Advanced Christmas Songs for Violin-(Sheet Music)

Ready for some harder violin Christmas music this holiday? These intermediate and advanced Christmas songs for violin feature tricky rhythms, higher positions, slow bows, and slurs for some advanced Christmas songs that will keep you busy while it’s cold outside!

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy Violin Sheet Music

Let’s start off with this intermediate violin version of this Nutcracker classic. You’ll start off playing pizzicato then quickly transition to Arco (with the bow). Watch out for the accidentals and make sure you circle those runs and practice them!

Gesù Bambino Violin Sheet Music

Gesù Bambino is another lovely, albeit challenging Christmas song for violin. While you can play Gesù Bambino completely in first position, you will need to practice counting in 12/8 time and work on some B flat scales to get comfortable with that middle portion. Need help? My Music Theory for Violinists Course will have you clapping and counting tricky rhythms in any time signature and my Creative Scales for the Experimental Violinist course will get you equally prepared for any of those tricky key signatures!

Violin Christmas Songs in Third Position

Now let’s add some higher notes! Enjoy these resources on third position if you need more help!

• What is Third Position on the Violin (And Why is it Hard?)

• Third Position Scales

• I’ve also got a complete course on How to Play in Third Position on the Violin!

The First Noel Violin Third Position Sheet Music

Download the First Noel pdf for violin here.

The First Noel isn’t too difficult on the violin. To make it a more advanced Christmas song for violin, I transposed it up into the higher positions. This version of the First Noel for violin starts in 3rd position and stays in third position for the entire song to make use of those beautiful high notes!

Joy to the World Violin Sheet Music in Third Position

Start this carol out in third position and stay there for the entire song. You’ll find Joy to the World feels very natural in third position. Remember your half steps and whole steps and you’ll be golden!

O Come All Ye Faithful Violin Sheet Music in Third Position

You can start O Come All Ye Faithful in first position and then shift up to third position in measure three.

O Holy Night Violin Sheet Music Third Position

No collection of intermediate and advanced violin Christmas carols would be complete without O Holy Night. It’s tricky for a number of reasons. #1 Long, slow bows which require a lot of bow control. #2 Tricky time signatures #3 Higher Positions

I start O Holy Night out in third position. You’ll notice in measure 19 we reach an E. You can either stretch for that E and stay in third position, play a harmonic, or follow my fingerings and shift up to 4th position. Or try all three and see which one you like!

I hope you enjoy these slightly more challenging Christmas carols for the violin. While I love writing out these carols, like all of the sheet music I produce on my website, they take a considerable amount of time to arrange, edit, test-play, and upload. If you would like to download any of these easy Christmas violin songs as PDFS, you can (and much more) when you sign up to my online studio. Try it out here!

Enjoy these other violin Christmas resources.

• Best Gift Ideas for Violinists

• Best Violins for Beginner and Intermediate Players (for Christmas gifts!)

• Free Christmas Violin Duet Sheet Music

• Easy Violin Christmas Songs with Sheet Music

• Easy Violin Christmas Songs with TAB-No Note Reading!

Easy Violin Christmas Songs with TAB-No Note Reading!

If you are just starting to play violin, or maybe you don’t want to worry about reading notes, here’s some easy Christmas songs for the violin that any beginner can play!

How Does This Tab for Violin Work?

Musical tablature indicates fingerings, not notes. So the numbers in this Christmas tablature indicate the finger number. The letters indicate which string to play on. For instance: A: 10 D: 312321 means you would play 1st finger then open string all on the A string, then play all the other finger numbers on the D string.

All numbers are using the “normal” finger pattern in which the 2nd finger is next to three. If the finger needs to be lower or higher it will be indicated with an “L” for lower and an “H” for higher. Low 2s will be right next to 1st finger. High 3s will be right above where 3rd finger normally is.

How Does the Rhythm Work in Violin Tab?

Well…it doesn’t. That’s the one drawback to this Christmas violin tab. There’s really no way to indicate rhythm. It’s best if you know the song and can sing along. I’ve tried to space out numbers that are longer notes. Some numbers have a dash afterward to indicate a longer note. Other than that, listen to these Christmas songs to know how slow or fast to play the notes on violin!

Helpful Holiday Resources

• Best Gift Ideas for Violinists

• Best Violins for Beginner and Intermediate Players (for Christmas gifts!)

• Easy Christmas Songs for Violin

• Advanced Christmas Songs for Violin

Jingle Bells Violin Christmas Tab

*Play this easy Christmas song on any string. However, if you don’t want to play those 4th fingers, just play the next highest open string.

 Any string:222-  222-  24012-   3333  3222  21121-   4

                    222-  222-  24012-   3333  3222  4431     0

Jolly Old St. Nicholas Violin Tab

A: 2222 111  0000 2    D: 2222  11   A: 0 1012 1

A: 2222 111  0000 2    D: 2222  11   A: 0 1012 0

O Christmas Tree Violin Tab

D: 0- 333         A: 0- 111  101 L2         D: 2      A: 0      D: 3

D: 0- 333         A: 0- 111  101 L2         D: 2      A: 0      D: 3

A: 33 1 4- 33 L2 L2      L2 L2 0 3 L2 L2 11

D: 0- 333         A: 0- 111  101 L2         D: 2      A: 0      D: 3

We Three Kings Violin Christmas Tab

A: 10    D: 312321        A: 10    D: 312321  33  A: 0011  3 L2 1 010     D: 321 2

D: 3330 313     3330 313 33    A: 01 L2 1 0 1  D: 3330  313

We Wish You A Merry Christmas Violin Tab

D: 03 3432 111           A: 0 010          D: 3200           A: 1 1 L2 10    D: 31 0014 23

D: 0 3 3 3 2 23210      A: 010             D: 3     A: 3     D: 0  00 1423

D: 03 3432 111           A: 0 010          D: 3200           A: 1 1 L2 10    D: 31 0014 23

Merry Christmas and Happy Practicing!

Easy Christmas Songs for Violin--Free Sheet Music

This collection of violin Christmas sheet music will keep you busy this holiday season! Christmas is a great time to sit around the fire, have a cup of hot chocolate and play violin Christmas songs with friends and family. I’ve complied a list of my favorite easy Christmas violin songs and carols that are great for brand new beginners or seasoned violin players looking for a good selection of sheet music for Christmas.

