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Violin Tips

Violinist.com readers submit, and vote on, violin advice.

Click the "Yes" buttons on advice you agree with, and "No" on ones you don't like.

Click the button at the bottom of the page to submit your own tip.

Most Recent Tips

All topics: [0 + / 4 -] If you want to become a good violinist of professional level you must choose music as your main and only profession. You can never do it while involved in some other profession.

Practicing: [2 + / 7 -] If someone want to become a good professional violinist he/she must start early in the life. If someone is going to start after about 15years it is just a dream however he/she committed to it.

Practicing: [8 + / 1 -] Althogh many people neglect a good bow technique and control is the key to become a good violinist as most of the tone colouring is related to good bow control.

Practicing: [7 + / 0 -] Every practice sessions must be started with about 20 minutes of scales/arpeggios practices as it will help to improve the intonation and bow control.

Readers' Top 20 Tips

Practicing: [136 + / 3 -] It's better to practice every day than to practice for a long time on one day a week.

Practicing: [94 + / 6 -] Practice one difficult part to perfection rather than playing through the whole song many times to try to make it better.

Practicing: [55 + / 5 -] Start every session with a goal and plan. Subject them to constant review.

Practicing: [49 + / 0 -] Practice performing. Play your piece for your dog, your mom, your friend, your family before you have to play it for a concert.

Practicing: [51 + / 5 -] Practice your 3 octave scales and arps daily to perfection. Practice them with varying articulations. You can learn lots of bowing techniques while practicing your scales at the same time!

Practicing: [36 + / 0 -] Find a chinrest that works for you. Some go in the middle, some are higher, and so on, depending on your neck.

Practicing: [30 + / 0 -] Learn your etudes: Mazas, Kreutzer, Rode, Fiorillo, Gavinies, Dont and so on.

Practicing: [27 + / 0 -] always remember sleep is of paramount importance for the brain to learn what you've practiced

Practicing: [26 + / 1 -] You will have off days when nothing sounds quite as good as its been. Don't worry! They happen to everyone. Set it down for a day or two and then pick it up where you left off!

Practicing: [23 + / 1 -] Always study the score to the piece you are learning and be able to hear or sing the accompaniment.

Performing: [20 + / 1 -] Always have a piece ready to play at a drop of a hat, preferably without accompaniament.

Health: [19 + / 1 -] Stretch after practicing. It's just like doing exercise - your muscles worked for hours at a time and need to be stretched. I find this helps to avoid problems.

Practicing: [18 + / 1 -] Stay relaxed and focused. If you're not able to, come back to practicing when you are ready.

Health: [18 + / 2 -] Yoga, with its emphasis on balance, breathing and flexibility, is an excellent exercise for violinists.

Health: [16 + / 1 -] Use a balanced body while playing, breathe freely and release excessive tension before, during, and after playing. Reset the psycho-phyical gauge before picking up the instrument.

Practicing: [14 + / 2 -] Always set aside a day or two to practice the endings, last page or two, etc., of a piece. The ending sections are always the most neglected, and we all tend to practice the start of a piece a bit too much.

Care and Maintenance: [12 + / 0 -] Wipe off your violin with a cotton cloth every time you put it away, so the rosin dust does not build up and become difficult to remove.

Prunes: [13 + / 1 -] Even if you have lost your fork, don`t stick your head in a prune can.

Health: [11 + / 0 -] Be sure that your kid student is not playing a violin which is too big for him.

Care and Maintenance: [10 + / 1 -] Remember to loosen your bow when you stop playing and to tighten it when you start playing.

Other Tips for All Topics

All topics: [0 + / 4 -] If you want to become a good violinist of professional level you must choose music as your main and only profession. You can never do it while involved in some other profession.

Get, and vote on, more tips about a variety of topics, including those not related to the violin, at TipReel.com.

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Mark O'Connor's method books -- released this week -- teach students using many styles of American music. Enter to win a set of the books this week, on Violinist.com. Photo: Deanna Rose

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