| Subject | Date Asked |
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| Vibrato, cold/sweaty hands | 6/10/2009 |
Q: I'm a violin student, and I'm having some trouble with vibrato. I've read previous questions asked ...
A: My apologies for the delay; I was out of town for an extended period and did not realize I was shown ...
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| teaching | 2/8/2009 |
Q: Pretty basic question, I took violin for about 5 years and fiddle for another 5, and learned to play ...
A: I'm going to answer the question as though your neighbor has no prior instrumental experience. I ...
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| Bowing technique | 2/6/2009 |
Q: I currentyl play the viola, but used to play the violin. THe bowing technique is very similar to ...
A: Fatigue in the arms has a number of different causes. One possible and likely cause of tiredness in ...
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| Intonation | 10/1/2008 |
Q: I'm First chair in my high school orchestra and try to keep us together and intune. Its seems my ...
A: I understand this situation. The problem with school orchestras is that some musicians are far more ...
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| Bow | 8/25/2008 |
Q: How do I know how tight to have my bow when I'm applying the rosining my bow and do I need to ...
A: In my opinion, the tension in the bow when you rosin it can be about the same as the tension when ...
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| Intonation | 4/3/2008 |
Q: What am I supposed to listen for to determine if my intonation is right or not? Is it just that you ...
A: While intervals have their purpose, you should definitely learn to determine when an individual note ...
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| bowing for Vivaldi, third mvmt of Summer | 3/18/2008 |
Q: "Presto". I don't know how to play the solo part from bar 41 and bar 109. i also don't know the ...
A: I will try to answer your question, bearing in mind that I haven't played the piece before but I do ...
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| Beginner bowing problem | 3/12/2008 |
Q: I am an older beginner violin student. My problem is keeping the bow perpendicular to the strings. ...
A: W., You are describing a common problem and it is excellent that you are able to recognize and ...
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| violin | 1/4/2008 |
Q: Hey just wondering if you have any suggestions on how to develop my ability to tune my violin w/o a ...
A: I'll address your second question first with the caveat that I don't know very much about that ...
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| C Naturals | 1/3/2008 |
Q: I have isolated my intonation problems to C natural on the A string. My second finger is constantly ...
A: I'm glad to hear you're at the point where you know exactly what you want to fix and just want a ...
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| Violin Intonation | 12/28/2007 |
Q: Of all the research I've done, I have yet to find strategies to "fix" my intonation. Maybe you could ...
A: I'm happy to hear that you are working diligently on your intonation, which I think every string ...
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| rosin | 12/25/2007 |
Q: i'm not a violin player but my daughter is about to be. we just bought her first violin and it ...
A: Good question, with an answer which is not obvious at all. My sincere apologies for the delay, I ...
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| vibrato | 12/24/2007 |
Q: I am wondering if using the arm vibrato would be better in the long run? My teacher says that the ...
A: That's an interesting question. As a violinist with a family history of joint problems I can ...
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| vibrato | 6/11/2007 |
Q: I have been playing the violin for about 4 years now. I was wondering do you have any tips on doing ...
A: Doing vibrato exercises can improve your vibrato during performances. One exercise I like is to ...
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| Fingers on Bow | 5/7/2007 |
Q: Does it really matter how your fingers lay on the frog? Normally your pinky and pointer finger are ...
A: Hey there Brit, It's somewhat difficult to describe in words what is much better examined in person ...
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| Bridge | 5/6/2007 |
Q: I am new to the violin, I just bought one on Ebay and am trying to teach myself how to play. But I ...
A: Not at all, in the course of normal practice and performance. The bridge, if properly positioned, ...
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| prior exp. | 5/4/2007 |
Q: hello i have aske friends that play violin if i play guitar would it help learning the violin im ...
A: Yes, I do believe that prior experience with the guitar would help you in playing violin. Since you ...
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| Warm tone | 5/3/2007 |
Q: Two years ago I returned to playing the violin after a 57 (yes fifty-seven) year break. I played ...
A: You've asked a rather challenging question with a broad range of possibilities, and I'll try to hit ...
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| Vibrato | 4/25/2007 |
Q: My friend keeps do vibrato.His thumb sticks out when he does vibrato. I tell him that it is ...
A: Actually, his thumb can stick out to the side without hindering the vibrato too severely. If it ...
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| violin name | 1/4/2007 |
Q: hey I have a really nice violin and it sounds really good! I really think it is time to give it ...
A: this is probably the most creative question I've gotten to date. Personally, if I were to name my ...
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| Violin Will Not Play A Sound | 12/29/2006 |
Q: I bought my 14 year old daughter a violin for Christmas. She wants to learn to play one and I'm all ...
A: there are a number of possibilities here that I can think of. 1) Was the rosin new? (If so, it ...
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| How do you shift? | 5/21/2006 |
Q: I am a basic violinist. I have a problem with shifting. Will you please give me some advice on how ...
A: I am wondering exactly what is the difficulty with shifting that you are experiencing, and I will ...
