www.lenorafaye.webs.

com

Beginner Violin Manual

By LeNora Faye

1 Copyright@ImproViolin Coaching 2011

Contents Page 3Introduction Page 4Taking Care of your Violin Page 6Holding the Violin Page 9..Finger Placement First Position Page 10Violin Finger Chart Page 11String Names Page 12..How to Hold the Bow Page 14..Magic Circle Game

2 Copyright@ImproViolin Coaching 2011

Introduction

The violin has been a part of my life since I was 9 years old. Since I am the oldest in my family, I suppose being bossy came with the territory and so teaching was always a natural fit for me. At the age of 15, I combined the two and it's been a fun and challenging journey every since.

Since so many people tell me how much they would love to learn the violin but it's too hard or they don't have enough time, I decided to create this program with hopes of making the violin more accessible. While the violin is considered one of the most beautiful instruments in the world, I feel that it often comes off as pretentious or stuffy. Most people just want to play for fun. I love to teach for fun, so since you are reading this, I think we will be a great team. You will be challenged and at time even a bit frustrated but hang in there. Remember why you wanted to play in the first place. Create a goal for yourself; your favorite song to play by Christmas or for a special event. Practice a little bit each day, or a lot, it's your choice. A positive attitude goes a long way. I remember the first student year end concert I put on. I could not believe that I had taught these kids (and adult) how to play. It was amazing and I felt so proud. So, thank you for giving me this opportunity to guide you on your violin journey, I hope you enjoy it and I can't wait to see your progress!

~~LeNora Faye

www.lenorafaye.webs.com glass_violin@yahoo.ca

3 Copyright@ImproViolin Coaching 2011

Taking care of your violin You brush your teeth, you wash your face. You also take good care of your violin. Violins do not like to be dropped or sat on. Neither do bows. You may keep your violin and bow in a case or on a violin stand in a safe area where it cant be knocked over by humans or animals. It is best not to keep your violin in a cold vehicle overnight, especially if you are Canadian. NEVER touch the horse hair on your bow. Oil from your skin causes the hair to become slick and it wont grip your strings. Horse hair is coarse and causes the strings to vibrate, which produce sound. No gripping, no sound. No sound, unhappy player. Loosen your bow when you are finished playing. Turn the screw clockwise (right) to tighten and counterclockwise (left) to loosen. If your bow it tight enough, you should be able to stick your pinky finger between the stick and the hair without touching. If you can fit 2 fingers between the stick and the hair, you have tightened it way too much. Each bow is different but thats the general rule. Loosen to the hair becomes slack but not where its falling out. 4 complete turns usually is enough. Rosin your bow once you start bowing on the strings. Rub the block of rosin along the bow hair. 4 or 5 even strokes covering all your bow hair is usually good enough at first. This helps with gripping the strings. If you have a brand new bow and cannot produce sound on your strings, add a lot more rosin until the hair is white and you should have rosin dust flying everywhere. Rattling and loose objects are never a good sign. Violin strings may become loose due to breaking or pegs loosening. This can lead to the bridge falling over. The bridge should always be standing straight up when the strings are tight. When using the pegs to tighten strings, turn them very slowly with caution. Swift movements will cause them to break when you are trying to tune them to Z. (since the musical alphabet only goes to G)

4 Copyright@ImproViolin Coaching 2011

You may notice that I do not play with a chin rest. You most likely have one on your violin. Shoulder rest- this is a very useful accessory for the violin. If you were not given a shoulder rest with your violin, then all you need is a 1-2 inch thick sponge and a rubber band/elastic.

The sponge is going to sit underneath the violin on your left shoulder. Take the elastic and place it across the lower part of the violin to hold the sponge in place. Make sure the elastic is not touching the violin strings.

