How hard is the Violin?
amit
Posts: 73
Violins are awesome.
Do you guys think it is possible for me to learn to play one on my own? Or would it be impossible without lessons?
I just want to be good enough to play basic stuff. Nothing harder than stuff like Bitter Sweet Symphony.
Do you guys think it is possible for me to learn to play one on my own? Or would it be impossible without lessons?
I just want to be good enough to play basic stuff. Nothing harder than stuff like Bitter Sweet Symphony.
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7/9/06 LA 1
7/10/06 LA 2
10/21/06 Bridge 1
Also, the sound you get depends on the violin.. there are cheap ones around but a decent one with a decent bow can set you back minimum $1000 (in the UK), and cost goes as high has you have money.
Electric violins are cool too... my daughter has one of those as well and has loads of fun with it!
I can play reasonably decent guitar, but all I can get out of a violin is teh screeching of ten thousand demons wiht their tails on fire and their pubic hair full of fire ants.
It has to be the most difficult instrument to play of all. About a thousand times harder than the next one for sure.
Amazing things to be heard played well though.
A good enough reason to listen to bluegrass actually.
My wife biought one to have a go at a few years ago, needlees to say it got given away eventuially to a kid who was doing it at school.
demons have pubic hair?
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
Amit... you are probably better off with a synth! A violin would probably take a couple of years before people don't cover up their ears when you try playing..
Man, that just shattered my dreams.... haha its okay.
Only until they hear a kid practising violin, then it all falls out !! LOL!!
Hey, I never said don't do it, you just asked how hard. You might be great. Don't quit just cos I said I was shite.
Very hard !! (Not that there is anything wrong with some hardness !!)
Hi,
I teach at a university school of music, so I have some experience with what you want to do. That is, I have seen people of all ages start the violin. As others have correctly said, the hardest part is getting a good consistent tone, which takes a lot of control of the bowing arm. However, there are all kinds of good consistent tone. If you are going for a classical tone, this will take a long time. A jazz tone is a little easier to obtain. Find a Suzuki instructor. With the Suzuki method you can get playing and making a pretty good tone quickly. It is basically rote learning for the violin and very repetitive. However, the method does get kids playing quickly with a pretty decent tone. Do Suzuki for a year, then find a teacher who will work on more specific techniques related to tone.
HTH,
...pie
But mr. justam
is who I am
"That's a repulsive combination of horrible information and bad breath."-Pickles
"Remember, death is a natural part of the workplace. So, when you see a dead body at work, don't freak out, just ring your death bell." "ting"-Toki Wartooth
That's interesting. I did notr hve lesosns, just mucked around, reading technique for a book. I did see a band recently called Kill Devil Hills which had a guy going OFF on violin, in very much a gypsy style, with lots of tritone interval type stuff, and that type of meter.
It seriously rocked !!
That's what I would want to play.
You can certainly teach yourself any instrument. However, teachers can just you to a certain place faster. A lot, and I mean, a lot of the violinists and string players at our school play in rock bands. If you ever get a chance, look for a group call "Break from Reality." They are four cellists who play heavy metal covers and write their own material as well. They are like Apocolyptica, except they have a drummer. I worked with the lead cellist helping to write some original material. You can probably find some videos on line about the bow arm to help you make a good tone. You play guitar (so do I), and the bow arm follows the same principle as the pick hand. If we want to play fast, our picking hand has to be relaxed, relaxed wrist. Same thing for the bow arm. Consistent speed and pressure in bowing and relaxed wrist equals big full tone. I love rock violin.
all the best,
...pie
But mr. justam
is who I am
"That's a repulsive combination of horrible information and bad breath."-Pickles
"Remember, death is a natural part of the workplace. So, when you see a dead body at work, don't freak out, just ring your death bell." "ting"-Toki Wartooth
And call it a Fiddle. Sounds so much better
Mate, you are preaching to the converted on the value of teachers. I have posted many times on the value of teaching, and I get regular lessons wiht guitar, focussing on the blues at present, and have just lined up another guy to jump me up another level with my "fast" guitar.
I get lessons for everything I do, when I can, from riding motorbikes fast ( do a Keith Code course, that'll make your hair stand on end), to snow-sking, to guitar.
I also teach, so that I may understand better. My martial arts si-fu taught that you never really understand something until you teach it.
I was just mucking around with the violin. I am too dedicated to my fretted fiddle to take the time to learn fretless.
Interesting that you have focussed on the bowing arm. I always say that the music comes from the pick hand, which is why we use the dominant one there. To quote Al diMeola, the fretting hand is just a stupid piece of meat.
Pity you live in the US, I have a feeling we would get along.