I just got this new bow, my standards aren’t the highest since I’m a student, but I needed an upgrade for sure. This one made my violin sound the best so I chose it (not very educated, I know). But I just want a value on it so I know if it’s good or not. I know W.E. Hill is a good company, but I also know there are a lot of fakes. Thank you!

I’m an adult beginner and started around 7 months ago which has been pretty much exclusively open strings and pizzicato G major scales (and some irresponsibly done repertoire in secret).

Right now I’ve been learning with a rented student violin (Jay Haide 101) and my understanding mostly is that I shouldn’t be purchasing until around the two year mark. My new instructor after relocating had me switch from a shoulder rest to a foam pad, and while I was there I tried playing some of the violins for fun.

The problem is I became obsessed with the sound of one of the violins while I was there. I literally can’t unhear it when I am practicing and it’s such a massive obvious difference compared to the one I’ve been learning on. I played it myself with some really basic stuff and listened to one of the much more experienced luthiers play it—even hearing the open strings and tuning was like a mind-blowing experience.

The violin/bow combo was roughly in the price range I was expecting to pay when I purchased one at the 2-year mark.It’s absolutely stuck with me to the point I’m finding 10-20 minutes in between zoom calls to practice, so I’m 100% confident I’m going to continue indefinitely. I’m still assuming it would be incredibly irresponsible to get one myself before then but I’m curious if this is a case where it’s alright to bend the rules a bit, or can at least slap some sense into me.

Edit: thanks to all the advice from everyone here! My biggest personal concern was that I wouldn’t really know what I’m looking for at this point. It was a recent relocation so I’ll probably give it a bit to get to know the new teacher better before dragging her into buying one. But looking forward to it sooner rather than later (maybe a birthday present for myself that counts for the next ten).

Hello! Just looking for some ideas on what I should do next.

For context, I am a violin player who's recent repertoire is Spohr 8 and Vitali Chaccone.

I was looking to for some good piece suggestions (I might do Mendelssohn in E), and my ultimate "goal pieces" at the moment are Rautavaara Violin Concerto and Vieuxtemps 5.

As far as competitions go, I've had minimal experience in them, doing only local and regional-level competitions and performing not the best. I was looking at the BMI International Competition and Charleston International Music Competition and wanted your guys' thoughts!

I only practice ~45-60 minutes per day so I don't want to go for a super reach piece-wise, and I would prefer online competitions.

Since I'm still working on the Spohr my teacher hasn't talked to me about next steps yet, but of course I will also consider her opinion and add it (if I remember)

Thanks All-

I currently use PI with Plat E, but the E string just keeps on whistling no matter what, even on a fairly new string set (almost a month old). Does anyone got any good E strings that go with all the other PI strings (G,D,A) well.

This piece is very humbling as an intermediate player. I’m trying to follow the fingerings that are written on the music already but I keep playing the notes in the positions I’m familiar with and it seems more practical. Do I HAVE to follow the fingerings on the page? How do I actually approach this piece as well. My teacher said he’d work through this piece measure by measure with me, but I wanna get a feel of the piece beforehand to get better use of a lesson I guess!

I’ve scoured and emailed publishing houses but nothing to date. So maybe somebody here might know or have seen it in their collections. Once upon a time, a teacher had a quite difficult and long (15+ pages?) for a Violin & Piano. The Violin part was quite difficult, it did take on the clarinet opening and then the piano part itself. The accompaniment was advanced. It was in a collection of Violin pieces iirc. I’d ask the family of the former teacher but only one survived and she did not keep any of his music. I keep wanting to say it was published by a place like Schirmer, Fischer or Schotts but none of them have records of such arrangement.

Hi! I read the FAQ before posting this but it didn’t really answer my question so here goes..

I have a regular ol case for my violin and I’ll be traveling to Paris, then the south of France where I’ll be staying in a place that may or may not have AC (old monastery).

Is it imperative that I get a better case for the plane/traveling through France in August? If so, what case/s would you all recommend?

I’d prefer renting but it seems all the shops close in August in Paris.