While I love writing out these easy violin Christmas carols, like all of the sheet music I produce on my website, they take a considerable amount of time to arrange, edit, test-play, and upload. If you would like to download any of these easy Christmas violin songs, you can (and much more) when you sign up to my online studio.Try it out here!

Enjoy playing these easy Christmas violin songs this holiday season!

Helpful Holiday Resources

• Best Gift Ideas for Violinists

• Best Violins for Beginner and Intermediate Players (for Christmas gifts!)

• Free Christmas Violin Duet Sheet Music

• Easy Violin Christmas Songs with TAB-No Note Reading!
  

Angels We Have Heard On High Violin Sheet Music

This popular Christmas hymn can be relatively simple to play on violin since most of it is like a descending G major scales. Watch out for those low 2s on the A string!

Away in a Manger Violin Sheet Music

Carol of the Bells Violin Sheet Music

Carol of the Bells is a classic easy Christmas song that sounds great on the violin. Add in those slurs when you are ready. I’ve added some optional fingerings for that tricky ascending scale part. Use low 1st finger for the D sharps.

Deck The Halls Violin Sheet Music

More low 2s on the A string and E string here for Deck the Halls on the violin.

The First Noel Violin Sheet Music

This is another one of my favorite easy Christmas songs for the violin. The First Noel for violin is in good ole’ D major, so normal or “high” 2nd fingers for the F sharps and C sharps.

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing Violin Sheet Music

Jolly Old St. Nicolas Free Violin Sheet Music

Jolly Old St. Nicholas is a great, easy Christmas song to play on the violin if you are just starting out.

Jolly Old St. Nicholas Violin Sheet Music

Joy To The World Violin Sheet Music

Joy to the World is an easy Christmas violin song since it starts out like a descending D major scale. Use lots of bow for that grand, magnificent sound!

Joy to the world violin sheet music

O Come All Ye Faithful Violin Sheet Music

O Come All Ye Faithful is one of my favorite Christmas songs to play on the violin. This version is in G major so high F#s for the D string and low C naturals for the A string.

o come all ye faithful/ adeste fideles violin sheet music

O Come Emmanuel Violin Sheet Music

o come emmanuel violin sheet music

O Little Town of Bethlehem Violin Sheet Music

Silent Night Violin Sheet Music

We Wish You A Merry Christmas Sheet Music

What Child Is This (Greensleeves) Violin Sheet Music

If you are ready for a little more of a challenge, try this violin sheet music for What Child Is This or Greensleeves. It has one flat: B flat which means 1st fingers on the A string will be low (right next to the nut!) But sometimes the B is natural so it will be where it always is. Those C#s on the G string mean high 3rd fingers. Have fun with this easy-ish Christmas song for the violin!

I hope you enjoy these Christmas carols for the violin. While I love writing out these carols, like all of the sheet music I produce on my website, they take a considerable amount of time to notate, arrange, edit, test-play, and upload. If you would like to download any of these easy Christmas violin songs as PDFS, you can (and much more) when you sign up to my online studio. Try it out here!

If you are looking for some Christmas violin books, check out these favorites.

A Fiddling Christmas-full of classic favorites and some great fiddling Christmas jigs and reels. Every song also has harmony accompaniment so a fellow violinist can join along.

Christmas Melodies for Violin Solo-a great collection of traditional Christmas songs for violin. Many of these songs will be manageable for beginners but it also features some passages for intermediate players as well.

Enjoy these Christmas tunes for violin this holiday season. What other easy violin Christmas songs would you like sheet music for? Let me know in the comments below! Happy Practicing!

10 Tips for Better Violin Intonation

How do you play in tune on an instrument with no frets or markings? If you feel like you are never in tune on the violin, here’s 10 reasons why you might be struggling with bad violin intonation and how to play more in tune!

There’s a lot that goes into playing in tune on the violin. If you feel a little bit overwhelmed at all the reasons that might be affecting your violin intonation, make sure you stay to the end because I’ll give you one practice technique that will help you solve all of these problems.

#1 Using finger tapes or finger decals

Wait, what? Aren’t these supposed to help you play in tune? Not really, in fact it will contribute to bad intonation in the long run. Think about it, playing in tune on the violin is an auditory skill. Finger tapes are visual cues. How can a visual cue help you with an auditory skill? Finger tapes might help when you’re just starting off, but they will also force you to rely on your eyes and you’ll never build those ear training skills that you need to play really in tune on the violin.

(Watch the Pros and Cons of Using Finger Stickers on Your Violin)

So work on developing your aural skills instead of your visual skills and your intonation will improve.

#2 Incorrect left hand technique

If you’ve got a crooked wrist or maybe your thumb is pulled far back, it’s going to make it harder if not impossible for you to consistently play in tune. Crooked wrists and other left hand problems can introduce tension, which make playing in tune very difficult. Incorrect left hand technique can also force you to play with flat fingers. And flat fingers is the next reason you may struggle to play in tune.

#3 Flat fingers

Your left hand fingers need to be curved like little arches or boxes. This allows you to hit the string with accuracy. If your fingers are flat or sloping you won’t be able to be as accurate with your pitch, resulting in inconsistent or bad intonation.

#4 Not leaving fingers down

My rule is that if you put a finger down you should leave it down until you absolutely have to move it. Let’s say you play first finger and then you play 3rd finger. Are you leaving the first finger down? Or is it flying off the fingerboard when you aren’t using it?

Leaving fingers down gives you anchor points and helps you compare other notes.Those anchor points will help you build muscle memory in your left hand which is essential to playing in tune.

#5 Using tuners

If you’re relying on a flashing green screen to tell you if you’re in tune on the violin, once again you’re relying on a visual indication for an auditory skill. It might help in the short term, but it’s going to hurt your progress in the long-run because you’re not developing those vital auditory skills that you need to help you play in tune.

Instead of using tuners, use music play back programs or music writing software like MuseScore, or or get a piano or piano app, play the notes you’re having trouble with on the piano. That way you know what the note should sound like and you can match that pitch on your violin.

#6 Not practicing ear training

You need to train your ear to hear intonation problems the same way you train your eyes to read music or train your right hand to hold the bow. Unfortunately ear training is a topic we don’t talk about enough in the violin teaching world. EarMaster is a great ear training tool. I also have a complete course on ear training for violinists in my online studio. Ear training is a topic I cover a lot in my studio and show you lots of ways you can develop your ear for better violin intonation.

