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Here
is a list of basics which you should understand before even playing a
note!
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1.
Tuning Your Violin
2.
Tensioning and loosening the bow
3.
Shoulder Rest
4.
Chin Rest
5.
Strings
6.
Practice Mute
7.
Rosin
8.
Stretching exercises
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Violin
and Bow |
The violin is the
instrument and we call it a fiddle when we play traditional music.
It is the same instrument. The bow is the stick.
The best way to get
started is to take the plunge and buy your own violin "kit" which
includes the instrument itself, a bow, a case and usually rosin.
It is hard to
produce a nice sound as a beginner, so a really cheap, or poorly set up violin will
probably leave you wishing you’d opted for something a bit better so |
Violin shops may
offer hire/buy so you can try the instrument on a rental basis for a
few weeks, with the option to pay a balance, or return
it.
For
those of you local to North Somerset, contact Bob
Bailey from Clevedon Music Shop on 01275 342090.
In Bristol ring Nick at Bristol Violin shop - Upper Maudlin
Street - 0117
925 9990.
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1.
Tuning Your Violin and aids for this |
Tuning
the violin to the correct pitch is essential.
Put the violin under your chin and look down to the scroll at the end
(
where your fingers will play all our tunes in the "First
Position")
Left to right the notes of the open
strings are G D A E
G has the lowest pitch E has the highest pitch
on the open strings
Use
the pegs at the scroll end to make a large variation in pitch. Use
the fine tuners in the tailpiece for tweaking the pitch when you are very near to the
right note.
Turn
the pegs away from you i.e. clockwise, or turn the fine tuners clockwise
to make the string tighter, i.e. higher in pitch. |
G D A E |
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Pegs
should be pushed inwards as you turn them so they do not slip.
Fine tuners are only for small adjustments in pitch. Do not force
them -
once they are too far down or too far up, you need to tune from
the peg. Over-use of the adjusters can lead to problems with the
bridge.
Be careful when tuning with the pegs, that you are tuning the correct
string ! - as you could cause a string to break by mistake.
New strings might stretch slightly for a couple of week so you may
have to tune more often during this period. The good news is that modern
strings are very stable and usually only need a small amount of
adjustment after this. If you need to replace
one string because it snaps, there are lots
of videos online to help you with this. Generally strings should
all be replaced at the same time when they dull in tone. |
Aids to
tune to the correct pitch - see above - tuning fork, electronic tuner,
tuner attached to a violin.
If you have a trained ear, a simple
pitch fork will gives the note A - the second string from the top as you
look down the violin.
Use
an online app (free)
Or
use an electronic tuner - I recommend this for complete beginners as it
is a quick way to get to the right pitch and it will help you to train
your ear to hear that pitch. eg The MS Micro Violin Tuner by
D'Addario can
be placed on your violin and shows the pitch of any note you are playing
for a short time. It also has a metronome which is useful to keep
your rhythm steady at the same pace throughout your tune.
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2.
Tensioning and loosening the bow |
Always
store your bow slack or you will stretch the hair and damage the
bow. When you come to play, tension the bow by turning the knob by
turning the silver screw clockwise until the middle of the bow has a gap
between the wood and the hair of about a pencil width.
If
you break a hair do not pull it out as this may dislodge the other
hairs. Either carefully cut it away about half an inch from each
end with scissors - or wrap it round your finger to break it near both
ends. |
3.
Shoulder Rest |
It
is important to be as relaxed as possible when playing. When you
first take up the instrument, this is indeed a challenge, as you will
not be adopting a natural pose!
The
shoulder rest is a way to fill the gap between your body and the violin
so you can hold it up with your chin. A lot of traditional
musicians do not even use a shoulder rest, but that can be uncomfortable
on the collarbone.
Shoulder
rests come in a very wide range, most of which are extremely adjustable
in width to fit across the violin in a variety of angles, and at various
heights.
I
am currently using a Styddi shoulder rest which is around £10 |
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4.
Chin Rest |
It
is most likely that your violin already has a chin rest. These
also come in a wide range of shapes and styles for positioning in
different places on the violin, and on which you rest your chin!
When
asked to place the violin in a playing position for the first time, most
people naturally hold it with their chin pretty much over the
tailpiece. Chin rests used to be placed on the right side of the
tailpeice and nowadays are usually on the left. Just be aware that
you can easily change your chin rest to make your playing more
comfortable for you.
I
have been using a Wolf Special chin rest for the past 20 years - I
position it over the tailpiece so I am in the middle of the violin. |
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5.
Strings |
Always
keep a spare set in your case. You can buy strings in sets or
individually, so make sure you have at least one of each string.
Unless
you are just replacing one broken string after a short time, change all
of your strings at the same time to keep an even sound. It depends
on how much you play as to when you should do this. You may be
able to hear when your strings become unresponsive, dull or produce and
uneven sound - or they may even start to show signs of wear.
There
is such a wide choice of strings which will sound different on different
violins and different in tonal quality too if tried on the same
violin. I suggest you choose strings to suit your
budget.
I
use Spirocore - they are quick to respond and have a bright sound that
suits Irish music. There are about £60 for a set and are
extremely stable regarding tuning. I change them after a year to 18
months.
An
alternative that some violin shops recommend is the Pirastro Tonica
which is about £22 a set. |
6.
Practice Mute |
This
will be useful to really quieten the sound of your violin. It is not
recommended for all of your practice because it is important for you to
hear the un-muted sound you are producing. However, it may be
useful if you don't want to disturb others in your house or you don't
want the neighbours to hear!
A
couple of pegs on the sides of the bridge will work, but a recommended practice mute
is one made of a heavy rubber and will cost around £5 |
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7.
Rosin |
This
is required to make a sound at all with the bow. A new or newly
re-haired bow will not have any rosin on it, so will need a fair amount
before you will get a sound from the strings. Run the bow from tip
to frog over the rosin several times. Keep checking that you are
not putting too much on, as it will build up on the strings and dull
your sound. After each time you play, dust the excess rosin from
the strings with a soft cloth which you should keep in your case.
Most
violin kits will come complete with rosin. My indulgence is Larica
Gold - very expensive but lasts for years. A good standard rosin
is Hidersine. |
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8.
Stretching exercises
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When
I first started playing the violin again (after a break of 25 years or
so!!) I attended loads of workshops and courses given by the influential
players in English, Irish and Scottish traditional music.
I
must admit to being a bit dismayed when Catriona MacDonald spent a whole
hour on stretching rather than teaching fiddle. To her (at the
time at least) it was an essential part of practice and playing.
I'm sure she will still endorse this.
It
is always important to listen to your body and the neck and shoulders
can get very stiff if you don't stretch - so use gentle movements to
release tension. There is lots of help online about stretching
these days and will be familiar to those who have attended fitness classes and yoga
sessions. |
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