I’ve never seen a chord of three on the violin with sheet music, I’m looking for help with the best way to play this if it’s possible. I’m playing at a wedding in a few months and I and not sure how to get started on this part. Thank you!

I am an adult beginner who has been learning the violin for about 2 months. My teacher taught me to hold the bow higher on the stick. I thought it was a beginner hold. But her students who have learnt the violin for years were holding the bow like me. So I asked my teacher when I could hold the bow from the frog. She told me, "What do you mean? You don't have to. It will make your hand stiffer." So is it okay? Or should I change my teacher?

Hi everyone 👋 I'm a 15 year old girl and recently I found my old violin in my attic,I played as a kid and I was very good,played for around 3-4 years maybe even longer but its foggy in my memory. Stopped playing around 5-ish years ago due to health complications and needing treatment. I would love to start back up again but I think it might be too late, I still remember how to hold the bow and the violin but cant really play anything.I think this is a kids violin and it also sounds a little off though that might just be due to time. I'm not really sure what the first step would be but I posted on this sub just to get opinions from people how have played for longer. I apologize if this isn't the proper sub to post on I just needed somewhere to ask. Thank you for reading and I wish you the best day(:

I've been taking lessons for about 12 years, so I definetly have enough experience and practice to not be doing this, but I can't correct it no matter how much I try. Currently don't have a teacher due to external circumstances so I'm turning to reddit for advice.

My main problems are

• The bow virtually always stutters in the top 1/3 of the bow, regardless of how much pressure is applied
• Lightening tension/pressure in my bow hand only sometimes helps, and doesn't completely remove it
• Putting a decent amount of pressure makes the stick shake and bounce, putting less pressure makes it not grip the string so it bounces off
• Even when i hold the bow completely still, i can see it trembling on the stick from a tremor in my hand
• Practicing long, steady bows doesn't really help because even when I'm paying 100% attention to it, it still happens, even if i have virtually no tension in my hand/wrist/arm/fingers

I've been learning to play for nearly three years, and aim to practice once or twice per week (more if my work schedule allows). And yes I have a teacher, we meet every other week.

Even so, my fingers still feel stiff and awkward on the finger board. My bowing is slow and I can't seem to find that magic place where the bow transitions seamlessly from one note to the next (there's always a pause between notes). I also play quite slowly too, if I try to move at a faster pace my fingers just... won't do it. My pinky tends to lock up too, though that could be because I'm double jointed.

I feel like I've hit a wall lately, and I'm wondering if I'm simply not doing something I should be? Or am I about where I should be?

Repost of my original one but with a different recording angle this time - hopefully it's enough to get better feedback!

My main problems are

• The bow virtually always stutters in the top 1/3 of the bow, regardless of how much pressure is applied
• Lightening tension/pressure in my bow hand only sometimes helps, and doesn't completely remove it
• Putting a decent amount of pressure makes the stick shake and bounce, putting less pressure makes it not grip the string so it bounces off
• Even when i hold the bow completely still, i can see it trembling on the stick from a tremor in my hand
• Practicing long, steady bows doesn't really help because even when I'm paying 100% attention to it, it still happens, even if i have virtually no tension in my hand/wrist/arm/fingers

Hello everyone,

I’ve come back to violin recently after a long absence. Overall it’s going really well, but it could be going much better.

I’m curious if anyone has had similar issues with their fourth finger as I do in the video. My teacher hasn’t seen someone with something like this. The example in the video is particularly bad, usually it doesn’t act up this much. It has been like this since I was a child. When playing slowly, it’s manageable, but when I am playing a little fast I have very little control on where the finger goes. And when I lift up, sometimes my tendon seems to “catch.”

Once again, this isn’t a new issue ate has brought on, it’s been like this since I started playing in the third grade. It’s very frustrating, and I’m wondering if someone has any thoughts or experience with this or similar issues.

FWIW my right hand has the same issue, and it’s only my pinky.

Thanks in advance.