#7 Thinking of intonation as a one note problem

Intonation is not a one note problem. It’s a two note problem. With the exception of the first note of a song, every note follows another note. No note exists in a vacuum. You have to think about what note comes before the out of tune note. Practice those 2 notes, think about how you get to the out of tune note, how you stretch for it, or how you prepare for it.

For instance if you have a big stretch to a 4th finger and then a low 2 after the 4th finger, that big stretch to the 4th finger is going to affect the low 2nd finger. You’re going to have to stretch back for the low 2 to get it in tune. Thinking of any violin intonation problem in terms of two notes will help you play more in tune.

#8 Tension

Tension is a big reason for bad intonation on the violin.

First of all I want you to remember this rule: there is no such thing as perfect intonation. There is the illusion of perfect intonation.

As you progress on the violin, ideally your ear is progressing as well. Your ear begins to identify when a note is out of tune and your ear will tell you how how that note is out of tune: too sharp or too flat. Your left hand finger quickly adjusts to match what your ear is telling you the note should sound like. Ideally this whole process happens quick enough that your listeners have no idea that you originally played the note out of tune.

The point here is that your fingers need to be able to adjust and move with lightening quick speed and if you are tense or have a death grip on the violin, your fingers will never be able to move quick enough to play in tune.

(Watch How to Get Rid of the Death Grip)

#9 Not preparing the fingers

When you’re playing one note, you need to be thinking about the next note and your finger needs to be preparing for that next note. For instance, if I’m playing 1st finger and my next note is a 4th finger, while I”m playing the 1st finger, I need to be stretching up with my pinky, maybe moving my thumb up, and hearing in my head what that next note needs to sound like. If you’re not thinking ahead, every note will catch you off guard and you’ll always be playing catch-up.

If you’re thinking, that’s a lot to think about, you’re right. If you’re also thinking there’s no way I could ever think about all of those things while I’m playing violin, you’re wrong. That brings me to my last reason you may be struggling with intonation.

#10 You’re not practicing slow enough

You need to dedicate time for every scale, song, and passage and play it unbelievably slow. Like, unbelievably slow.

When I play that slowly, I actually have the time to think about all of the those things I talked about. I have time to prepare the note, I have time to force my hand to relax, I have time to think about intonation in terms of two notes, I have time to curve my fingers, I have time to think about leaving fingers down, and I have time to understand what my left hand is actually doing.

Playing unbelievably slow is one of the best tools we have as violinists, but unfortunately it’s one of the tools we use the least.

So take some time to play unbelievably slow every day and I think you will hear a major improvement in your violin intonation!

Left-Handed Violinist? Here's What You Need to Know About Learning Violin

If you are left hand dominant, you might be wondering if you should learn to play violin on a left-handed violin? Unless you have a few special considerations (which I’ll discuss later), I would recommend you learn violin the “normal” way, with the right hand holding the bow and the left hand holding the violin fingerboard.

Now you might have seen people playing violin with those hands swapped, with the left hand holding the bow and the right hand playing the notes.

While this might look like you can just switch violin from one shoulder to the other, this isn’t quite the case. In “traditional” violin playing, the G string is “on top” or closest to your face while the E string is “on bottom.” If you simply put your violin on the right shoulder, all the strings are in reverse order, with the G string being closer to your feet and the E string being closer to your face. This is pretty counter-intuitive and backwards and will make reading music and finding a teacher very difficult.

Instead of simply switching shoulders, you would want to get a left-handed violin if you are set on playing violin with the violin on your right shoulder. But before you make up your mind and buy a left-handed violin, keep reading…

Why You Shouldn’t Learn Violin on a Left-Handed Violin

Just because you are left-handed doesn’t necessarily mean you should learn to play on a left hand violin. Here are some reasons for and against learning violin left-handed.

• It’s not a matter of simply placing the violin on your right shoulder instead of your left shoulder. You’ll need to specifically purchase a left hand violin. With a left-handed violin, the chin rest will be on the opposite side and the strings will be reversed so the lowest string is closer to your head (just like with a normal violin).

• Left-handed violins are not as common. That means you will be more limited in your choices and if you want to resell your left-handed violin, you’ll have more difficulty finding a buyer.

• You may have trouble finding a teacher to teach you left-handed.

• If you ever want to play in an orchestra, you’ll need to learn violin the traditional way. In orchestra, everyone has their scrolls pointing the same direction. You also share stands in orchestra so if you’re playing on a left-handed violin, your violin will be going the wrong way! If you think, I don’t ever want to play in an orchestra, don’t back yourself into a corner so quickly. Community orchestras welcome amateur players of all ages and levels. Even if you just want to fiddle, you may later find you want to join an orchestra, which is one reason I suggest not learning on a left-handed violin. Just in case you do join an orchestra one day!

Why You Should Learn Violin on a Left-Handed Violin

If you have a physical deformity, disability, or missing fingers that prevent you form using your left hand to place fingers on the fingerboard, then you may want to switch hands and hold the bow with your left hand. Check out Moonic Productions if this applies to you…

If you just feel uncomfortable holding the violin the traditional way when you are just starting out, try to continue holding the violin the traditional way for a couple months before you fully decide to switch to a left-handed setup. Playing violin will feel unnatural and maybe uncomfortable for a few weeks or months no matter which hand is dominant!

Here are some common questions about learning violin left-handed.

Is Violin Harder to Play if You Are Left Handed?

No! The violin is a two-handed instrument. Both hands are doing challenging and drastically different tasks. One hand is not more important than the other. As a violin teacher, I’ve never noticed a difference in ability between left or right handed people. Right-handed people aren’t better at the bow and vice versa.

Do Violinists Play Left-Handed?

The traditional way to play violin is with the left hand holding the violin neck and the right hand holding the bow. So yes, violinists play left-handed. But right-handed violinists also play with the left hand. Thinking in terms of left or right hand dominant doesn’t really make sense when it comes to learning the violin!

Are left-handed violinists rare?

Many famous violinists are left handed. Nicola Benedetti is a left-handed violinist as was Joseph Silverstein. Many people also think Paganini was a left-handed. But all these people play or played violin the traditional way. So if you’re a left-handed violinist, you’re in good company.

