How to start learning the violin?
After deciding to pursue your violin passion, the question frequently asked by many is “ How do I start learning the violin? What materials should I prepare for my learning?” Please do not get anxious, we are here to guide you to prepare you for a good head start in learning the violin. :)
Before starting to learn the violin, the first thing to you would need to do is to gather the basic equipment required for the playing of the violin. Equipment required includes the violin, bow, case, rosin, and chin rest. Additional items like the shoulder rest, music stand etc. can be purchased too. You may want to ask someone who is an experienced violinist or your violin teacher to guide you to buy the materials.
Equipment
Violin
First of all, the most important equipment is of course, the violin. Popular questions asked by beginners are “ How much do I have to spend on the violin?” “What size do I buy?” “Where do I buy from?”
Firstly, as a beginning violinist, it is not necessary to spend too much money on the violin. A decent beginner’s violin of about few hundred dollars is good enough.
Next, violins are basically small instruments. There are even smaller violins, but they are designed for students younger than 10 years old. Thus, if you are more than 10 years old, it is best to buy the full sized violin. If you want to make sure that the violin size is suitable for you, you can always ask the shop for their recommendations, and also asked them to measure your arm length to be sure of the ideal violin size you need.
Like any other instruments, it is recommendable to buy violins from reputable music shops. Violins bought from unknown shops are not encouraged. They might be cheaper compared to reputable shops, but their violins might have flaws and damages that might not be obvious to you in the beginning. Violins from reputable shops normally provide warranty to guarantee their instrument is free of defect in their material and construction.
Bow
Normally, the violin, bow, and a hand carry case come in a package in shops. It is advisable to check the bow to make sure that the hair is clean. Clean hair is usually fine, white, uniform and bright along its full length while dirty hair is extreme yellow in colour. When playing the violin over time, the bow has to be re-haired as bow normally wears over time. Re-hair of the bow depends on the frequency of playing the violin. Re-hair usually takes place around every 6 months, or 1 year if you do not use the violin as frequently. Re hair of bow can be done in most music shops for a small amount of money.
Case
The hand carry case for the violin should be strong and firm enough so as to protect the violin. You might want to decide the number of storage pockets for the case, just in case to make sure there is enough space to put all the equipment purchased.
Rosin
Rosin is a solid form of resin use by violinists for the purpose of soldering. Rosin is normally rubbed on the bow hair to aid the hair in gripping the strings of the violin. It lasts very long, and it cost around $5 to $10.
Chin Rest
Chin Rest is a comfortable piece of plastic used by most violinists to allow the violin to be protected by your chin when playing it. This is done so by clenching the chin rest near the base of the violin.
Besides the essential basic equipment, there are some items that can be purchased to aid in your violin learning process. The items are as mentioned below:
Shoulder Rest
A shoulder rest is a violin-width pad placed on the shoulder beneath the violin for it to be easier to hold and play. It is a personal choice to which Shoulder rest should be purchased or not. Some violinists do not use the shoulder rest while some use. However, a shoulder rest is encouraged for beginners, as it may be uncomfortable to play the violin on your shoulder as you might feel some collar bone pain.
Others
Aside from the equipment that aids in playing and holding the violin in the correct manner, you might also consider to get a music stand and even some books for beginning violinists to aid in understanding and learning the violin. Now, you are ready to start your violin journey! For beginners learning on their own, you might consider watching some online videos that teaches you the different violin techniques.
If you are finding a violin teacher in Singapore, our agency is most happy to help you to find one through our Student-to-Violin Teacher matching service that is free of charge!
Feel free to contact us if you are interested.:) Good luck to your music journey with the violin!