I f you’ve decide to choose to learn to play a new instrument then it will come as no surprise to anyone if you have a burning desire to push yourself on as quickly as you can. Take note though, because bad habits you pick up from the start can hinder any progress you make and cause great delays in mastering the instrument. With that in mind here are some tips and tricks to keep you on the right track when you learn to play the violin .
Tip 1
Learning to play the violin is easiest when done at a steady pace. After you’ve read some violin reviews and got yourself your instrument, you’ll soon learn that the old adage “more haste, less speed” rings true. For those of you who are impatient, well, you will have to try and slow down a little at the beginning, but fret not, because the rewards are more than worth the wait. A good basic understanding of the violin at the beginning will boost your confidence and speed you up later on.
Tip 2
When you’re using your violin you must try and avoid that old temptation of glancing at your left hand to see what it’s doing (or vice versa if you are left-handed). Similar to touch-typing on a keyword, you will soon become accustomed to finding your way around the fingerboard but if you keep looking at your hand, it will only slow you down. Playing the violin requires all of your attention to be focussed on the music score in front of you, so learn to trust your left hand and (literally) feel the music.
Tip 3
If I asked you to sketch the Statue of Liberty in great detail in one hour you’d probably rather jump off the top of you. But if I asked you to do it one square yard at a time, no rush, you might start to find it more manageable. It’s the same thing when learning to play the violin. You have to do it in little parts, one technique at a time. If you can truly get to grips with one small part then it will give you huge amounts of confidence for the next piece you learn and then in no time at all you’ll be playing the violin.
Tip 4
As you are picking up the violin, as with any other skill you learn, you will certainly make a lot of mistakes and screw up regularly. No doubt you will also be tempted to give the whole thing up, but don’t! You must persevere because bad habits picked up while learning to play the violin are really hard to get rid of later on. Practise as best you can and as often as you can. Go back and put right all those silly errors and you will come on leaps and bounds in no time.
Tip 5
If you think you can get away with simply memorizing pieces, you’re in for a shock. All of the world’s best players learn to play the violin with a score sat in front of them. It’s certainly a skill you need and you will soon learn that tricky pieces are too complex to simply memorize. Playing the violin has many elements and reading music is one of the most essential skills you will need to master.
Have fun, stay focussed and keep up the hard work to reap the benefits.
