in six months, play open string position, bow with good technique, and other important aspects of playing the violin, but you won’t be a well-rounded, competent violin player in six months.
How Many Years Does it Take to Learn the Violin?
It will probably take several years of commitment to the violin (or cello or viola) before you can play beautifully and independently. Your first year will be spent learning technique (bowing, posture, and more), developing your ear, learning the note placements on the strings, and playing simple tunes and etudes. You will not exceed first-position notes in the first year of lessons, most likely.
In your second year, you may learn second position, some more complex rhythms and articulations (pizzicato and so forth) if you are motivated, and perhaps even an introduction to vibrato.
Beyond that, your progress will mostly be up to you. Some students start to explore harmonics in their first four years of lessons, while others take much longer. Some young violinists have a naturally beautiful tone and vibrato, and others struggle for 4-5 years before they have a rich, consistent sound.
How Long Should You Practice the Violin Per Day?
By the time you reach your third year, you will need to practice about 45 minutes per day if you want to keep making above-average progress. Beginners will only need 15-20 minutes per day to work through their practice material, and besides the relatively simple requirements, beginners can experience fatigue and finger discomfort.
If finding time to practice your violin is challenging because of noise constraints, you can still benefit from an extra 15-20 minutes of mental practice: memorize notes on the staff, memorizing note values and rhythms, positions on the fingerboard, and so forth.
How Can You Become a Better Violinist?
Have you reached a plateau in your violin playing? These tips are by no means exhaustive, and you should certainly consult with your music teacher. But here’s a good place to get started.
Record Yourself More Often
Record yourself playing a piece of repertoire that you know very well, and listen for a beautiful sound. This includes intonation! Does your vibrato add substance to the music, or is it a distraction? Is your tone rich and consistent? Are you in pitch with yourself on double stops and intervals? A recording will reveal imperfections that you can address.
Secondarily, recording yourself will reveal a general lack of musicianship and dynamic contrast. You may think you are playing a crescendo, but if you can’t hear it in the recording, you will need to increase the contrast.
Be More Intentional About Your Bowing Choices
Our Brooklyn piano lessons often follow a similar theme – we teach students to choose sensible and strategic fingers, then to stick with them in practice.
As a violinist, be more intentional about when you up-bow, down-bow, slur, or articulate notes. Once you have added bowing notes to your music, follow them. You will learn a piece much more quickly and be more confident in performances.
Don’t Tolerate Imperfections When Learning New Pieces
If you take a sloppy approach to learning a new piece of violin literature, whether it be a Bach Chaconne or a Mussorgsky excerpt, you will have to unlearn your mistakes before a recital or performance.
Practice new music very slowly, in small chunks, and with a metronome. Do not tolerate insecure bowing, missed notes or any other kind of mistake at the beginning, and only increase tempo when you can do so evenly with a metronome. This will also help you memorize music more securely.
Play in an Ensemble with Other Talented Violinists
Nothing will help you improve quite like playing with another violinist who is better than you. You will feel positive peer pressure, improve your sound by hearing their sound, and want to practice so you can either compete or “keep up” with the others during rehearsals.
Take Lessons at Williamsburg Music Studio
At Williamsburg Music Studio, we also offer voice lessons in Brooklyn, guitar lessons in Brooklyn, and more in addition to violin lessons. We enjoy teaching students of all ages and skill levels, and we encourage you to get in touch!
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