5 Copyright@ImproViolin Coaching 2011

Holding the Violin

Ideally, you will hold your violin up with your shoulder and your face. Your left arm will be busy playing so try not to rely on it to hold up the violin. Place the violin on your left shoulder, where it feels comfortable and is in line with your left arm. (Not in the middle of your chest) Place the left side of your chin on the chin rest. (Between your ear and chin along your jaw line)

For now you can place your left hand on the violin body to help you hold it while you are learning. Once you are comfortable, try removing your hand. This will demonstrate that you are holding properly with your shoulder and chin.
6 Copyright@ImproViolin Coaching 2011

If you drop your violin, well then you werent holding it correctly ;-) You can tug on the violin to try and remove it from underneath your jaw.

If you can pull it out, then you need to adjust your violin so it remains secure between your shoulder, jaw and neck.

This image demonstrates that this violin fits perfectly. If you can easily wrap your hand around the scroll, the violin is a fit. If you have to stretch, the violin may be too big.

When you are placing your fingers on the fingerboard, your thumb will be near the end of the violin neck. There is a little groove you can use as your reference point.
7 Copyright@ImproViolin Coaching 2011

Notice how my wrist is curved and not touching the violin? Is yours like that? It may seem easier to rest your wrist against the violin body but trust me, as you become more advanced, it gets in the way.

Practice in front of a mirror Set up a mirror in your practice space. This will allow you to see what is going on and compare what you are learning to what you are doing. As you read this manual and view the videos, at first you are going to copy what I am doing. Once you feel at ease with trying it on your own, the mirror will be a useful tool for you so that you can check your progress.

8 Copyright@ImproViolin Coaching 2011

First Position Finger Placement Use colored tape to make finger placement markings on the fingerboard to match this image

9 Copyright@ImproViolin Coaching 2011

This chart may look confusing.

Take a deep breath When you see low or high that means your finger will not be on the finger tape-as shown above. High/low placements are like the black keys on the piano.

10 Copyright@ImproViolin Coaching 2011

STRING NAMES Did you know that the violin has a G string? (insert your laugh here)

G DA E

Sometimes I will help students cheat by penciling in the string names on the bridge.
11 Copyright@ImproViolin Coaching 2011

Holding the bow In violin, we have 4 fingers. Finger # 1 is your index / pointer finger. Finger # 2 is your middle finger Finger # 3 is your ring finger Finger # 4 is your little finger/pinky Your thumbs have an important role as well. They stable the bow and the violin and provide balance when used correctly. Below is a diagram of the bow. Now Im going to assign each finger to a different part.

Finger #1 gets placed on the pad. This is helps with volume and intensity. Finger #2 gets placed on the frog (the black piece) Finger #3 gets placed beside finger #2 on the frog Finger #4 gets placed on the screw or beside the screw if you have short fingers like I do

12 Copyright@ImproViolin Coaching 2011

Your fingers will look like this

Rule of Thumb:
BEND YOUR THUMB Your thumbs help you eat, help you write, help you throw a football. Your thumb will balance your bow as well. Your thumb is placed in the little groove of the frog, between the hair and the stick

Banana Thumb It is easier to play with a banana thumb then with a properly bent thumb. This bad habit I had until I started teaching. Below is a picture of a banana thumb. Its your hitchhiker thumb. Not used for violin though.

It may seem easier at the beginning to ignore the bend your thumb rule, but as you progress, you will need as much control of your bow as possible.

13 Copyright@ImproViolin Coaching 2011

Magic Fingers Game. Years ago, my piano instructor taught me about Magic Fingers

How to play magic fingers

1. With your bowing hand (right), make a circle with your thumb and index finger. 2. With your other hand (left), make a similar circle and link it together with your bow hand (see image above) 3. Now pull against the circle you made with your right hand. 4. If you broke the circle, you need to tighten your fingers 5. If you couldnt break the circle, then you are in great shape 6. Make circles with each finger/thumb combination and repeat This game helps build finger strength as well as teaches you good finger posture habits. You want nice rounded fingers. Flat fingers lead to out of tune notes and no bow control. You dont want to drive a vehicle with 4 flat tires, and you dont want to play the violin with 4 flat fingers.

14 Copyright@ImproViolin Coaching 2011