Violin

[TechBoyJK]

I would also like to add that you should make your end goal, or one of them, to be to have the ability to hear something in your head, and play it instantly. If you hear a note(in your head or not), and within a split second know the exact locations on the violin where its at, and to pick the best location for positioning yourself what is coming up next.

You may find that you need to play a d in a certain register, and you will have to decide if you play on the second or third string, but then you need to consider what notes follow, where you will have to finger them, etc. This is why playing not only scales, but modes of scales is important. You might be wizzing through a scalar run only to find yourself ina position that doesn't lend itself well to a transition to an upcoming part, then you train reck cause you couldn't get your hand back into position to carry on.

Basically, if I have to play a series of 20 notes, will I end up on my pointer finger or my pinky?

JK

 

[cchen]

Originally posted by: TechBoyJK
I would also like to add that you should make your end goal, or one of them, to be to have the ability to hear something in your head, and play it instantly.

This isn't really something you can learn.... the skill can be developed, but its usually something intrinsic in the artist

 

[TechBoyJK]

Originally posted by: ed21x

Originally posted by: TechBoyJK
actually, its a matter of you being cocky and arrogant, rather than me not knowing what i am talking about. I didn't say I ruled at violin, but I can play one, probably not as good as you, but if you really want to be able to play the violin, you can do so by learning the basics of technique and what to practice, and taking it from there. Maybe you have just overcomplicated what it takes to master the instrument, where as to me I have simplified it. However, I devote my time to guitar, not violin.

I'm not a professional musician, but I practice several hours a day, with about an hour on my upright acoustic.

don't be such an azz hat. focker.

Thats the thing about arrogant musicians that go to the better schools, they usually become very self centered and think they know better than anybody else because they go to some "elite" conservatory.

julliard? (i'll give props if so, but just dont be so cocky)

it is impossible to learn how to play the violin well without a private instructor. The violin takes waay more skill, nuances, strict scrutiny at every level than something easy like the guitar. And no, I may not have gotten into Julliard, but my teacher teaches at Berklee (not berkeley) school of music, which ranks right up there with Curtis, SF Conservatory, and Julliard.

I would say the violin differ because it is an instrument where there is much to learn at every level in addition to perfecting what you already know. It's not a matter of mastering the instrument (which is impossible to do) but having access to the new knowledge you need to adquire at different stages of playing isn't something you can read or pick up from a CD, but can only be passed down from people to people.

I'm probably disagreeing with someone who could school me, but for the sake of my own learning, I have to disagree somewhat.

It is not impossible to play well without an instructor, but much more difficult because it could take a year of fiddling around to figure out something that an instructor would have told you the first day. And if you would have heard that lesson, the year you spent fildding around could have been spent much more wisely.

Yes, Berklee is good (John Petrucci went there). But I also disagree about people to people learning. Much can be learned from a combination (note, combo) of books, videos, and cd's.

I don't think its impossible to master an instrument, just highly unlikely by anybody's standards and the statement itself is subject to great criticism.

I'm not a master at guitar, but I am starting to feel like I have mastered my approach to it. I may not be able to play everything, but when I want to play something in my head, I can do it. I do it for my own enjoyment.

 

[TuxDave]

Some basic facts....

It's not impossible to be a good violin player by self-teaching.
It's not impossible to be a good guitar player by self-teaching.

Some more basic facts....

A majority of good guitar players are self-taught.
A majority of good violin players had private teachers.

So if you want to increase your chances of doing well, you should pick up a teacher in the beginning. You'll be more likely to continue increasing your skills afterwards and you'll have an easier time.

 

[TechBoyJK]

Originally posted by: TuxDave
Some basic facts....

It's not impossible to be a good violin player by self-teaching.
It's not impossible to be a good guitar player by self-teaching.

Some more basic facts....

A majority of good guitar players are self-taught.
A majority of good violin players had private teachers.

So if you want to increase your chances of doing well, you should pick up a teacher in the beginning. You'll be more likely to continue increasing your skills afterwards and you'll have an easier time.

He's right. If you don't have the money for something like that, maybe pick up some books, vids, etc. and learn as much as you can, then go to a clinic or take a two hour lesson every three/six months.

In high school, i frequented jazz band clinics, etc., and did play in the jazz band and orchestra. Even though I wasn't being given lessons, I was forced to keep up with the rest of the pack.

One thing I suggest is that you pick up a book on violin and parse out the terms and learn what means what right away. That way, if you do take lessons, when the teacher brings up a technique or whatever, you already know what the words mean, so you can spend more time on your fingering techniques.

Try and be smart about how you practice. The nice thing about books is that you always have them, and you can page through them and learn something as you please. However, you have to be somewhat disciplined and have an honest desire to learn.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: Goosemaster
BTW, my favorite Violinist is Jascha Heifetz.

Inntonation. Rythym. Emotion. Perfection.

I'm with you there. :beer:

It's too bad there won't be any new recordings of his...

 

[StageLeft]

then you can play Promentor from the last of the mohicans soundtrack

 

[TuxDave]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
then you can play Promentor from the last of the mohicans soundtrack

My high school orchestra performed the entire musical score from Last of the Mohicans. So fun....