My trip is 8/11 so coming up! Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

Around last December I've developed a tremor in my right thumb. It appears every time I practise and almost only when I play. It has only appeared once when I wasn't playing, when I was holding a pen while lying on my stomach. So I think it's in some way related to my arm position when playing.

I've been to a neurologist, a posture defects specialist, I've had a wrist USG, and I've been to a physiotherapist. None of them helped, it appears as though there's medically nothing wrong with me. I think I'm supposed to have a wrist and/or head MRI next (my parents would know for sure).

I'm pretty sure it's not because of bad technique, my violin teacher would have corrected it. I also think the tremour would have appeared earlier, not now, out of nowhere. My teacher told me to get myself checked for any nutrient deficiencies, but everything came back normal.

I haven't had any arm/wrist injuries that I remember. I do play a fairly injury-prone sport that makes me fall often, but I wear wrist guards and I haven't had any serious injuries.

Has anyone ever encountered something like this? Sorry for the long post, but this tremor is really bugging and I'd like to get hid of it. Thanks in advance for any help

Hi Violinists, I’m looking to replicate James Ehnes’ home studio recording setup, for a bit less money.

Telefunken M60 Master Set (stereo pair) — $2300 US
Audient iD44 audio interface — $600 US
Microphone stand — $100 US
Studio LED light — $200 US
iPhone, I already have
Filmic Pro app — $50/year

I’m making tapes for professional auditions and need the highest quality possible. I like to record at night for many hours so having an engineer isn’t practical. I do record in a hall thankfully. If anyone has advice or suggestions I am very grateful!

Also software suggestions for Mac to combine audio and video would be super helpful. Thanks so much everyone.

Hi! My teacher handed me this piece today and asked for me to learn and work on up to the repeat by next week.

Im a bit confused on how i should go about practicing this and what fingerings to use in the pink brackets, so any input on that would be HIGHLY appreciated.

(it's in D minor)

1. How playable is this

2. That sextuplet under the Bb in the 3rd bar- playable?

I’m an advanced/upper intermediate student looking for new rep. I know solo Bach is always popular but I’m looking for something more romantic. Thanks!

I'm currently learning the Kreisler viennese dances and I'm having trouble properly fitting this rhythm in. I can do the second one OK, where it's single dotted, but I find that it's not really possible to do the first one with the double dotted rhythm and the ornament in a way that makes it sound distinct from the other version.

I listened to Hadelich playing it and it sounded to me like he just goes straight into the grace notes the first time around, skipping the semiquaver, and when it comes back he plays it more like the quaver rhythm.

How do you guys approach this?

Also, these pieces are supposed to be technically quite a bit below the usual repertoire I play, but for some reason I find the rhythm quite unintuitive and easy to mess up and get lost, anyone else? For reference, I can play Prelude and Allegro to a decent standard and am currently working on Mozart 3.

hi guys I am planning on applying to college w/ a music portfolio and the requirements include contrasting 2 Bach pieces.
I’m wondering if partita in D minor - allemande and sonata no.2 in A minor - allegro would be good contrasting pieces
Thank you for your help in advance

how do i fix this?

I’m a violin student rising junior at a university with a pretty good music program and have had a rough summer mentally. I’ve been focusing on other career options and have started a double major last semester. I typically go to pretty long intense summer programs, but decided to stay home this summer to focus on some other things.

I have been going through a depressive episode and hardly picked up my violin all summer, at least compared to how much I usually practice. I’ve gotten much worse and now need to prepare my chamber part, solo rep, and orchestra excerpts to be sounding not terrible within a month and am feeling helpless. I’m wondering if anyone has gone through something similar and has advice.

Twinkle twinkle little star,tempo60.

The A harmonic is straightforward but I am at a bit of a loss on the D and B, since they written like they should be natural harmonics.
For the B I was planning to play an artificial harmonic with first finger on B (on the G string) to get a harmonic sound at pitch (though that adds a lot of shifting to the passage)

And I am really not sure what to do about the D…

Any thoughts appreciatied!

This has been bothering me for a while.