Ready to start learning to play violin? Sign up for my free beginner’s course to get started!

Mahler Themes for Violin (Free Halloween Violin Sheet Music)

If you are looking for some lovely, dark and mysterious violins songs for Halloween, look no further than this deliciously tenebrous collection of themes from Mahler’s Symphony No.1, Movement Three.

If you aren’t familiar with this symphony, listen to the recording. I know you’ll love it!

All violin Halloween songs are going to be in minor keys. Minor keys always sad, scary or spooky, so of course our Halloween song for this month will be in a minor key!

There are three types of minor scales and for this song, I’ve chosen a harmonic minor scale since it matches the song best. That means we’ll have a big stretch between the B flat and the C#—so reach for it!
(If scales are confusing you, my scales course can help you out!)

The main theme of this movement is repeated over and over again as a round. A round is just a type of duet in which someone starts playing a simple melody, and then two or four measures later, another instrument starts playing the same melody and the theme just gets layered over and over again like the layers on a dark chocolate devil’s food cake.

One thing that will make this song really sparkle is vibrato. If you’re already using vibrato, I’ll talk about some great sections where you can add it in. And if you’re not learning vibrato, now’s the time to start! Take a look at my violin vibrato course here.

During the video lesson to this Halloween violin song, I’ve included two play-along tracks. One is just the solo, so feel free to play the duet part with me. Or play along with either part when I play a duet with myself in the next play-along.

Want new sheet music sent right to your inbox? Sign up for my newsletter below. (You’ll get some free goodies too!)

Mahler Symphony No. 1 Sheet Music With Warm-Up Scale

Here’s the free violin sheet music for this Halloween violin song, along with the warm-up D minor scale and arpeggio.

Download the free Mahler Symphony No. 1 Themes Sheet Music and Warm-Up Scale Here

Mahler Symphony No. 1 Themes Violin Duet Free Sheet Music

Grab a friend or play-along with me! The violin duet for makes this spooky song even better!

Download the free sheet music for Mahler Symphony No. 1 Violin Duet Part Here

Watch the Video Lesson and Play-Along tracks to this violin song for Halloween below!

3 Famous Tangos for Violin (With Sheet Music)

Tangos and violins just go together. There’s something fun and exciting about adding some Spanish flair to your playing. When it comes to tango music for violin, there’s three famous pieces that come to mind. Our first two tangos are from Bizet’s Carmen and the last tango is one that should be on everyone’s “must learn” list. Okay, let’s tango!

Toreador Sheet Music for Violin

Let’s start off with the Toreador Song, a famous tune from Carmen. This tango is in F major which means we have one flat, B flat. So think low first fingers on the A and E string.

(Need some help with F major finger patterns? Click here)

If you’re learning second position on the violin, the Toreador Song actually fits very well in your hand in second position, since there’s not as many string crossings.

Notice how all of our violin tangos feature two distinct sections. There’s always a sharp, accented style alternating with a smoother, more legato section. Some tangos start with the accented part, some start with the legato part. See if you pick out the various styles in each violin tango!

Habanera Sheet Music for Violin

Our next tango from Carmen gets even saucier! We’re once again in F major but Habanera has lots of accidentals. In the first two measures, you’re moving chromatically which means every note is a half step apart.

Triplets play an important role in this song. Here’s a little music theory: when you see a group of three 8th notes with a “3” above or below the notes, those are triplets. A triplet is simply a quarter note divided into three equal parts.

The last line does go up to third position, but if you’re not comfortable with third position not he violin, I’ve also added an optional ending that stays in first position.

Por una Cabeza Sheet Music for Violin

Last in our list of 3 famous violin tangos is perhaps the most famous of all, Por tuna Cabeza! This classic tango was featured in the tango scene from Scent of a Woman. This is one tango that you won't be able to stop playing!

For this tango, we’re in good ole G major, but don’t get too lazy, there’s lots of accidentals. This violin tango features more half step chromaticism, more challenging third position as well as a fun harmonic and a double stop at the end.

This violin tango has it all! Enjoy Por tuna Cabeza for the violin!

I hope you enjoy these violin tangos! While I love writing out these songs, like all of the sheet music I produce on my website, they take a considerable amount of time to notation, arrange, edit, test-play, and upload. If you would like to download any of these violin tangos as PDFS, you can (and much more) when you sign up to my online studio. Try it out here!

Oh The Britches Full of Stitches Easy Fiddle Sheet Music

How to Play Oh the Britches Full of Stitches on the Fiddle

This easy fiddle song is so much fun to play and surprisingly easy. It only uses the 1st and 2nd fingers!

Watch the violin lesson on how to play Oh the Britches Full of Stitches on the fiddle and scroll down to get your free sheet music.

Oh the Britches Full of Stitches is also a great easy fiddle song to start improvising and adding ornaments and embellishments. The following free tutorial will show you the basics of how to play this fiddle song. In the complete tutorial, I’ll show you how I add slides and double stops to this fun fiddle tune. I’ll also show you a great warm-up scale as well.

Interested in watching the complete tutorial as well as getting over 800 other lessons for fiddle and classical violin? Sign-up for a my online studio membership.

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Oh the Britches Free Fiddle Sheet Music

Download and print the free sheet music here.

Can I Learn Violin on an Electric Violin?

Can Beginners Learn Violin on an Electric Violin?

If you are thinking about learning the violin, you might be wondering “can I learn to play violin on an electric violin?” While you technically could learn violin on an electric violin, I would recommend against beginners starting off with an electric violin. Why? It all has to do with learning to produce a good tone.

Before we get into the specifics about tone, let’s talk about the three types of violins: acoustic, acoustic/electric, and electric.

What is the Difference Between Acoustic Violins, Acoustic/Electric Violins, and Electric Violins?

Acoustic violins have wooden bodies that naturally resonate and amplify the sound. The wooden body of an acoustic violin acts as a resonance chamber. Electric violins don’t have resonance chambers. They require an amplifier in order to be heard. Acoustic/Electric violins have the traditional wooden body, but they also have pick-ups and usually volume adjusters.

Should I start with electric or acoustic violin?

If you are just starting to learn violin, you should start with an acoustic violin. Acoustic violins allow you to hear the tone you are producing and make adjustments. Electric violins require an amplifier to produce a sound. Even then, the amplified sound is not natural and will make it difficult to learn to produce a good tone.

