I am new and just wanted to say hello.

November 17, 2015 at 04:15 PM · You will learn a lot from the professionals on this site, but there are a fair number of adult starters as well. You are in good company. I recommend you spend some time soaking up the information in the archives. You won't regret it.

November 17, 2015 at 08:08 PM · Welcome! There are players of all levels, abilities and interests on this site. It's a great place to learn new and different ideas, share your questions and opinions.

November 17, 2015 at 08:12 PM · Hello! And welcome! :)

November 17, 2015 at 08:22 PM · Welcome to the community--and to the greatest instrument in the world.

November 17, 2015 at 09:14 PM · Welcome, fellow adult beginner!

And don't let being a beginner stop you from engaging in dialogue here. It never stopped me! ; )

November 17, 2015 at 09:48 PM · Greetings,

actually we are all beginners. It's just the quantity of beginnerness can vary to some extent,

Welcome to the real world, but dont let it get so interesting you forget to practice....

Cheers,

Buri

November 17, 2015 at 10:20 PM · Welcome. I'm curious to know what the other instruments are. I'm an adult returner. I learned as a child (but not very well despite having spent 12 years at it). Then I took 25 years off (school, career, etc.) before resuming again in my 40s upon learning how much better my daughter's violin instruction is compared to what I received at her age.

November 17, 2015 at 10:47 PM · You will enjoy the banter here and fit right in Michael especially if you use a violin shoulder rest and laud its merits; and have signed up on a two year waiting list for your two cake allotment of Baker's rosin.

November 17, 2015 at 10:52 PM · Be sure to try the viola as well!

I'm three + years in, and loving it all (violin and viola)

November 19, 2015 at 01:57 AM · Thanks everyone!!! I have done a lot of things athletically that should make me nervous. But walking into my first lesson I was nearly shaking I was so nervous. It is hard to think what is the point of learning something that will not materialize into a professional career. However, I am really enjoying the challenge and I am enjoying re-learning music all over again. I am sure nothing will give me more enjoyment then being able to play a song.

November 19, 2015 at 05:48 AM · Adult beginner here. I've been at it 10 years now; most of my playing time has been spent on fiddle music, and I've been branching out in the last year or two. Taking lessons was the best thing I ever did.

There are advantages to being an adult starter, like a stronger BS detector. This allows you to hold teachers accountable(adults need 'why' explanations quite frequently), and to avoid getting fleeced by sales people.

November 19, 2015 at 05:54 AM · As to why do this with no career potential? There is incredible self-fulfillment. This thing called playing music literally rewires your brain to think logically and artistically. I can see a huge difference in the way I think now versus pre-violin. (For instance, I now find it hard to sit through a TV show, my mind really insists that I do something instead of vegetate.) It teaches you patience, focus, and provides exposure to other cultures and musical worlds. You can do it for the challenge, but I prefer to just enjoy the magical journey.

November 19, 2015 at 06:59 AM · I was a retired professional player with before I chanced on this site.

I am still finding much of interest; so IMHO violinist.com has something to say to players of all ages and abilities.

November 19, 2015 at 01:00 PM · Must everything we do in our lives be about advancing our careers? How dreary that would be.

We still don't know what the other two instruments are...

November 19, 2015 at 03:58 PM · I agree with the couple of comments above, it is about learning something new and enjoying the process of being out of your element.

Paul, you are correct I failed to reveal my two other instruments. They are Guitar and Piano, as a kid I started on piano but being a little boy it was not cool to play piano so I dropped it. Later on I picked up Trombone and learned to play that for about 6 years. It was not the instrument of my choosing but when you were told you are not smart enough for other instruments you go with what you got. I tried the guitar but the heart was not in it so maybe the violin will help with that who knows. I may just stick with the violin and call it a day.

November 19, 2015 at 08:27 PM · Did you learn to read treble clef with your earlier instruments? Ease at reading the music will be a plus.

November 19, 2015 at 08:43 PM · John

No I did not learn it as well as bass but a lot of it is coming back to me.I have been digging into music theory for treble clef. It is a little bit of a learning curve but not as bad as I would of thought.

November 19, 2015 at 09:49 PM · Welcome! The main thing to remember is to be sure to have fun. Good luck!

December 6, 2015 at 05:36 AM · Welcome Michael.

December 6, 2015 at 05:19 PM · Welcome! It's a stimulating forum. A few of us are nearly always right, but not everyone agrees!

December 7, 2015 at 09:58 AM · Hi Michael

You've found the right spot.

My experience is that when you ask clear questions about technique, you get very insightful answers from some of the most thoughtful teachers and performers around. People here can be incredibly generous with their time and experience.

Though as others have hinted, asking questions about shoulder-rests and rosin may get you gently flamed! (You'll find plenty in the archives if these issues come up for you).

Issues about instruments and setup also get good answers, and some of the very top luthiers hang out here and share their insights.

Enjoy!

December 9, 2015 at 12:01 PM · Hello. I am a newby also. I also happen to be a blind person who wants to learn the violin. Anyone know where I should start? I do have a violin and everything else came with it.

December 9, 2015 at 06:15 PM · I'm sure there are other blind violinists out there.

December 9, 2015 at 07:37 PM · I know of one. He is somewhere on this site. I just have to find him. The violin has always fascinated me. I've always loved to hear it played.

December 10, 2015 at 02:14 AM · Alonna, I can't help you there directly, but the finest PIANIST I ever played sonatas/-inos with is blind. And whilst I wouldn't call Rodrigo the greatest composer ever, his being the greatest ever SPANISH composer is definitely on the cards.

December 11, 2015 at 02:16 PM · Hi Alonna

I can't see any reason why blindness should limit you in learning the violin.

As a sighted person I often find myself closing my eyes so I can focus on the bodily sensations involved in playing. For example, I've found that I can sense whether my bowing is straight by being sensitive to the feel of the bow-hair against the string as it's transmitted to the fingers through the bow.

Obviously, reading sheet music would be an issue for you, but these days there are technical solutions you'll be able to access.

You simply need to find a good teacher who can transmit technique through touch rather than through visual demonstration. I'd have thought that any creative and committed teacher would find this an interesting challenge and would be delighted to take you on.

December 11, 2015 at 03:34 PM · Traditionally blind performers memorized their repertoire in Braille before performing. That's why my playing with Tom was limited, as far as I can remember, to Schubert Sonatinas 1 and 2 and the Brahms A major sonata (What he was studying at uni was English, not music).

December 11, 2015 at 05:08 PM · Blind people memorize everything and either learn by ear or by braille score. At any rate, you can't read a braille score and play at the same time as you read with your hands and need to use them for playing your instrument.

December 11, 2015 at 07:39 PM · Greetings,

I am not sure excactly what kind of technology and resources are available to blind people these days so I apologize if I say something stupid. Actually I have just read a book by a blind Japanese violinist called Naramichi Kawabata. His blindeness was progressive from the Ge of eight and he did have extremely limited vision. He described his sight as seeing the world thrpugh extremely thick (presumably opaque) window, or as being halfway between the world of sight and complete blindness.

He used barious home made versions of braile initially but eventually was forced to learn everything by ear from CDs. He went on to study at the Royal AcDemy of Music in Britian and wa sgiven a special artists award that has only been given out twice in ghat inatitutes history. The award is for artistry and is not connected to his blindness. Since he spent so much time in E gland I anm fairly sure he can speak English, and he is very involved in projects for blind people in various countries. You might consider checking out his web site and even contacting him for advice.

Cheers,

Buri