I love, as I'm sure many of you do, the holidays! I thought it might be fun to share our favorite moments and traditions that come around the holidays.
I'll go first: I love having a day like Christmas to help everyone rearrange their priorities, and put another's happiness before their own. It is a day to show someone you may not typically share things with, how happy they make you.
Okay, now it's your turn! Leave a comment with one of your favorite holiday moments or memories...maybe we will find new things to appreciate that we hadn't thought of already!
Happy Holidays everyone
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Formspring Question - Hello sir! I just want to ask, what violin should a beginner buy? I want to learn violin and i would like to buy one. What brand should I buy? The cheapest one sir. :)
Hey There! This is definitely one of the more popular questions I get from beginners as everyone needs a violin to start playing right!
My suggestion is don't buy an instrument off of craigslist. You might find something nice 1/10 times, but do you really want to take that risk? Most of the time what you find on there sounds literally like a tin can. You can get decent instruments on Amazon, and I actually purchase violins on there from a few different vendors.
Cecilio Violins are great, and these are really good for beginners just starting out. A good beginner outfit is the Cecilio CVN-500, which costs anywhere from $175-$350.
Once you have played for a while though, you will want an upgrade to this. It isn't long before you will be able to tell the difference between the quality of different violins. But the Cecilio is a great place to start if you don't want to spend too much.
Hope this helps!
Michael
My suggestion is don't buy an instrument off of craigslist. You might find something nice 1/10 times, but do you really want to take that risk? Most of the time what you find on there sounds literally like a tin can. You can get decent instruments on Amazon, and I actually purchase violins on there from a few different vendors.
Cecilio Violins are great, and these are really good for beginners just starting out. A good beginner outfit is the Cecilio CVN-500, which costs anywhere from $175-$350.
Once you have played for a while though, you will want an upgrade to this. It isn't long before you will be able to tell the difference between the quality of different violins. But the Cecilio is a great place to start if you don't want to spend too much.
Hope this helps!
Michael
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
What brand of strings do you prefer? I use Dominant, but was considering changing to a string with a brighter sound. Any suggestions? Joc
Great Question! Dominants are actually one of my personal favorites if you are looking for a synthetic string. A similar string that you might find a little brighter would be Evah Pirrazi strings by Pirastro. They are a little more expensive, and don't last as long as dominants, but you will like how bright they sound.
I wouldn't suggest using the Evah Pirrazi E, and going with the Pirastro Gold E as it sounds much better.
Hope this helps!
Michael
Monday, December 27, 2010
Formspring Question - Is it too late for me to start learning violin by the age of 20?
Great question! Many people have the perception that the violin should only be started by those at a young age. This is totally incorrect. Although starting at a young age is great for human development, it is never too late to start playing the violin even at a much older age than 20.
I have found in my studio, that adults learn at a much faster pace. At least 2-3 times faster than a young child between 8-15 years old. They pick up on concepts much faster than children, and most importantly find it more important to work on certain techniques and fundamentals that they appreciate.
My studio ranges from 4 all the way to 88 years old! Some of my students in their later years, started with me, and after a short period of time, are playing very well, and capable of playing in many solo settings. Many of them enjoy it so much!
So in summary my answer to your question. Is it too late to start the violin at age 20? Are you kidding? Absolutely not! If you have the interest, you will be amazed at how far you can go :)
- Michael
I have found in my studio, that adults learn at a much faster pace. At least 2-3 times faster than a young child between 8-15 years old. They pick up on concepts much faster than children, and most importantly find it more important to work on certain techniques and fundamentals that they appreciate.
My studio ranges from 4 all the way to 88 years old! Some of my students in their later years, started with me, and after a short period of time, are playing very well, and capable of playing in many solo settings. Many of them enjoy it so much!
So in summary my answer to your question. Is it too late to start the violin at age 20? Are you kidding? Absolutely not! If you have the interest, you will be amazed at how far you can go :)
- Michael
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Beginner Violin Lessons - How to Play the Violin
Introduction
Playing the violin is one of the most rewarding experiences you can encounter as a human being. Violin music can ease the mind and can turn into a great hobby for people of all ages. You are never too old to start learning the violin, and even if you aren't interested in becoming a violin virtuoso, you can still have tons of fun learning the basics as a hobby.
What you need to get Started
You will need certain materials to get started playing the violin. First you need a violin, bow of course which most people know that they need to have. You also will need a good case to carry the violin and bow in, and a shoulder rest to aid in holding the instrument. To use the bow correctly, you will need rosin, which makes the bow sticky enough to grip the strings. A basis book will do to get started and I recommend Essential Elements Book 1 as a good starting book for beginners.