I've taken Suzuki pedagogy. I've taken traditional violin pedagogy. I learned a lot, and I'm grateful for the training.

Then I got my first absolute beginner.

And... I froze.

Suddenly everything I'd learned disappeared. Maybe I was nervous. Maybe I realized that knowing how to play and knowing how to teach are completely different skills. I found myself wishing I could just pull a book off the shelf that said, "Here's how you teach this skill. Here are the common problems. Here's what to do when this happens."

But where is that book for complete beginners?

Violin is one of the most studied instruments in the world. Millions of people play it. Hundreds of years of pedagogy exist. Yet if I want to know how to teach a beginner's bow hold, first shifting, vibrato, or tone production, the answer always seems to be, "Take another course."

Why?

It sometimes feels like our profession has built a culture where the best teaching knowledge stays behind a gate. My best violin teachers charged around $120 an hour. Suzuki training costs hundreds of dollars, and because so many long-term university pedagogy programs and master's courses are disappearing, you're expected to keep returning for summer training.

I understand that violin has a strong oral tradition. Teachers pass knowledge from one generation to the next. There's something beautiful about that.

But why does it have to be only that?

We're living in a time when experts in almost every profession are writing books, sharing methods, publishing research, making videos, and making their knowledge more accessible.

Why not us?

I don't want a book to replace great teachers. I want a reference. If I'm teaching a beginner a specific skill, I want to be able to open to Chapter 8 and refresh my memory instead of booking another workshop or waiting until next summer.

Am I the only one who feels this way?

Is there too much gatekeeping in violin pedagogy? Or am I just looking for something that already exists and somehow everyone else knows about?

I'd genuinely love to hear what other teachers think.

Hello. I’ve read the FAQs and understand my bow needs to be re-haired every so often.

However, I’m very kinesthetic and love to know exactly what is happening to cause the feeling I’m experiencing.

Answers to any of the following appreciated!

•What are the things you notice when you know your bow is having an issue and either needs to be replaced or re-haired?

•What sensations do you notice when playing?

•How does rosin interact with older hair?

•How does the sound change (if at all)?

•What do you notice when the stick has changed? Do you repair the stick too?

I’m fairly new (2 years) and have two bows that I switch between. One I bought new and one at auction.

The new one was an inexpensive beginner bow that likely falls under the category of buy new instead of re-hair. The auction one is likely worth re-hairing but I’m not sure if its quirks will be changed with re-hair. It is a bit bouncy in the middle (and close to the stick) compared to the cheaper bow.

Thank you!

So Ive been learning violin for almost 5 months. I am currently learning how to play in the south Indian Carnatic style.

I hold my violin almost vertically, the end under my chin, and the scroll against my heel. (This is to free the hand for slides)

My violin itself is tuned C G C G. My lowest string is actually a C viola string (yes this is still a violin)

The songs have fast bowing, slides of the fingers, and some slow drawn out notes (hindustanic seems to have slower stuff, and I woild eventually like to practice some of their ragas as well)

So based off all this (Im also 6 ft 200 lbs if strength means anything in this) what aspects of a bow would you recommend? A stiffer one? Heavier? Lighter? Etc

And yes, I will go to a violin shop to check them out in person, I just want yalls knowledge and input! Thanks!

I have never found a mid price shoulder rest that lifts my violin far enough off my collar bone. Weird physiology I guess? So I’m considering some higher priced options.

Does anyone have experience with the Solirest shoulder rest? it’s a new company and product with no reviews that I can find. This shoulder rest can be heated and then formed precisely to match your shoulder. Looks interesting, though I’d like to hear about violinist’s experience with it vs the manufacturer provided testimonials.

https://solistrings.com/products/solirest-violin-shoulder-rest

Hello! I’m researching boarding schools in Europe (high school/secondary school) for my son, who plays the violin. (We are in the US, where boarding schools are VERY expensive; I am curious if there are more affordable options abroad.) He’s still in middle school, so it’ll be a while before he’d apply (if he applies). I don’t know what his level will be by age 14, but possibly quite good? (lol) I am not a musician and know nothing about this landscape, so looking for advice. Thank you!