Producing a good tone with the violin is one of the most difficult skills to master. It requires the optimum amount of weight and speed transferred through the bow to the strings. How do you know if you have the right amount of weight and speed? The natural resonance chamber of an acoustic violin will tell you! If something sounds bad, you’ll hear it and be able to adjust. The effects added when playing with an electric violin (such as amplification, distortion, reverb, etc) make it difficult to hear and learn how to produce a good tone. An electric violin without an amplifier is so quiet that you won’t be able to gauge if you are doing the right things with your bow to produce a good tone.

What are the Disadvantages of an Electric Violin?

Electric violins require amplification to be heard, so if you don’t have an amplifier, the electric violin will be very quiet, and may not produce a sound at all. That means you won’t be able to hear everything you need to hear on an electric violin, making it much harder to learn.

The effects of amplification can also distort the natural sound of the violin and hide mistakes with intonation and bowing.

Is Electric Violin Easier than Acoustic Violin?

No! It is much easier to learn to play on an acoustic violin. With an electric violin, it can be difficult if not impossible to learn to produce a good tone. If you are a beginner violinist, you should learn to play on an acoustic violin.

I’m worried about my neighbors. Should I learn to play on an electric violin?

Electric violins are quieter than acoustic violins since they don’t have resonance chambers and rely on amplifiers to produce a sound. An electric violin without an amplifier has a very quiet sound or it may not produce a sound at all. If you are worried about disturbing your neighbors while you learn to play the violin, you can get a practice mute for your acoustic violin which significantly reduces the sound. Beginner violinists should avoid electric violins until you learn the basics of tone production and intonation. The sound of an acoustic violin can be dampened with a practice mute, but you still have the option of removing the practice mute when you’re not worried about disturbing anyone.

I’m worried about being heard when playing with large groups. Should I get an acoustic/electric violin?

A good quality acoustic violin can actually produce a very loud sound once you learn the basics of tone production. If you need to be heard over other louder instruments or in large venues, you can always mic an acoustic violin.

Acoustic/Electric violins are usually more expensive than their counterpart acoustic violins. If you are a beginner, I would recommend putting that extra money towards a better acoustic violin rather than purchasing an acoustic/electric violin. You can always mic an acoustic violin if you need to be louder. If you regularly play at large venues, for large crowds, or with other amplified instruments, then buying an electric violin or an acoustic/electric violin is probably worth the extra money.

Purchasing your first violin can be overwhelming! Do you need more help choosing your first violin? Check out my top 10 violins for beginners.

Happy Practicing!

Easy Patriotic Songs for Violin Sheet Music

Are you looking for easy patriotic violin songs? Maybe some violin songs for July 4th? Look no further. I’ve collected the most popular patriotic songs and arranged them for the violin so they are easy to play. Scroll down for some easy patriotic songs on the violin!

If you want to download and print all of this music, as well as more patriotic songs for violin, you can with my Online Studio Membership, where you’ll get access to all of my courses and my Sheet Music Library (a collection of over 150 easy, intermediate, and advanced violin songs). Learn more about becoming part of my online studio here!

1. Marines Hymns Violin Sheet Music

2. Anchors Aweigh Violin Sheet Music

Go Navy! Enjoy playing the Navy song on the violin, Anchors Aweigh!

3. The Wild Blue Yonder Violin Sheet Music

Okay, this might not be the easiest easy patriotic violin song, but I did the best I could to make it “easier.” You know how it goes, so enjoy playing the Air Force Song on the Violin!

4. The Army Goes Rolling Along

5. America the Beautiful Violin Sheet Music

6. My Country Tis of Thee Violin Sheet Music

7. Star-Spangled Banner Easy Violin Sheet Music

I don’t know if the Star Spangled Banner is every easy, but I made it as easy as I could for violin by transposing into the key of G major. Have fun playing the Star-Spangled Banner on the violin this 4th of July!

How to Play Minuet No. 1 By Bach on the Violin (Free Sheet Music)

Minuet No. 1 by J.S. Bach is a great song for violin and I’m going to show you how to play this charming classical piece on the violin Scroll down to download the free violin sheet music for Minuet No. 1 by Bach and watch the video tutorial on how to play Minuet No.1 on the violin.

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Key Signature for Bach Minuet No. 1 on the Violin

What key is Minuet No. 1 in? G major! That means one sharp, F#. Think “high two, high two, low two, low two” for your finger pattern. High 2nd finger on the G and D strings and low 2nd finger on the A and E strings.

What Time Signature is Minuet No. 1 In?

3/4 time! Remember Minuet is a type of dance, so imagine dancing to this song and you’ll get a feel for 3/4 time.

For more information on time signatures, check out my course Music Theory for Violinists: Everything You Need to Know for Note Reading, Rhythm, and Music Notation. ver 6 and a half hours of lessons to answer all of your questions on music theory!

Want In-Depth Tutorials on Every Song in Suzuki Book 1?

I’ll teach you everything you need to know to master every song in Suzuki Book 1. I teach you rhythm, song construction, phrasing and dynamics, bow preparation, as well as measure by measure tutorials, play-along tracks, and duets! Check out the full course here.

Minuet No.1 By Bach Free Violin Sheet Music

Click here to download your free copy of Minuet No.1 by Bach for the Violin plus the scale warm-up.

10 Easy Violin Songs for Beginners (With Sheet Music)

If you are ready to start playing violin, you will need some easy violin songs for beginners with sheet music!

I’ve complied 10 of my favorite easy violin songs for brand new beginners. These are songs that I teach all of my violin students. You’ll also find that all of these easy to play songs come with easy violin sheet music PDFS! You can view all fo the sheet music here. If you want to download and print my complete book, “Easy Songs for Violin,” you can get it for free! Just sign up for my newsletter below and I’ll send you the free easy violin sheet music PDF as well as some other freebies!

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What are the Notes and Finger Numbers for Every Note in First Position on the Violin?

First let’s start off with a picture of all the notes, their names, and their finger numbers for every string on the violin. This will help you when it comes to learning easy beginner violin songs.

