June 2012

General Rules of the Violin

June 21, 2012 19:43

General Rules of the Violin
(Put on violinist.com)

MECHANICAL
-An octave can be played in any position with a 1 on the lower string and a 4 on the higher string. For example, a C octave can be played in second position on the A and E strings.
-When tuning the instrument, the strings may lean sharp during this time of year; in the wintertime, they may lean flat instead.
A violin practice mute is just like the left pedal of a piano - it makes the sound softer. It is usually placed on the bridge of the violin - or maybe that's just for me. :)
-The pitch range of a normal (fouring) violin goes from a G below Middle C all the way up to an A two octaves above first position 3 on the E String.

PLAY
-In concert, a violin is most commonly used for melodies, harmonies, or accelerated accompaniments.
-In concert, violinists are split into two sections. While there is no difference in the instrument itself, the first violin section typically plays the melodies whilst the second violin section typically plays the countermelodies or harmonies.
-In country music, the violin is referred to as a fiddle. It's the exact same instrument, only it's a different name. Who thought of THAT?

I hope you enjoyed this little article on violin rules. I'm sure I've left a lot out, so please feel free to add more and discuss existing ones in the comments! Thanks a lot!

1 reply

Dates. Violin Dates.

June 19, 2012 08:37

There are all sorts of dates associated with the violin. Dates for concerts, recitals, parts due when making instruments, days due for a project. Dates for the violin for concerts or really, anything, are scheduled around the clock - throughout all four seasons.

Do you get nervous or excited when something comes up, such as a concert, for example? For me, I'm really excited leading up to the concert, but I get nervous at the actual event, and I'm sure that's similar or the same for mostly everybody. For example, the Pops Concert last month was a lot of fun to prepare for, and I practiced a lot. When the actual concert date arrived, I was nervous, even though I did just fine.

A date for me is coming up, and that's when my composition is due. I've been working hard on my symphony whenever I can, and I hope to finish it by the end of August or beginning of September so I have time to edit it for November. I'm sure it's the same if you were making your own instruments - different segments of the project might be due at different times, I don't really know.

The point is, we will find dates all the time, which means we must keep playing our instruments (like we've been doing) and keep working on our projects to get the jobs done and make fantastic music together - no matter what.

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What to Do.../ Update(s)

June 10, 2012 11:21

Now that the school year is over and I'm not a part of any orchestra, I'm having some trouble figuring out what to do when I pull my violin out of its case. I mean, I have private lesson stuff to practice (We're finishing up a piece I wrote) and I have a binder with a lot of violin music I plan to record for YouTube, but I don't have any orchestra pieces to practice daily. Any ideas of things I can do to continue to play the violin and still practice daily? Thanks in advance!

Oh, and if you check my YouTube channel here, you can see any videos I post over the summer of violin-playing. I've long stopped my 'A World Without Color' project, but I may start that up again. I hope to put up a video today or tomorrow morning, actually. Anyways, please enjoy!

Oh, yeah, also, I need to get my violin fixed. My A String is a little broken, and there's a rattling noise coming from the inside. Hopefully I can get that taken care of soon.

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Summer's Here!

June 1, 2012 14:27

It's officially summer! After my two piano recitals this weekend, I'll be starting to drive (scary!) and all my summer plans will start to unfold. For example, I'm going to be spending a lot of time practicing all of my instruments (obviously) and making more violin YouTube videos, and I'm going to be working on my symphony a lot. Also, if me and my sister still decide to work on our movie, there's that, too, and I'll be using my violin for the film's soundtrack. To cap it all off, during mid-July we're going to Maryland for a wedding! I've no idea if I'm bringing my violin or guitar or not, or if there will be a string quartet there. :) Either way, there's a lot going on in the months of June, July, and August; hopefully this summer will be a musical one that I can relax with.

What are you doing this summer?

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More entries: May 2012

June 2012

General Rules of the Violin

Dates. Violin Dates.

What to Do.../ Update(s)

Summer's Here!

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