AboutDavid Expertise I mainly aim to answer questions about playing techniques--intonation,
vibrato, bowing etc. I am somewhat familiar with Baroque and Classical music, though not as much with Romantic. I am unable to answer questions about advanced music theory, violin crafters/brands or the monetary value of a violin.
Experience I have played the violin about nine discontinuous years. Most of my work has been orchestral, with some soloing throughout. I was principal 2nd violinist of the Disney Honors Orchestra in 1998, a six-time All-State Orchestra violinist, a two-time assistant concertmaster and two-time concertmaster of my All-County Orchestra. I also have perfect pitch, which I believe can be learned (though I do not claim to know how to teach it).
Since starting medical school in 2004, I have had fewer chances to play, but I hope to someday resume on a regular basis.
I've just begun learning violin at 28! ;-) It's something that
I've been dreaming of doing for many years. Finally! I am
excited! Found a great violin school and have started
learning for the last month. My teacher thinks I am a
natural in some ways. I am glad to be making progress
and want to work hard to improve more.
I have a few questions regarding violin playing.
1) Instrument.
I purchased the cheapest violin in the store, about
US$100. Just a week or so later, I began regretting my
purchase and wanted something better. My teacher thinks
I should concentrate on producing a better sound while
some people have the opinion that a low quality violin will
make one think one is producing the bad tone. I do not
want my learning curve to be too steep as I am already an
adult and as it is, is already quite steep. Plus I do not have
formal training in theory. What do you think?
Or should I upgrade on my strings/ bows?
2) Besides attending lessons, I also surf the net for more
information on violin techniques. Do you have any
valuable URLs that I can read up on? Or any book
recommendation? How long should a home practice
session last?
3) Do you have any tips on improving bowing?
4) For the longest time I was puzzled about my elbow
angle. How can I make sure that while playing my elbow
angle is correct so that I can play the strings correctly?
Thank you for your time, David. Hope to hear from you
soon.
Regards
Sarah
Answer Hi Sarah, I apologize for the delay in answering; I was out of town for some time and did not have access to the Internet.
I'll try to answer your questions in the order you asked...
1) I would recommend first upgrading your instrument; while it is possible to produce bad tone on a good instrument, it is NOT possible to play beautifully on a low-quality instrument. Price and quality do not correlate perfectly, but I can be nearly certain that a $100 violin is probably inadequate. As far as strings go, the type of string best for the violin depends on the violin's natural sound...if the violin tends to have a "tubby" sound, lacking brightness and clarity in the high register, a great string is Pirastro Synoxa. These strings are very clear and can compensate for a not-so-clear violin (however, if the violin is naturally bright already, these strings can make the sound too shrill). For a bright-sounding violin I recommend Corelli Alliance strings. These get a bit pricey but are well worth it as they are very versatile, equally at home with slow and fast music. If you're not sure of the violin's normal sound I would choose Thomastik Dominant strings, probably the most balanced out there. Whatever strings you buy, avoid Super-Sensitives at all costs; they may be inexpensive but in that case you get what you pay for--cheap sound.
I don't know of any bow brands I can recommend as there are a ton of makers out there, but I will say that a wood bow is better than fiberglass, and real horsehair is much better than synthetic.
2) I haven't really used the Net for violin techniques, which is not to say it's a bad idea...I just don't have any URLs to recommend. However I found a book, "Preventing Physical Problems in Violin Playing" by Vic Pomer, to be quite helpful. I think it has tips on home practice sessions...in my opinion, better a little practice often (e.g. 20 minutes a day) than a ton of practice rarely (e.g. 4 hours once every ten days). I'd recommend breaks if your session is going to last over 45 minutes...drink water and eat bananas (they provide potassium which helps prevent your hands from cramping).
3) It's true that most problems in violin involve the bow hand rather than the left hand. I would suggest placing a mirror to your right when practicing, and using that as a guide for the direction of your bow. Make sure your bow is reasonably straight when you draw it up and down, and practice bowing open strings so that you can devote full attention to your bow technique. Also useful is a Bow-right or a similar tool by any other name...it attaches to your violin and helps develop straight bowing.
4) I would use something that has a 90 degree angle built into it, like a T-square or maybe a yardstick split in half and reattached at a 90 degree angle...the bow arm, forearm and bicep, should generally not be at less than a 90 deg angle, or at least not much less. If it's at a 60 deg angle for instance that is too bent. The mirror can also help you in this area.
Hope this is of some help. Don't feel like you are behind because you're not starting violin at age 3 or something like that...you can still become really good with the right training and practice. Good luck with your musical endeavors!
Sincerely, David