The Standard Finger Pattern For Violin

Almost all of these easy violin songs will have what I call the standard finger pattern for violin. The standard finger pattern is the first finger pattern you learn, in which there’s a whole step in between 1st and 2nd finger and a half step in between 2nd and 3rd finger. That means 2nd and 3rd fingers will touch. We’ll change it up a little bit towards the end!

Okay, let’s start talking about the best violin songs for beginners! We’ll start off with some easy to recognize songs that are perfect if you are just starting to learn violin.

1. Hot Cross Buns

I know every method book and teacher starts off Hot Cross Buns. There’s a reason! This song is super easy to play on the violin since it only uses two fingers. You can literally start playing it in less than a few minutes, even if you know nothing about the violin!

It will start on 2nd finger. Make sure you “prepare” your fingers by building up to 2nd finger. I’ll show you how. You can play Hot Cross Buns on any string, the finger numbers and pattern will be the exact same.

I suggest playing these with pizzicato (plucking the strings) if you are a brand new beginner. That way you can focus on the left hand. This is a great violin plucking song if you are just starting out.

Download this easy violin song PDF ebook here.

2. Mary Had a Little Lamb

This is another really easy violin song for beginners because it also only uses 2 fingers. You can play the entire song with just your 1st finger, 2nd finger and an open string. Try playing this easy violin song on any string, the finger patterns will be the same. Keep playing pizzicato if you are a violin beginner. This is another great violin plucking song for brand new violinists.

Download this easy violin song PDF ebook here.

3. Boil Them Cabbage Down

Now to a really fun and easy song that sounds great on the violin! Boil Them Cabbage is a wonderful easy violin folk song that is super easy to play, but has a lot of room for adding in fun things like double stops and tags (extra notes at the end). This is one of those easy violin songs that sounds impressive as you get it faster and faster. Let’s start with the sheet music!

In this song, you’re going to start using your third finger. Remember, the third finger will go right next to 2nd finger. Again, you can play this super easy fiddle song on any string, it’s the same finger pattern. I also suggest starting off playing this pizzicato so it is another violin plucking song!

Download this easy violin song PDF ebook here.

4. Go Tell Aunt Rhodie

This is another popular song to play on the violin. This great easy violin folk song is the first song in which we start playing on two different strings. If you need help with string crossings, watch this.

Download this easy violin song PDF ebook here.

5. Lightly Row

As you start playing this easy to learn violin song, I want you to try and start leaving fingers down if you can. Think about those first two measures. There’s no reason to lift off your 2nd finger in between measure one and two. Just leave the 2 down and put the 3 right next to it. As you leave fingers down, you might start to have trouble with your left hand fingers hitting other strings. Watch this video to solve those problems!

If you want a complete tutorial on this song, it’s included in my Suzuki Violin Book One Tutorials.

Download this easy violin song PDF ebook here.

6. Frere Jacques

In this fun little violin folk tune, you’ll start using eighth notes more. Eighth notes are twice as fast as quarter notes. Learn more about music theory here.

Download this easy violin song PDF ebook here.

7. Ode to Joy

Ode to Joy is one of the best easy to learn violin songs for beginners. This is when you really start getting into classical style pieces. You can start using longer bows and more weight to get a good tone. When you get comfortable using lots of bow with a good tone, this is one of those easy violin songs that sounds impressive.

I suggest using 4th finger when you can. Don’t wait to introduce this finger. Using 4th finger will help you get a straight wrist. Here’s some tips on getting that pesky pinky in tune.

Download this easy violin song PDF ebook here.

8. Can-Can

This has to be one of the funnest easy violin songs to play. Once you learn it, try getting it faster and faster and faster. It will sound really impressive and you won’t stop playing your violin!

If you want a complete tutorial on this song, this is one of the many song tutorials in my Complete Beginner’s Violin Course.

Download this easy violin song PDF ebook here.

9. French Folk Song

This sweet little violin folk song is so much fun to play on the violin, and it’s very easy to learn. This song is in 3/4 time. It might be one of the first times you’ve seen this time signature in beginner violin sheet music. It’s just three beats in a measure instead of 2 or 4, but you’ll notice songs with this time signature have a lilting, dance-like quality to them. Enjoy one of my favorite easy violin folk songs!

Download this easy violin song PDF ebook here.

10. Buffalo Gals

Next in our list of 10 best easy violin songs for beginners is one of my favorites, Buffalo Gals. This easy violin folk song has one tricky little rhythm, but if you know how it goes, it will be fun and easy to play. I love this song because it’s an easy violin song that sounds impressive.

That one tricky measure is in measure 10, where the single eighth note comes first. Just play that single eighth note very quick using a small amount of bow.

Download this easy violin song PDF ebook here.

I hope you enjoyed my top 10 best easy violin songs for beginners! When you’re ready, check out these other great violin resources for beginners

• Learn Violin (or Refresh the Basics) in One Hour with a Free Course

• 60 Songs for the Violin

What Makes Violin Hard to Learn?

If you are thinking about learning violin, you might be asking yourself, “How hard is it to learn violin?” You may have heard that violin is the hardest instrument to learn. Or maybe you’ve heard that it has a steep learning curve.

The violin has garnered a reputation as a beast of an instrument to learn. While the violin is challenging, I believe this reputation has partly been allowed to thrive due to several reasons that have nothing to do with the violin itself.

So my answer to the question, “Is violin hard to learn?” is very different than other violin teacher’s opinions. I feel like I have a unique perspective due to my background to be able to answer this question for prospective adult learners. Why? Because unlike most professional violinists, I started learning violin at age 15. I was essentially an adult. (Learn more about my journey to learning the violin here).

Starting violin as an adult means I understand the emotions and ups and downs of learning violin from an adult’s perspective.

Before I answer the question, “is violin difficult to learn,” first, let’s talk about the common reasons people think learning violin is so hard (or harder than learning other instruments). And then I’ll tell you why I think these factors are exacerbated!

What Makes the Violin Hard to Learn?

There are two reasons people think violin is hard to learn. First, because there are no frets and secondly because it can be difficult to produce a good tone. Let’s break each item down.

1. No Frets

   You’ve probably heard over and over again that the violin is hard to learn because there’s nothing to show you where to put your fingers on the fingerboard! Let me ask you this, how can a visual cue help you with an auditory skill? I’m not sure either.