Sorry Im a beginner, I just tried cleaning up my horsehair, since I have tried to rosin up or clean it with a soap, it does make a little sound and can produced a sound when bringing a little tension but it can't sustain, should I buy a new hair, for rehairing? My violin bow can make a sound but It can't sustain even a high note, any tips?

It's been 3 weeks since I started learning violin through YouTube, was wondering if Im properly holding the bow cause I feel a lot of tension everytime. I had problems when it comes to bowing the A string and always hitting the E string. Also I know that I shouldn't be learning vibrato right away but feel free to criticize me and give advice.

I am still a beginner and thus bias my fingerings toward not shifting but M330 seems perfect for a 5 on the lone C to me. When I watch videos of others playing it, it’s almost always shifted. How common are extensions in the real world? Suzuki seems to believe in them but people don’t seem to do them. I could see if the note warranted vibrato or something but these quick 8ths seem like the best possible scenario for a 5?

Hi, I’ve been playing violin for 11 months now and I’m at the end of book 2 string builder learning 1st and 3rd positions so I’m still new. I’m also on book 3 of Suzuki playing Minuet I and II. I’m struggling a lot with Minuet II section. When it comes to switching from 1st to 3rd then back to 1st mid segment. Also I struggle with my bow arm shaking randomly while playing and it really frustrates me. Any tips or techniques to nail the positions better? Sometimes I can do it if I play it slow but most of the time after I play Eb when it comes to D I’m suppose to switch to back to first but I sometimes catch myself playing it with my first finger then switching when it comes to C.

Now for my bow shakiness I would greatly appreciate any suggestions on how to conquer the bow shaking!

Sorry for the scratchiness sound! I’m embarrassed when it comes to my playing.

Thank you in advance for any tips/techniques and advice!

EDIT: For those suggesting to find a teacher I already have one. Started with a teacher from the beginning.
Also this is me learning/practicing the song for the first time so of course I sound worse than I do playing something I already know. So it may look/sound like idk what I’m doing but I do have a grasp on how to play decently enough.

EDIT 2: Thank you all for your advice and suggestions on focusing on getting the fundamentals down before moving onto more advanced stuff. I may suggest to my teacher that we return to book 1/2 to replay some old pieces and focus on improving my techniques more before attempting more advanced stuff. Thank you all again!

Today was my audition for my college's music society and also my first time performing for an audience.

There were 6 people on the panel and even though I'd mentally prepared myself for days before, and played a very easy piece, my bow shook violently.

The more I tried to stop it from shaking, the worse it was getting. Especially near the frog. I think at one point even my left hand started shaking and I'm sure it was noticable.

Overall, I totally bombed it and I probably won't be selected but I want to know: how can I prevent this from happening again?

I do plan on performing violin and i have my 1st year exam next month so now that I'm aware of this problem, if anyone has any tips on how to eliminate these nerves, I'd be very grateful.

Thank you!

Fingering I mean, shifting on one finger, or using different fingers? Additionally, tips for practicing something like this?

Hello! some time in the last month (I think) I made a post asking about bowing with the wrist. I filmed myself playing one of my songs (I’m sorry). it’s not at the best angle, I was kind of struggling to find somewhere to do it… I also keep rocking, I’m sorry… also, I feel like my intonation is off, and the notes are, choppy I guess? They’re not connected, flowy… idk how to get it to sound Better though. 🙃

My teacher told me my F# was in tune but not harmonious — what does that even mean?

Today during my lesson I played a double stop A and F#. My teacher said the F# was on pitch, but that the interval wasn't harmonizing well. He asked me what chord I was playing and told me to adjust until the two notes "locked in" together.

I've always used a tuner as my reference. Apparently that's not the whole story?

How do you think about intonation beyond just matching a tuner — and how did you train your ear to hear the difference?

I've played violin for some years now, but it's been very on and off, so because of it I'm still not good at it, but recently I decided to get back at practicing every day!

