Comments

Perhaps it's a bit too early to start vibrato after first year?

Make metronome your best friend!

Yeah, I would get an expert opinion before buying a violin again. Mine is slightly longer, making double stops a bit harder.

Good luck and have fun with the violin!

Find the thread on improving "How to Improve Tone"--search for it.... It will help you with slurred notes. Wait until you can feel the string... 2. Go painfully slowly in doing the first until you master it. 3. Practice open strings playing the 7 planes--I'll explain. The E has a plane, the E-A has a double stop plane, and on across the strings.

4. Do not raise your right shoulder. 5. Only make the smallest motions with your right elbow in making string changes as well as playing through the planes/double stops. Stop. And immerse your self in just how little motion is really involved with the elbow.

6. Hold your bow lightly and with good form("like holding a small bird"). 7. Move your bow purposefully, slowly and minimize any un-needed motion for now; and, practice some slurs up-bow/down-bow on something very slow implementing the above.

7. Practice all this for about 5 minutes a day for a couple months.. . Hope this helps.

Ah, the metronome. That thing always seems to mock me. Every time I play with the metronome, I get to thinking, "Am I still on the beat or did I get ahead of it, or am I behind it?" Of course my frustration boils and I stop. But, the metronome keeps ticking-ticking-ticking, tick-tick-tick-tick..., MOCKING me. The metronome neither commiserates nor empathises with my situation, a very cold device. But, I'll try to make it my friend like you said. It might take a decade or so though.

Thanks for the seven plane slurring advice. I've tried it for a few minutes and I can see how it can help listening for the notes when slurring. I like point #5, every good violinist I've seen whether in front of me or on youtube.com, come to think about it, seem to take to that point very well.