Hi,

I've just been given a Violin as a birthday present and so I'm going to start taking lessons as soon as I can get a teacher, which is part of the reason for this post. How do I spot a good 'adult learner' teacher? Thankfully I can already play the Flute (Grade 8 Distinction when I just turned 17) and the Piano (Grade 8 standard when I was 17)... I'm now 27 and haven't taken lessons in a while, the only string lessons I ever had were for the double bass when I was in junior school - as such, I'm anticipating a few months of scratchy sounds. Are there any warning signs of a bad teacher or is it more of a case of 'suck and see'...?

Also, I was wondering about timescales for progression on the Violin, which I know can be long and steep. I didn't take up playing the Piano until I was 13 so I roughly know what it's like to start a new instrument late(ish) but does anyone know what 'good progress' on the Violin would be? My aim is to get to Grade 8 Distinction standard hopefully between 5-10 years... is that too optimistic? Hopefully within a year I'll be just about good enough to sit at the back of the second Violins in a local adult orchestra and not be too embarassed by my lack of ability.

If anyone has any pointers on what to look for/what to avoid in a teacher that would be great, along with any indications of length of time to learn!

cheers

Welcome!

If it were me, I'd want a teacher who;
1. has experience teaching adults.

2. perhaps plays in a local orchestra (but thats because I have a "thing" about learning from "the best"). I admit this isnt always the best approach, but hey...works for me!

3. is someone I can get on with and have a frank discussion with about my goals/aims etc.

4. Isnt afraid to poke holes in my technique because she thinks I might take it badly or whatever. In some respects I think it must be easier to teach kids; they EXPECT to be told what to do whereas we dont. So I want to know my teacher isnt afraid to tell me what to do, within reason

4. Is able to cater to my musical tastes, so to speak! Is there any particular style of music you want to learn, because your teacher needs to be familiar with it. For instance my teacher is very well versed in all sorts of Classical music but openly admits to not knowing much about Irish music which I also want to learn. However, for now thats fine because I have so much to learn and I can teach myself a certain amount of the technique needed for Irish music as I progress.

Also I'm starting to play some different stuff like movie themes and such like. I love this and I'm glad that she is happy to indulge me instead of sticking to the more serious classical stuff all the time.

5. thats all I can think of.... my brains giving up

I hope you enjoy it. I started about 5 months ago and having played music before, I was able to make good progress so I really love it. You asked about timescales to learn and improve; I would say its a very individual thing and factors like how often you practice, how often you have lessons will have a big impact. To give you a benchmark, I'm told that I'm somewhere between Grade 1 and 2 standard and am currently working on Grade 2 stuff in addition to my beloved movie themes.

However I had the benefit of already knowing how to read music so I was abe to progress faster in the early stages, I think itvlikely my progress will slow somewhat when I move onto the more technical areas of violin-ing

Have fun!

I dont have any specific comments about violin, and Molly chimed in with some overall great points. I would add that when I was looking for a piano teacher I aimed for CHEMISTRY! Without fluid interaction and communication between teacher and pupil, lessons can become very stiff. Thankfully, my private teacher also happens to be on faculty at Julliard (I am located in New York city as well) in addition to being an accomplished pianist. But if we didn't have chemistry, none of his other credentials would matter much.

(Aside, I am wowed that when you started piano you attained Grade 8 within 4 years. You seem very musically inclined.)

don't be afraid to try several teachers; any good teacher will let you do a trial lesson without committing to anything. that way you can see which teacher works best for you.

I looked for someone who was grade 8 standard and above but also someone who was going to be friendly, encouraging and critical at the same time.
It took me about 3 weeks to find a teacher - the ones I had found on things like musicteacher.co.uk were booked up or didnt teach anymore. Yellow pages not good as they dont put teachers into categories so when I was ringing around they only taught piano etc.

I live near Sheffield so I went on a local forum and posted for a teacher and I found mine...I got in touch with him - we had a chat over the phone about goals, what kind of violin I had etc. Went to meet him one night after work so he could have a lookat my violin and to see if I felt comfortable.

I had NO musical background - couldnt read a note of music. Im 27...Ive been playing for 5 months and this week Ive learnt 2 out of the 3 grade 4 tunes (ok they are not perfect yet but only had the music 1 week). Ive been through all the books ie grade 1, 2 & 3 and learnt the songs and moved on when ready.

I have progressed fast and I put that down to how friendly he is, and he makes the lessons fun (eg we do duets, scales, theory & pieces but mix it up with making it fun ie slowing it down, speeding it up, learning to wolf whistle using violin) he isnt scared to push me but knows my limits. He gives me lots of stuff to practice at home (mainly scales cos I dont like them) but he very patient. He praises me when I play good & he tells me when im not. Although I do get nervous sometimes (very shaky hands today playing the grade 4 stuff) I dont feel uncomfortable in front of him.
We get on well and he also relates my experiences to his own....

Saying that the effort does have to come from you too. ie have a practice plan - and write all your practice down ie times & what you have done - that in its self will help you progress. On average I play around 7 - 8 hrs a week, would be more if I didnt work. But now im on grade4 Im practicing more - I did 12hrs last week. This helps the teacher, if you can get the basics, they can help you more on getting tone

Also get some good books to start you off. I used "tune a day" books & also a Hal Leonard book "play violin today". Gives you the basics & pictures so if you dont get a teacher straight away you can make a start.

I think you know when you meet a prospective teacher whether or not you are going to be comfy with them.

If you live near Sheffield, let me know - Ill give you the name of my teacher.

Hi ..gizmo

Good luck with your search for a teacher and your violin playing. You have had plenty of good advice, but I would just say that with regard to progress musbird is very exceptional indeed to get to grade 4 pieces in 5 months, especially with no musical experience before that. Please don't beat yourself up if you don't progress as fast! I don't play violin, but I do play cello, and it has taken me five years to get to grade 5 standard, practising about an hour a day most days and I am told that this is good progress. I too had a good musical background, having played both piano and recorders since I was a child. I agree with river about trying out several teachers - you will know when you find the right one!

As you're obviously keen to get good at it, not just waffle, it's worth finding someone who won't treat you as a second rate student or not teach you seriously just because you're an adult. I agree with the others about good chemistry, being able to get on, be honest, have fun and be worked hard.

As river says, a teacher should be willing (assuming they have spaces) to give you a trial lesson without necessarily expecting you to commit to them as your teacher, although this will be easier to organise with some teachers than with others. Be aware that a consultation lesson of this type can be anything from a freebie (for instance from a teacher who is actively looking for students) to actually being more expensive than regular lessons! Shopping around may safe you, and a teacher who is a bad "fit", much frustration in the long run.


Some people go faster and some slower, depending in good part on how well you suit the instrument!

With a musical background you have some advantages. You may find that violin challenges you to develop your sense of pitch a bit more than flute, and probably a lot more than piano. You get comparatively little help from the instrument with keeping in tune or even being vaguely in the right ballpark, and getting a good sound is a challenge in and of itself!


That's not hopelessly optimistic, but I do think you are setting yourself a challenge aiming for a 5-10 year timescale! That said, it does depend on all sorts of factors, and it is possible - but don't beat yourself up if progress (especially when you're getting used to the posture and so on) is slow at least at first. As with any instrument, but possibly especially with strings, be ready to lay good foundations which will stand you in good stead later on. I speak from experience when I say that bad habits on the violin can be difficult or even impossible to get shot of once ingrained


I've been playing piano on and off for about 20 years and I am barely grade 5 standard...