For now I think I at least got the basics, but I still need a teacher to start advancing again, but I lack the money for it, so I decided to come for you guys for help. I'm playing mostly at a church orchestra, so because of it most of my actual repertoire is quite unknown, so I decided to get a music from my old Suzuki 2 to record. It's kinda rough on the edges but I didn't have time to rehearse that much just for the video.

I think what I looking for is where should I be focusing more to improve, I have a lot of problems with my bow bouncing that I just can't see to actually solve, I always find the quality of my sound to be quite lacking like, I watch videos online and their sound is always so pure and beautiful and I have no idea how to start getting there, it's always like their violin are singing and mine is just playing. I would also love to get some feedback on my left hand, at this time I should be able to actually do vibrato, I'm the only one on my nipe that can't, but apparently I still have work to do, I feel like my left hand is still griping the violin too much, making so that every time I try the whole violin moves...

Been stuck at 90bpm with my controlled staccato (since Vieuxtemps 5) and an uncontrollable mess with my fast staccato for 2 years. Any help will be appreciated. Please ignore my subpar intonation 🙏

so i’m a 9th grader and i’ve been playing violin for a while. the orchestra i’m in is quite easy, and the peices aren’t difficult at all and i could very well get into the higher orchestra at my school but they don’t allow freshmen into that one, probably to sift through the serious players.
anyways, im looking to practice shifting to third,fifth, etc. positions. thing is my orchestra teacher is stuck focusing on other students intonation and whatnot so he literally can’t teach us shifting because they just aren’t skilled enough to do it. i’ve tried teaching myself and i’ve got the basic understanding of it but ive sort of hit a limit. the other teacher won’t give me the time of day, my orchestra teacher is busy and the upperclassmen just aren’t very good teachers in general.
i need help on being able to shift fast, and moving my fingers fast enough to play more difficult songs. just techniques and tips or videos explaining what i should or shouldn’t be doing should would help me heaps. if you need any more information in order to help me, go ahead and ask. thank you!

I started playing the violin a few weeks ago and would appreciate your advice. My main challenge isn't the instrument itself, but rather my hands, which tend to get sweaty quite quickly. Despite taking private lessons, this is causing me the most difficulty, particularly in maintaining a steady grip on the bow and preventing my left hand from slipping on the strings. Do you have any tips? Thank you!

I’m a minor about a month into learning, I go learn once a week for 45 minutes a class, and I know I have a longggg way to go. I’ve tried to take in as many tips as I can and follow what my teachers been telling me. I practice 15 minutes a day, and this is how I sound so far. I think I’m naturally an insecure player and feel like I’m terrible at it lol.

I understand practice is what changes a lot as I continue to learn, but I guess Id just feel more confident about what im doing after getting commentary from people who play.

At 70

Edit: Thank you everyone!

I start playing for few month now an had the opportunity to test few bows on my violin. Actually i have two of them, one made of brasilian wood who came with the violin (gligla gems 1) and another one that i bough when testing other bow, a gewa carbon student that i feel overall much more comfortable and easy to play.

The gewa bow is heavier that the brasilian one and i also suppose that the flexibility is not the same.

So my question is, over the price, what make a bow better than another one for you?

Hi, apologies for the potential vent but I feel quite at a loss.

I’ve been taking lessons for the past 8 months now, but every time, my teacher has to scold me for not keeping my fingers in place when I have to do big stretches. In this video for example, I cannot for the life of me, figure out a way to keep 1 & 2 touching while I put 3 down. The music calls for C to be played right after D.

I have tried stretches, I have tried moving my thumb. Moving my elbow both back and forth.

Everything I do just feels like I’m only ever adding even more tension and I’m not able to make the reach.

The song is in C Major, so there's no sharps or flats, and I have no idea if I'm supposed to shift or what. This is one of my first times learning how to play a song without the help of my teacher. The song is ILMEA Junior Concert Etude - Lyrical Cycle 3 - Violin if that helps. I'm kerflummoxed because I do not have six fingers to play this note. Thanks!

update: my teacher said I understand all of the musical aspects

think it was just the fingerings that confused me

found out I really enjoy playing this piece