Here's a clapping game that will help you to stop rushing when using a metronome by 'subdividing' the notes ... follow along with Simon from ViolinSchool as you clap and play the notes ... exactly in time with the beat!

How do you learn where to place your fingers on the violin? One of the easiest and quickest ways to learn how to get the right notes is by learning FINGER PATTERNS. Here's Finger Pattern 1 ...

'Big Circles' are simple, straightforward exercises that you can use as a warm up at the beginning of your practice. They're also useful for improving your bow control, and your feeling […]

Long Slow Bows are one of the best - and most straightforward! - techniques that you can use to warm up on the violin! They're also great for improving your […]

All about sight-reading, why it's important, and a checklist to help you get things right first time! From Sight to Sound ... 'Sight-reading' is the term used to describe the […]

The articulation of sounds on the violin is much like the production of different consonants and vowels in speech, and the nuance in expression of tone. The many ways of […]

  Listening is one of the most important skills you can have. How well you listen has a major impact on your effectiveness at work, your relationships and your musical […]

One of the most crucial decisions to the performance and interpretation of any piece of music is the speed. Getting the speed right allows room for all the intricate levels […]

violin and ageViolin an The beneficial effects of learning a musical instrument are well documented in young children, and the violin has seen its share of child prodigies, but how […]

  The word dynamics in music refers to the volume of the sound or note. Dynamics are part of the vast array of musical expression and interpretation marks written into music. […]

Search “Learn Violin at Home” online, and you’ll be overwhelmed with resources; video courses, self-teaching plans, books, forums and advice. The violin is a notoriously complex instrument. Is it possible […]

Proprioception, Hypermobility and Violin Playing  Proprioception, from the Latin proprius meaning ‘one’s own’ and the word perception, is the sense of the relative position of the joints, and the strength […]

  The violin is traditionally built as an acoustic instrument. The shape of the body is designed purely to produce and amplify the sound created by the vibrations of the […]

  “To rely on muscular habit, which so many of us do in technique, is indeed fatal. A little nervousness, a muscle bewildered and unable to direct itself, and where […]

  “When everyone else has finished playing, you should not play any notes you have left over. Please play those on the way home.” Anon. Making music with other people […]

  As Christmas approaches, it is always a nice chance to learn some festive music to get into the seasonal spirit. There is loads of Christmas music available, from carols to […]

  Bowed string instruments have been played all over the world for many thousands of years. Medieval instruments including the Chinese erhu, the Finnish bowed lyre and the Indian sarangi […]

  When you begin violin lessons, the left hand finger placement must be learned carefully. The violin has no frets and many teachers put stickers or tape across the fingerboard. […]

  The violin is a string instrument with four strings, usually tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest member of the violin family, which includes viola, violoncello or ‘cello, […]

  How the Violin Makes Sound The body of the violin is a hollow space that functions as an amplifier for vibration. The strings are suspended above the body by […]

  Stage fright is a state of nervousness or fear leading up to and during a performance. It is an exaggerated symptom of anxiety. The hands sweat or become icy […]

  The sound of the violin is as close as any instrument to the human voice. The ideal for the violinist is that the instrument is almost an extension of […]

The scale systems by Carl Flesch and Ivan Galamian are by no means the only in existence, but they have been the most widely used by violin students and teachers […]

  Karl Jenkins is a Welsh composer and musician, born in 1944. He started his musical career as an oboist in the National Youth Orchestra of Wales and studied as […]

Pattern building studies for the violin are composed around simple ‘building-block’ phrases and repetitive figures, designed solely to build finger strength, agility and facility. There are many such studies in […]