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| Vibrato | 1/18/2006 |
Q: When is vibrato used, when playing the violin.
A: In my opinion, that would depend on the style of music mainly. Vibrato is used very often and I ...
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| Virbrato | 11/13/2005 |
Q: I play viola, and I was wondering about virbrato. I am in the 6th grade, and I just got 1st chair. I ...
A: I apologize for the delay in answering; medical school has been keeping me very busy this week. ...
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| vibrato on the violin | 9/6/2005 |
Q: I have been playing the violin for about four years now, only two of which have been taught by a ...
A: This is difficult to answer without seeing, but I will try. I agree with your teacher that you ...
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| shiting and memory | 8/31/2005 |
Q: What is the best way to shift in order to be 100% accurate at fast tempos 100% of the time. Also, ...
A: Unfortunately, I don't have any fancy answer to this question. First of all, 100% intonation ...
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| fingering - double stops | 6/6/2005 |
Q: As having a teacher is not a possibility for me at the moment i am struggling with the fingering for ...
A: I'll see what I can come up with... I am unfortunately not familiar with the Vivaldi Autumn and ...
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| Violin Vibrato | 3/15/2005 |
Q: Okay...I'm really really new at violin. Seriously. I mean, I used to play in a Youth Orchestra in ...
A: I'll do my best to help out... There are a few exercises I would suggest, in this order. 1) Before ...
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| Flying Spicatto | 12/7/2004 |
Q: How can I perform a flying spicatto? I heard the first Paganini Capricce, and I want to make the bow ...
A: I am unfortunately inexperienced with the flying spicatto, but I will try to help you out as best I ...
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| fourth finger | 9/26/2004 |
Q: I'm a young adult beginner, and I've been having trouble with my fourth finger. I find that it's ...
A: I'll try to help you out with your problem. First of all, I'm curious as to whether you have a ...
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| Violin vs. Viola (I'm a complete newbie) | 8/4/2004 |
Q: I love listening to film music, and now have some software to create music - however, I don't have ...
A: Actually, the violin and viola share many notes, such that if the same note were to be played on a ...
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| E string on a new violin | 3/1/2004 |
Q: I am buying a new violin for my boy from a luthier. He sent me a $1,500 violin for tryout. The ...
A: In my experience, E strings are a little trickier to pick than the others, because they wear out ...
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| violin | 10/14/2003 |
Q: I've just begun learning violin at 28! ;-) It's something that I've been dreaming of doing for many ...
A: I apologize for the delay in answering; I was out of town for some time and did not have access to ...
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| viola clef | 1/30/2003 |
Q: i play violin in my school orchesta, but i was wondering about the viola... from what I understand ...
A: Interesting question. Yes, the violists play in a clef probably unfamiliar to violinists. I have ...
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| New violin bow | 12/31/2002 |
Q: What is the proper treatment for a brand new violin bow before using it? Thanks. Jermin
A: A brand new bow generally needs two "treatments" before it can be used: tightening and rosining. To ...
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| vibrato | 8/24/2002 |
Q: I've been playing violin for about 4 years and I'm still not good at vibrato! (especially on fast ...
A: A lot of violinists don't feel very comfortable with their vibrato techniques, so don't despair ...
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| how? | 12/29/2001 |
Q: I too am a violinist. I started when I was 4, and I am now a senior in High School. I have been ...
A: It's clear you've been doing your research! I can't say I've been listening to Vengerov or the ...
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| vibrato | 7/5/2001 |
Q: My previous violin teacher had told me that, to do vibrato, you should press your finger very hard ...
A: I'm so glad you've asked this question, as vibrato techniques are an often debated and confusing ...
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| Violin | 2/10/2001 |
Q: David, Can you possibly give me a description from a violonist's point of view re the "Meditation" ...
A: I must say this is the most interesting question I have ever received. Having played the Meditation ...
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| Strings | 1/6/2001 |
Q: I am an eleven year violinist and i have always used the "dominant" brand of strings. Recently, a ...
A: First of all, congratulations on being one of the rare preteens already into solo performances, that ...
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| Neck mark | 8/9/2000 |
Q: I`m wondering if you know of a way to get rid of "violin player`s hickey"? I`m tired of looking ...
A: I know exactly what you're talking about, unfortunately to my knowledge the only way to get rid of ...
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| Violin maintenance | 8/8/2000 |
Q: I`m very new to violin. How and what are the necessary things to maintain a violin? How to use ...
A: In my opinion, weather changes are the biggest enemy of the violin. If you live in a humid, hot ...
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| Help with violin purchase. | 5/10/2000 |
Q: I am a 47 year old beginner taking lessons for several months now. I am using my instructors extra ...
A: Tom. It is great that you love classical music and are interested in continuing a tradition that ...
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| 1st & 2nd violins | 5/9/2000 |
Q: Can you tell me what is the difference between a 1st and a 2nd violin? And does the 2nd violin play ...
A: Lyn. The difference between the two violin parts is that in an orchestra, the 1st violin has the ...
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