   Learning the violin is simply different then learning other instruments, not necessarily harder. Piano or guitar allows you to use your eyes to help you play the correct pitch. You can essentially “get by” for a long time without being forced to use your ears. With the violin, you are relying on your ears, or you should be. While that seems like it would be hard, it’s really not if you know what you’re listening for.

   In fact, I can teach you where to put every finger on the violin fingerboard using only your ears in about 10 minutes. Of course, if you use tapes or stickers you could know where to put your finger in a few seconds. But would it be perfectly in tune? Probably not!

   One reason people think the violin is hard to learn is because they aren’t taught correctly from the start. They’re taught to use their eyes to learn to play an instrument, which I equate with hiring a musician to do your taxes. It just doesn’t work.

   If you’re using finger tapes and visual cues to try to place your fingers on the violin, it may be easier at first, but you will struggle in the long-run. So, start learning the right way and teach your ear to be in control!

2. It’s Hard to Make a Good Sound

Sure, you can plop a finger down on a piano keyboard and immediately get an evenly produced tone. Producing an even tone on the violin is…not quite the same. We use the bow to draw horsehair across the string to get the string vibrating to produce a tone. That leaves a lot open to variation and potentially incorrect technique.

For instance, use too much bow weight (or pressure) or not enough and you might not get a good sound. Move the bow too fast or too slow with the incorrect amount of weight, and you’ll also get something undesirable.

There’s lots of variation. But it’s this variation that also allows for an infinite array of tonal colors, dynamics, moods, and emotions. Sure, a master pianist can bring out colors as well. However, I played piano for over 15 years and could never even begin to bring out the sounds and colors in music like I could after only a few years with the violin.

People who like to say the violin is difficult to learn often state this issue with producing tone is what makes the violin so hard. Once again, I want to chock this up to not approaching the technique correctly.

To learn the violin, you have to divide techniques into easy to manage sections. Try to conquer everything at once and you’ll easily get frustrated. With my method of teaching, I start by teaching small, easy to manage tasks, like just keeping the bow straight (without even using the violin). Once you get the basics of how it feels, we move on to just using a few inches of bow right at the middle. When you’re good with that, we move on to different parts of the bow. It’s a challenge, but it’s not impossible when you approach it the right way!

Does the Violin Have a Steep Learning Curve?

Violin is considered to have a steeper learning curve compared to other instruments because it can be difficult to produce a good tone. Producing a tone is essentially the basis of playing any instrument. With many other instruments, the tone produced is dependent on the instrument itself! If you have a decent piano that is in tune, your tone will be good.

This is not necessarily so with the violin. While a good violin and bow definitely affects the tone, so does the violinist’s technique and muscle control. This is why it may seem harder to learn violin at first, compared with other instruments.

But again, it’s this variability that I think lends to the violin’s allure. As a musician, you have much more control over the sound produced than you do with guitar or piano. Yes, it may be a challenge to produce that sound at first, but once you learn the basics of sound production, the violin opens up possibilities like no other instrument! Which brings me to my next point.

What Makes the Violin Hard is Also What Makes it Amazing

The two things that make the violin hard (no frets and sound production) also offer endless possibilities and variation. For many instruments, pitch placement and sound production are determined by the instrument itself. Clarinets come with certain keys, guitars come with frets, trumpets come with buttons. With violin, you have control over these aspects. You can bend the pitch, slide back and forth between notes, and add in slides and other left hand effects for ornamentation.

With sound production, the possibilities are even more endless. Using the variables of bow speed, bow weight (how much pressure you put into the string), and contact point (where the bow touches the string in relation to the bridge or fingerboard), you can get an endless array of tonal colors. Soft and sad? Yep, there’s a combination for that. How about soft and spooky? Luscious and overflowing? Romantic and passionate? Angry or militant? Yep, yep, yep. You can make all of those sounds and more just by changing a few variables. Trust me, you’ll never get bored with the bow once you realize its possibilities.

Equipment Affects How Hard or Easy the Violin is To Learn

Here’s a big one that is often overlooked when talking about how hard the violin is to learn. Equipment makes a huge difference! Buy a cheap VSO (violin-shaped-object) and you find violin very hard to learn. Tone production will be a struggle because the violin, bow, and strings are cheaply made. A violin’s sound is dependent on the quality of wood and the amount of time it has been dried. VSOs can often be impossible to tune due to cheaply made pegs or strings.

A well-made, quality violin can be the difference between loving and hating the violin. Check out my top 10 Violins for Beginners to avoid all the frustration of VSOs!

Is Violin Harder Than Piano? Is Violin Harder Than Guitar?

I played both of these instruments at a somewhat advanced level before I started playing violin so I think I can answer this question. I personally believe it is equally hard to master any instrument. Yes, producing a tone is harder on the violin but moving beyond the basics on guitar or piano is equally challenging. I played piano for over 15 years and could never get comfortable reading two lines of music at once. My brain just couldn’t handle it!

While piano and guitar may be considered the “easier” instruments to learn, after I picked up the violin, I barely ever touched the other instruments ever again. Not because I don’t love piano and guitar, but because the violin lured me in and wouldn’t let me go.

If you’re someone who has played multiple instruments, I definitely suggest learning the violin. There is something different about learning violin that makes it a challenge, but also incredibly rewarding and alluring.

Is the Violin Hard to Learn?

Let’s get back to the original question. How hard is the violin to learn? In my opinion, the violin is not harder to learn than any other instrument. The thing that is different about the violin is that the violin has a low threshold for frustration.

There is so much going on with the violin, that it can be easy to get frustrated if you don’t have a plan to overcome that frustration. I don’t ever recall having a soul-searching moment after strumming some bad chords on the guitar. But I definitely recall some soul-searching after some frustrating practice sessions on the violin!

What makes the violin hard to learn? You! The biggest struggle with playing violin is overcoming the mental frustrations you impose on yourself.

Once you realize this, you'll understand your greatest obstacle in achieving your dreams is your own mind.

Yes, learning the violin can be hard. But learning anything worth learning is also hard. Of course, you’ll never know if you don’t try!

If you are interested in learning to play the violin, check out these helpful resources below. Happy Practicing!

• Learn to Play Violin in 20 Steps

• Can You Teach Yourself to Play Violin?

• Am I Too Old To Learn Violin?

When you’re ready to start learning the violin, sign up for my free beginner’s course to help you get started! Sign-up here!

