Current Events > Anyone play the violin?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I wanted to learn how. Is it hard?

I used to in elementary school. It was pretty fun, actually.

Kurt_Russel posted...

I used to in elementary school. It was pretty fun, actually.

I used to play the double bass in middle school. I'd start it up again, but even beginner ones are like $2000+

It is hard. The tricky thing with string instruments is it is a pain in the ass just to get them to sound decent, with them being hard to play in tune and bows being hard to control. If you get a beginner one with tapes on it, and practice a little every day, itll happen fast enough though. Violin is one where its really important to practice a little bit every day, because you need the muscle memory of such a foreign motion. 30 min every day is way better than 3 hours twice a week or something.

If you can afford lessons, even just one here and there, Id recommend it for violin. Holding the instrument/bow the right way is crucial not only to sound good but not get injured. Plenty of online videos can show you how to do those, but its nice to have a person in front of you here and there to correct you if necessary.

Also, if you want bass, check out some local music shops. Im not sure what city youre in but if its at least midsize theres a good chance of there being an instrument store where you could rent one (usually only for like $50 a month).

I unfortunately have no shops that sell things like that. There's a guitar shop, but they only sell acoustic guitars and keyboards.

I tried for two years and gave up. With something like the piano, you get a good sound from just hitting the key. With violin, you have to master bowing before you get that. Another thing is your sound can be off if your finger is like a millimeter out of place.

It will take you years to get the sound quality of someone who just picked up another instrument for the first time.

No, but I've been to a sweatshop where they make stringed instruments.

The combined stink of sweat and resin, it's violin there.

I played viola for about a decade and peaked at Some higher level uil stuff

at its core its not too crazy, but there is such a high cap on skills of strong instruments as far as tonality and everything goes

there are so many tiny habits and techniques to combine into a proper sound

I decided to buy one. I got a nice black one sone people recommended to me. I decided against getting a book.

Irony posted...

I decided to buy one. I got a nice black one sone people recommended to me. I decided against getting a book.

What did you get? Proper violins are expensive at even an entry level, if you enjoy it I would recommend looking into renting one from your local violin shop (theres always one in town)

Very little. Bout as hard as most of the lead instruments

Despised posted...

What did you get? Proper violins are expensive at even an entry level, if you enjoy it I would recommend looking into renting one from your local violin shop (theres always one in town)

This

https://fiddlershop.com/products/tower-strings-midnight-violin-outfit

Also finding out where your violin shop ahead of time is probably a good idea because you are eventually going to pop your bow or knock your bridge out or something

shit learning to tune a violin is a challenge

I played violin when I was younger. Yes it is hard. It takes a lot of disciplin, practice, and consistency. Rewarding once you get it. But it's hard.

Okay that looks pretty good actually, no way to tell without playing it but its at least reputable and built well! Looks good!

Not sure if you play any instruments but depending on your level you might want to get silver tape to mark note positions on the neck

im excited for you, I miss it

i played viola for 10 years and played Violin and cello on the side for fun

I used to play double bass, I actually wish I could go back to that truthfully.

Irony posted...

I used to play double bass, I actually wish I could go back to that truthfully.

respect, I did maybe a year of trying double bass and it is its own ball game

harp was actually among the things I enjoyed learning the most

tc, there are some $500-600 double basses if you need a cheap one. not sure if thats still reasonable

im also a professional double bassist so feel free to hit me up any time if you got questions

I might have to buy books unless I can get them for free. I just don't know if I should get Essential Elements or Suzuki

Irony posted...

I might have to buy books unless I can get them for free. I just don't know if I should get Essential Elements or Suzuki

essential elements is more for band instruments. Get Suzuki for sure.

I bought only the first two volumes of Suzuki. I also remembered to buy a humidifier for the case and a hygrometer for my room. Humidity is a nice 45 to 50.

Do you have any knowledge of reading music/playing other instruments? Dont expect violin to be easy.

Theres a reason people start learning violin at like age 3-4 with the Suzuki method. Its hard af lol

Yes, I used to play double bass