I have just bought a "Stenton" violin, don't know if they're any good or not.... anyway, I have decided to learn this wonderfull instrument, where would the best place be to start? I bought "A Tune A Day for Violin" so I will work through that, but should i get a teacher? or is violin one of those instruments which can be self taught to a certain level?

Thanks

DITTO the above

Posture is crucial to good playing - but it sure is fun when you get the hang of it.

First, GET A TEACHER. You can get over the first hump(knowing the fingering for each note) without noticing if your with a teacher(at least, it was for me)

You can self teach yourself up to any level if you do it carfuly

There are a couple of self-taught violinists on the forum, but if you can afford it lessons would be a really wise idea, and if you can't afford to have lessons all the time, then a few to make sure you start right would be a very good investment.

It's not one of those instruments where you would want to have a go and get somewhere THEN go to a teacher, as you would probably have loads of bad habits you would then have to correct. Start right, even if you choose to continue on your own!

The Stentor 1 isn't a good violin unless it's been reconditioned in which case the tuning pegs will be black not brown, and they'll actually secure the strings whereas the brown ones don't!

The Stentor 2is a slightly better violin, the Stentor conservatoire a lot better. The Stentor 1 is often bought by schools because it's the cheapest and it's an OK violin to start out on while you make up your mind whether you want to make a go of the violin. It can also help if you out decent strings on it, like Thomastik Dominants if you can afford them. But as soon as you can afford it, move on to something better because the Stentor 1 won't do you justice!

Violinia

Just had a look inside and it's a Stentor II so i guess its mediocre haha and has the black pegs
Another questions... i have quite chunky fingers, will this affect at all? as i assume the notes are close together.... if that makes sence

That's important, strings are quite hard to teach yourself because sometimes when your playing you can't tell if you're flat or sharp, I do that ften and I'm grade two!


I started off with a stentor two when I learned through the school, and I then went on to get a stentor conservetouire because my sister asked fgor one for her birthday and then stopped playing, so I got it.

The Violin is a lovely instrument. (Not that I'm biased) I hope you enjoy playing it.

Please don't despair - the Stentor 2 is definitely better than the Stentor 1 and I should also have pointed out that they're both considerably better than the old Chinese 'Skylark' violins which were around before the Stentor 1 and 2 arrived on the scene. If you haven't already, make sure you get those Dominant strings, and also take it to a luthier to see if it needs a different bridge. A too-high bridge can make it much harder to play than necessary; also a luthier will check the pegs and make sure they fit properly. You could also invest a few pounds on a better bow than the bows the Stentors come with if you haven't done this already.

Don't balk at the few extra pounds you may need to spend to get the best out of your violin - just think of the cost of computers, mobile phones, MP3 players and all the other tools of modern life and consider it money well spent!

As for the chunky fingers - I've heard some lovely playing from chunky-fingered players - sometimes even better than from narrow-fingered players - so don't worry about it!

Violinia

I'd like to add my agreement to some of the things said on this thread.

First - DEFINITELY start with a teacher. You need to be shown how to hold the instrument and the bow - and if you're slightly adrift on these, you can HURT yourself - I needed AmandaL to sort me out a couple of times before I was entirely comfortable, and over-practising in the wrong position did my neck and shoulder a mischief .

Secondly, even if you start with a cheap violin (and I started with an Antoni - the sort you get for £60 from Tesco's) new strings help a lot, as does having someone - your teacher for example - check that the bridge is actually upright and in the right place (mine wasn't on the first lesson, but Amanda soon helped me sort that out).

As Violinia says, a few quid on the add-ons can make a huge difference until you're ready to invest in a better instrument.

Start with a Tune A Day? Oh no, definitely not. That was VN's 5th book (after Sheila Nelson's, then Stepping Stones, Waggon Wheels and Fast Forward). START with a TEACHER, first please as everyone will tell you that bad initial habits are very easy to develop plus associated injury risks and once learnt, are laborious to UNLEARN. Secondly, I also agree (as we found) that changing strings could make a big improvement to the sound. All the best! Most imp of all, have fun.

thanks everyone, i shall take it to my local music shop (Top Joint) to get it checked over!
Can't wait to start learning it
MUST find a teacher !!

I have been teaching myself the violin for a while now but I did have a few lessons to get me started in the first place though - to help with my bowing and hold of the violin. Getting the basics right is essential. I have worked from looking at how others play too, watching professionals playing, and masterclasses online are useful too. With regard to intonation, if you have a digital piano, I find it is useful to record scales on there, or get someone who can to record some. This way you can hear what you are doing.

Good luck with finding a teacher and on your musical journey! You'll have loads of fun

Joy