Anybody play/played the violin?!

[kspeed]

I never venture into OT here, but I had to ask - has anybody here played or play the violin or viola?

The reason I ask is I finally took up the violin today, which is something I've been considering for a while. Damn, this is tough! My buddy who lent it to me showed me how to prep, hold, and play the bow and instrument, and I was able to figure out some simple songs on my own, like "Bittersweet Symphony".

I'm just wondering if anybody else has any experience with these instruments and has any tips on how to play accurately. For my first set of training wheels I think I'll place some tiny pieces of tape on the edges of the fingerboard to mark off where the fretbars would be.

[CosmicDebris]

Only experience I had with them is beating up the kids who carried them. They make a nice thunk when hitting the ground.

[kspeed]

LOL nice - good thing I waited this long to take it up

Now, if you guys can't appreciate this you're a bunch of blockheads

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnIp6bbYMFk

[newbieguitarmaker]

I played violin for awhile but when my teacher made me sing the notes my 7 yr old shyness made me instantly want to quit. So I did and I continued Piano, then started Upright Bass in 6th grade, where I then ventured into guitar in 8th grade.

The tape helps but after awhile you have to take it off, some get attached. Make sure to keep proper bow techniques and the proper curvature of your fretting hand. I got lazy and now I have to break bad habits on my bowing hand.

[waylay00]

No, but I'd like to one day!

[Matheau]

I remember this one time I was down in Georgia...

[TAorama]

You can also make pencil marks across the fingerboard for the fingering positions. Doesn't hurt the board, wears off eventually, and doesn't leave sticky residue.

[Rachmaninoff]

Yes I did, but I was 14 years old or so.
I remember my first impression was "ouch this neck is so thin and short!"
I'd like to try it again.

[andy7jem]

I was able to try one as a kid!! Lets just say the world is a safer place for not hearing the awful noise i made

I was sufficiently convinced that i should never try again

[Spagbol]

Yep, I'm a violinist by profession. Spend my time teaching, performing and freelancing for recording work. Just got in from playing Carmen at the Theatre!

A few things that almost everybody needs constant reminding about when first starting are:
1) Left hand wrist - don't let it touch the neck of the violin (for many, many reasons which would take pages to write about here). You don't want to poke it out backwards, just try and keep a relaxed straight line between elbow and knuckles.

2) Keep the violin up on your shoulder and nice a level - don't let it droop so it's pointing towards the floor. You'll be creating road blocks for yourself in the future if you get into that habit.

3) When you're first starting to bow, practice bowing on just open strings. Concentrate on keeping the bow straight (parallel to the bridge) and with the bow hair flat on the string or tilted slightly away from you. Bowing not parallel with the bridge will give you bad tone, throw the bow momentum in the wrong direction and scupper you in the future when you start doing martele/spiccato/flautando/sautille etc. bowing. And tilting the bow towards you is a whole heap of trouble!
By removing the left hand, you can really concentrate on getting the bowing action right without other things to try and concentrate on also.

4) When playing notes with the left hand, keep your fingers curled over (don't let the 1st knuckle collapse) and use the tips (more or less) of your fingers to play. If you use the flat of your finger (a) you get a crap sound (the finger doesn't make a defined point on the string and the edge of it is squishy which stops the string from vibrating properly), (b) it's very hard to get certain notes in tune (e.g. playing on the D string if you play a 2nd finger F# and then place your 3rd finger down for the note G, you need to get the notes close - if your finger goes on it's tip you can get them close. If your finger goes down flat, the point from where the string is free to vibrate is further up the string and so the note will be sharp). And (c) you'll not be able to develop vibrato unless the finger is placed on it's tip.

5) Keep the left hand thumb next to or just behind your index finger on the neck. This will help keep your hand in tune. Find the place for your thumb where just naturally raising and lowering your 1st finger goes in the right place. If your thumb moves, the 1st finger (and therefore the other fingers too) will follow it. If you can keep your thumb in the right place, you won't need to look at your fingers to check tuning as your 1st finger will automatically go onto the string in the right place.
The thumb should sit on the neck with the pad of it - don't let it poke over the top and you're aiming for a kind of OK or 'O' shape with your thumb and 1st finger.

6) With your bow hold, keep the little finger and thumb curled over. It's tricky to start with but in the future you will need to be able to flex these joint to facilitate smooth bow changes and other bowing techniques. If your thumb is concave and your little finger 1st knuckle has collapsed, you can't do that. Far better to persevere now than have to re-learn it the right way later on.

Remember, alot of the stuff you do when first starting is building up muscle memory. It takes a while and regular repetition (i.e. frequent practice) along with not letting yourself get away with something because it feels easier is essential. Obviously, play stuff you like and enjoy it, but at the same time, devote a little time to practicing these basics even though it's a little boring and like hard work!

Hope that's of some help. Sorry if it makes no sense - I'm frazzled.
if you have particular questions, PM or email me. Or post here if you think others might want to know!