How to Play the Violin
Playing the violin is not as hard as you might think. The key is having the right teacher to make sure you are doing everything correctly. Gripping the bow correctly is a key element to starting. Making sure your pinky is at the bottom of the bow, and having your thumb curved is quite important. Having a teacher watch this constantly is a huge help. Having the instrument level is important and is aided by a shoulder rest. Make sure your hand is placed at the nut of the violin, and doesn't creep up. This causes your notes to start to go sharp (out of tune). The most important thing to play the violin correctly is playing straight across the strings. Many beginners like to use too much arm and move the arm backwards instead of extending out with the forarm. Having a teacher watch this really helps, but you can also help yourself by watching your playing in the mirror.
Once you have all these fundamentals in place you can start learning from the book! Take things slowly and don't try to play too fast. Focus in on playing in tempo, and getting to the tip of the bow with full bow strokes. Having a teacher to watch this really helps. Start off by learning basis open strings and then going into putting fingers down while stroking the bow. The Essential Elements Book starts off in the key of D which means your second finger should be a space apart from one. To put your third finger down, use the second finger as an anchor which you put this finger right next to it. This really helps when you are first starting out. Keep progressing through the book slowly and I can promise you learning the violin as an adult beginner is really a lot of fun!
Playing the violin is one of the most rewarding experiences you can encounter as a human being. Violin music can ease the mind and can turn into a great hobby for people of all ages. You are never too old to start learning the violin, and even if you aren't interested in becoming a violin virtuoso, you can still have tons of fun learning the basics as a hobby.
What you need to get Started
You will need certain materials to get started playing the violin. First you need a violin, bow of course which most people know that they need to have. You also will need a good case to carry the violin and bow in, and a shoulder rest to aid in holding the instrument. To use the bow correctly, you will need rosin, which makes the bow sticky enough to grip the strings. A basis book will do to get started and I recommend Essential Elements Book 1 as a good starting book for beginners.
How to Play the Violin
Playing the violin is not as hard as you might think. The key is having the right teacher to make sure you are doing everything correctly. Gripping the bow correctly is a key element to starting. Making sure your pinky is at the bottom of the bow, and having your thumb curved is quite important. Having a teacher watch this constantly is a huge help. Having the instrument level is important and is aided by a shoulder rest. Make sure your hand is placed at the nut of the violin, and doesn't creep up. This causes your notes to start to go sharp (out of tune). The most important thing to play the violin correctly is playing straight across the strings. Many beginners like to use too much arm and move the arm backwards instead of extending out with the forarm. Having a teacher watch this really helps, but you can also help yourself by watching your playing in the mirror.
Once you have all these fundamentals in place you can start learning from the book! Take things slowly and don't try to play too fast. Focus in on playing in tempo, and getting to the tip of the bow with full bow strokes. Having a teacher to watch this really helps. Start off by learning basis open strings and then going into putting fingers down while stroking the bow. The Essential Elements Book starts off in the key of D which means your second finger should be a space apart from one. To put your third finger down, use the second finger as an anchor which you put this finger right next to it. This really helps when you are first starting out. Keep progressing through the book slowly and I can promise you learning the violin as an adult beginner is really a lot of fun!
If you can't access a teacher in your area, Violin Tutor Pro is an excellent alternative to private lessons. These Online Violin Lessons are perfect for any adult beginner.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Sanchez
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
First, congrats on making your twitter so popular. You are Worldwide (Poland). There is a funny coincidence because today I got the idea of buying myself an electric violin! And here you are, following me on tw ( : My request is for you to tell me everything bout it!
Hey there thanks so much for telling me where you are from! It is great to see that the violin is an interest Worldwide, and not just here in the United States. Sounds like you speak pretty English which is great!
I personally don't have any electric violins, or have never purchased any. I do have some friends that play in various bands, and they seem to lean most toward Yamaha fiddles. The ones with the cool halo bodies. Here is one on Amazon that I have seen other fiddle players use. Yamaha Silent Electric Violin.
I have always used a pickup on a classical violin to play gigs. I prefer this because I have played classical all my life. It makes me feel like I have more control over the instrument :). If you want a recommendation of a pickup, I would suggest going with a Yamaha VNP-2. They hook right into the bridge, and really produce a great warm sound.
Hope this somewhat helps!
Michael Sanchez
I personally don't have any electric violins, or have never purchased any. I do have some friends that play in various bands, and they seem to lean most toward Yamaha fiddles. The ones with the cool halo bodies. Here is one on Amazon that I have seen other fiddle players use. Yamaha Silent Electric Violin.
I have always used a pickup on a classical violin to play gigs. I prefer this because I have played classical all my life. It makes me feel like I have more control over the instrument :). If you want a recommendation of a pickup, I would suggest going with a Yamaha VNP-2. They hook right into the bridge, and really produce a great warm sound.
Hope this somewhat helps!
Michael Sanchez
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Updating The Face Of Violin Tutor Pro And RivertownMS
I did a photo shoot to update the photos featured on Violin Tutor Pro and Rivertown Music Studio.
Ahh...feeling fresh and getting to work!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
