Hi-does anyone know of any material they could suggest for self teaching violin?

Hi. Have a look for The ABCs of Violin series. They're really good and suitable for adults as well as children. The first book is for absolute beginners so if you already read music etc. you'll find it quite basic, though it does go through things like fingering and where notes are on each string etc. New notes are introduced gradually along with short pieces that use what you've just learned.

I would also advise you maybe to have one session with someone who already plays so they can comment on the angle of your bow and bowhold etc. as it can be difficult to judge these things for oneself.

Hope that helps!

Benj

Totally agree with that. My bow angle still isn't great and i've been playing for years&years!

ok cheers-so u dont think its a terrible idea to self teach with some input from players. i already play the flute and piano

You'll have fun - go for it!!

Hmm, well I think it's crazy.

When learning string instruments, input from a competent teacher is essential in my opinion. The hand and arm positions are unusual and you could do yourself injury without appropriate guidance.

I think it's bonkers. If you're already a guitarist you may find the left hand easier, but I'm currently teaching a guitarist and a cellist who have both been trying to teach themselves - pretty unsuccessfully if the truth be told. The guitarist hadn't figured out the bowing arm or hand at all, and the cellist was imitating the cellist left hand and bowing arm with very odd results. They're both highly intelligent people, by the way!

They are already both making really good progress as I've been able to show them subtle points of technique that would be very hard to comprehend from a book. Also, a teacher can demonstrate things that a book just can't, and although a video can, it still can't point out things you're doing wrong that you may not have noticed yourself.

Whoever mentioned possible injuries also made a good point.

Violinia

Is it possible for you to get at least 1-2 months of lessons before you proceed to teaching yourself? In case you get any bad posture, since violin is quite different from wind instruements, and even piano. Even though you intend to learn yourself, it is better still to have lessons once in a while, it really helps. And yes, you can learn from players, but make sure you observe a lot of players to see who are playing and holding the instrument correctly!

I am quite a self-taught student before (and teacher also), but I use to have few lessons in year. So, it is possible to learn yourself (especially when you have basic in music), if you have ample time to practice and can detect your own mistakes.

Better not. Those whom I have known who have self-taught themselves have all without exception regretted it because it takes up so much more time to undo easily-developed bad habits from the early days. If you have no choice due to lack of resources, you would be better off explaining to a violin teacher your predicament and asking for monthly instead of weekly lessons. That way you still have the regular check you most definitely will need whilst partly self-coaching yourself on the side from time to time. Teaching yourself from day one without such regular check-ups will turn into money and time wasted in future remedial lessons.

Unfortunately I'm one of those people.

Many years ago I taught myself classical guitar and did quite well at it. I was up to about grade 5 standard and found I was having problems. When I finally saw a teacher, he was horrified at how I was plucking the strings and explained exactly why I was unable to improve.
Sadly, I found it too difficult to undo those bad habits.

I'm now at approx grade 5 standard on the clarinet and have never had a lesson. Everything I needed, I found in books or on clarinet websites. However, I don't intend to make the same mistake again and plan to start having proper lessons after Christmas.

No honestly!! Trouble is, I have to decide between 3 teachers!

Steve

Lots of good advice here.

Particularly with the violin you *do* need to have lessons, even if you only have a few to start with and then occasionally to check on technique. It is so so easy to get things wrong and habits can be impossible to undue or at least very time consuming and then you will have wasted a lot of time and effort to no avail.

It is such an unnatural playing position, and getting the bow hold right, and making sure you are not putting any muscles under stress inadvertently....you really need a teacher to ensure all this is right from the start.

Good Luck in any case....learning the violin is the greatet thing I ever did

OK, my turn to reinforce the advice here.

As you may know, I'm one of the people doing the Grade 1 Challenge, and I chose to do it on the violin.

My view (in my usual modest manner) before I started was on the lines of "I'm an ATCL, I can get a note out of most instruments I pick up, I've got a good memory and perfect pitch, so all I need to do is find someone who can give me a lesson to show me how the violin works and I can take it from there....." Was I mistaken or what?

That view lasted for about a minute of my first lesson with AmandaL. By the time she'd shown me how to tune the instrument, replace a broken string, straighten the bridge (which was leaning at an alarming angle, almost flat on the surface of the violin), explained what the different bits of the instrument were and started on how to hold it and the bow, I realised there was a lot more to it than I initially anticipated.

Ten weeks later, I've been having regular weekly lessons. I still struggle with posture, relaxation, the bow hold, the placing of my left hand, how to spot I've done enough and need to stop before I ache from overusing unfamiliar muscle groups.....and I'm deeply aware of how much more I'd be struggling if I hadn't got that help! There's a lot more to playing the violin than meets the eye. And that's ignoring issues of tone and intonation which aren't great yet, but I'm sure would be even worse without the lessons.

Now I rather suspect I've been bitten by the bug, and as Father Christmas is going to be putting my very own violin under the tree next week, I won't stop with Grade 1......

Bottom line - do get some lessons. I'm sure it'll be worth it both for the sake of your own physical comfort and your musical satisfaction.

Cheers

Katyjay

Do get a teacher. I've been playing the violin without lessons for years, after having a few months of lessons at school to start me off, and I now have some appallingly bad habits. My bow hold in particular has never been right. It's a shame as I can make a quite nice sound, but if I wanted to be serious about the violin I'd have to put in a LOT of time and effort to overcome all the things I do wrong. So, I'm concentrating on the oboe instead, with a teacher who will nip any bad habits in the bud.

Andy I have found amateur orchestras a good place to find a teacher.(They don't all advertise) We had two violin teachers playing in our last concert. Good to hear of someone wanting to start the instrument-most orchestras as so short (if thats what you had in mind). I should imagine the balance and pressure of the instrument under the chin is one of the basic problems-yes so I hope you find a teacher.