Poppy Violin Studio LLC

Look at these awesome bow holds spotted in lessons this week!

These students are learning how to place their thumb on the inside of the frog, which is an adjustment to the "beginner" bow hold, where students place the thumb on the outside of the frog, on the silver ferrule. The Suzuki Violin Method advocates the "beginner" bow hold because it is simpler and easier for young hands to maintain correctly.

If you are learning violin for the first time, dont underestimate the importance of holding the bow properly! A good bow hold is crucial for playing with beautiful tone. Most professional violinists will tell you that they have spent hundreds of hours training their right hand to hold the bow with balance, flexibility and ease. The bow hold is a part of the violin technique that periodically needs adjustments and improvements as players advance.

So, have you practiced making your bow hold today?
😁

If you're looking for a good tutorial on how to hold the violin bow, check out lesson 4 from my free beginner violin YouTube course. The link to my YouTube channel is in my bio.

Happy Practicing!

The E string is what sets the violin apart from other instruments in the string family. It is the highest string on all the instruments in the violin family. If you love the bright and dramatic sounds of the E string- then you are meant to be a violinist! 😉

The violin E string has five notes in first position, which is when the left hand is situated at the end of the fingerboard by the scroll. The "Open" E string is when no fingers are pressed down. Then, when the fingers are pressed down, the index finger, or first finger creates F,or F # ( #="Sharp" in musical terms: more on this later!), the middle finger, or second finger creates G, or G #, the ring finger or third finger creates A, and finally the pinky or fourth finger creates B. For both the A and the B, "ledger lines" are added to the notes to extend the 5 line staff and accommodate higher pitches. In advanced violin music you might see 5 or 6 ledger lines added to notes on the E string (which requires a more advanced skill called "shifting", where the left hand moves up the fingerboard away from the scroll in order to play higher notes)

If you are beginner violin player and you are intimidated by note reading, it is understandable! I recommend that you start with memorizing just a few notes and gradually add in new notes at a time so you don't end up feeling overwhelmed.

For more free resources on learning to play the violin, visit my website, www.poppyviolinstudio.com (link in bio), or check out my YouTube channel to watch the completely free beginner violin course (link in bio).

Good luck on your violin playing journey!

Easy Beginner Violin Rhythms: The Quarter Note!

Do you know how to play quarter notes on the violin? Quarter notes are considered the most basic of all rhythms as they are almost always 1 beat (or count) long. Most beginner violinists will begin by playing simple rhythms such as quarter notes, in addition to eighth notes and sixteenth notes.

If you are a beginner violin player and you are looking for an easy step by step violin course (that is also entirely free?!), click on the YouTube link in my bio to watch the entire 27 lesson beginner violin course on YouTube.

Happy practicing! Leave a comment or a question below-

Can you learn the violin on your own?

Yes and No. It depends on your goals.

Is your goal to be a professional violinist or someone who wants to learn for fun as a hobby? Regardless, you will need guidance from an experienced and organized teacher through either one-on-one private lessons or pre-recorded online content.

If you are beginner violin player and you are looking for an easy step by step course for learning to play the violin, click on the YouTube channel link in my bio to watch the entirely free 27 lesson Beginner violin course on the Poppy Violin Studio YouTube channel.

Good luck on your violin playing journey! Leave a comment or a question below-

Learning violin? Make sure that you know the names of your "Open" violin strings and how to read them as violin sheet music! The "open" strings are what the strings sound like when they are not being pressed down by any fingers. If you are reading music, open strings might be indicated by a zero written above the note head.

The violin has four strings. From highest to lowest their names are: E, A, D and G. I recommend memorizing what these open strings look like when written as violin sheet music. It will help you as you start learning how to press the fingers down on each string, which will create new pitches (More on that later)!

If you are a beginner violin player and you are intimidated by the idea of learning to read music, don't be! Reading music does not need to be mysterious or hard- and it can actually be fun once you get the hang of it!

If you are looking for an easy and effective way to learn to read violin music check out www.poppyviolinstudio.com for free YouTube violin lessons and the E -Book: Everything You Need to Start Learning Violin.

Good luck on your violin playing journey!

Realistic practice video....

I'm trying to record myself more while practicing. It is always a humbling endeavor. I had a baby in January so I haven't been in a consistent practice routine. I miss feeling in shape and having my head in the game so to speak. That said, I think my priorities have shifted a bit and I feel like I'm learning a lot about my violin playing blockages and realizing that I need to trust myself more and believe that I'm good enough. Self worth as a classical musician is a constant balancing act- you don't want to be overly confident and cocky, but if you're too critical of yourself you'll never enjoy it. Here's to learning and improving! On a side note, anyone know what I'm playing? It's an arrangement of a very famous classic rock solo for a candlelight concert! #100daysofpractice #practiceviolin #practicemakesprogress #practicepracticepractice #learnviolin #pinkfloyd #shineonyoucrazydiamond

"Have no fear of perfection- you'll never reach it."
-Salvador Dalí

Classical musicians, like athletes, often train from a very young age to hone their craft so they can play "perfectly". Becoming a classically trained professional violinist means that I have spent over 30 years studying the violin in an attempt to play "perfectly".

However- as many of you know, that perfection is elusive, unrealistic and extremely crippling in the creative sense. I love this quote by Dalí because he is telling us to chill out and just make art.

I spent a long time being fearful of the myth of perfection. And if I am being completely honest, I still have days where I believe that if I can be perfect everything will just fall into place. Do I want to play in tune, with good rhythm, articulation and expressive tone- OF COURSE!

But at the end of the day, it's ultimately about creating something unique, intriguing and beautiful. And maybe that is what perfection actually is?

This photo, taken by the incredible Hadiashar: Portland Photographer of Creative People is a picture of me enjoying playing Bach, surrounded by a sea of flowers (my own arranging and doing- check out if you are curious).

Was I worried about perfection? For once, no. I was creating and enjoying.

One of the most important issues facing beginner violinists is how to find a good beginner violin! With so many options available online, it is often overwhelming for beginner violinists to be sure they aren't wasting their money. Read this post for tips on how to find a quality beginner violin that will stay in tune and provide good tone, which are two of the most common issues with cheaply made "violin shaped objects".

Visit www.poppyviolinstudio.com for more free resources for beginner violin players, including an entirely free beginner violin YouTube course and the free e-book: Everything You Need to Start Learning Violin.

Good luck on your violin playing journey! Please let me know if you have questions.

Beginner Violinists, do you know how to hold the violin bow?
One of the most challenging parts of playing the violin is learning how to hold the violin bow. If you are learning to play the violin and you are wondering how to hold the violin bow- check out this video!

✂️ How to Hold the Bow- 2 versions 59 seconds · Clipped by Poppy Violin Studio · Original video "Violin Lesson #4: How to Hold the Violin Bow: Learn Violin for Beginners" by Poppy Violin Studio

Reading violin sheet music: the basics!

Do you know how to play 8th notes on the violin?

Do you make this common mistake when you play violin?
All beginner violinists need to master this skill in order to play with consistent and beautiful tone.
Watch this clip for the #1 bowing tip for beginner violinists.

https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx3tlJh46IqEwWQXph63MuGC7O36ckPlmf?feature=shared

✂️ Bow Tip #1: Play with Straight Bow! 34 seconds · Clipped by Poppy Violin Studio · Original video "How to Play Eighth Notes and Sixteenth Notes on Violin: Learn Violin for Beginners Lesson 7" by...