How to Play Irish Washerwoman on the Violin (Free Sheet Music)

Irish Washerwoman is a great song for violin and I’m going to show you how to play this awesome fiddle tune! Scroll down to download the free violin sheet music for Irish Washerwoman and watch the video tutorial on how to play Irish Washerwoman on the violin.

Key Signature for Irish Washerwoman on the Violin

What key is Irish Washerwoman in? G major! That means one sharp, F#. Think “high two, high two, low two, low two” for your finger pattern. For more help with key signatures, check out my complete scales course with over 150 lessons on scales.

What Time Signature is Irish Washerwoman In?

Irish Washerwoman is in 6/8 time. This time signature is very common for Irish jigs. It means the 8th note gets the beat and there are six 8th notes in a measure. The good thing with Irish Washerwoman is that it’s almost all 8th notes! So the rhythm doesn’t change much.

For more information on time signatures, check out my course Music Theory for Violinists: Everything You Need to Know for Note Reading, Rhythm, and Music Notation. ver 6 and a half hours of lessons to answer all of your questions on music theory!

How to Get Irish Washerwoman Faster on the Violin

The trick to getting Irish Washerwoman faster on the violin is a trick I call “playing in a circle.” Play one measure at a time very slowly but repeat that one measure, like playing in a loop or circle. Once you can play it cleanly at a slow tempo, gradually speed each measure up.

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Irish Washerwoman Free Violin Sheet Music

Click here to download your free copy of Irish Washerwoman for the Violin plus the scale warm-up.

Learn to Play Violin in 20 Steps

If you are thinking you want to learn to play violin, get ready for a journey that will literally change your life. I dabbled in many instruments growing up: piano, harmonica, trumpet, guitar, but nothing grabbed me and wouldn't let go like the violin.

Learning to play the violin is not a just a hobby, it’s a way of life. You don’t have to have a degree in music to be a violinist, you just have to play violin!

My journey in learning to play the violin was not standard, but through it all I learned how to love this amazing instrument. While I had many teachers while I was learning, the majority of the time I spent alone in a practice room, teaching myself to play violin. Whether you have a teacher or not, if you want to learn to play violin, you have to learn to teach yourself how to play violin. The best learners are the ones who can teach themselves.

You may also be wondering if you’re too late to learn to play violin. I have a strong opinion about learning to play violin as an adult and I think I have authority (due to my circumstances) to answer this question. Check out my advice for adult beginners here and put this question to rest once and for all.

While learning the violin takes dedication and time, it’s incredibly rewarding. After teaching violin for over 15 years, I’ve developed 20 steps to help you learn to play violin by yourself and become the violinist you’ve always dreamed of being.

Download Your Free “Learn to Play Violin” Checklist

Click here to download your checklist.

1. Buy a Violin (Not a VSO)

Your first step in learning violin on your own is to purchase or rent a violin. This may seem like an easy first step but it can be deceptively overwhelming. Where do you buy a violin? How much should you spend on a violin? How do you know if it’s a good violin?

Unfortunately there are a lot of VSO’s (violin-shaped-objects) out there masquerading as real violins. I know because for years almost every new violin student would come to their first violin lesson with a VSO. VSO’s are cheaply made, sometimes impossible to tune, have inferior strings and inferior bows, and usually sound scratchy no matter how well you play.

I watched so many of my students get frustrated with the money and time they wasted on VSO’s that I wrote my very first blog post. Helping people find good quality instruments was the first mission of Meadowlark Violin and it still is a priority!

You may watch videos of professional violinists playing these $60 violins, but don’t be deceived. We’re working hard to make those violins sound decent. As a beginner learning violin yourself, you shouldn’t have to fight to get a good sound.

I wrote a detailed guide to help you find a real violin. Real violins aren’t that expensive. You can find a decent one with a bow and a case for as low as $250ish.

Read my recommendations for the 10 Best Violins for Beginners, plus get all the information you need about violin sizing, renting vs. buying, and more.

2. Buy a Shoulder Rest (And Any Other Equipment)

Repeat this step until you find a comfortable shoulder rest! A shoulder rest helps you keep the violin on your shoulder. (The back of the violin is curved and smooth, not ideal for staying right over your collar bone). Your violin probably comes with a bow and a case. It may even come with a shoulder rest.

Adjusting your shoulder rest correctly is one of the best things you can do for tension-free playing. Everyone has a unique body type, so finding a shoulder rest that is perfect for you may take some trial and error. Here are my top picks for shoulder rests that usually work with most body types.

If your violin outfit comes with a case, bow, and rosin (it should), you really don’t need any other equipment to get started.

I teach all of my students how to play violin without looking at sheet music (even if you know how to read music). That way you can focus entirely on the various different tasks that each hand is doing in addition to focusing on what your ear is telling you. If you are teaching yourself violin, don’t get caught up or distracted with what your eyes are telling you. So you won’t need a music stand to start off, but eventually when you start reading music, you’ll want a good, sturdy one so you don’t develop bad posture.

Eventually, you might want to upgrade to better rosin. The rosin that comes with your violin (if it’s a real violin and not a VSO) will probably be good enough for beginner violinists.

3. Start Listening to Music Voraciously

Do you notice I place this step before you even touch a violin? Listening to violin and fiddle music is literally the best, cheapest, and easiest step to learning violin yourself! Playing violin is all about developing ear training and there’s no better way to do that than to listen to music. If you are learning to play violin yourself, you’ve probably noticed there are dozens of styles of violin playing: classical, fiddle, Irish, gypsy….the list goes on. Listening to music will help you stay motivated as you learn to play violin.

Check out my playlist of Music I Can’t Live Without to get some ideas.

4. Sign Up for a Self-Taught Beginner’s Violin Course

It may be tempting to piece together a lot of Youtube videos to teach yourself violin, but this is a recipe for disaster and frustration. You’ll learn violin by random tidbits and never get a complete picture. If you’re learning violin by yourself, you’re likely to skip over important concepts that you will need later on. It’s frustrating to have to backtrack, so start out learning violin basics the right way.

My free beginner’s violin course has all the information you need to get started learning violin. From purchasing a violin, to tuning the violin, you’ll also learn the left hand notes, how to hold the bow, how to bow on the violin, plus and easy song. All of that in a little over an hour of instruction!

It’s totally free because it’s my mission to help as many people as possible learn to play violin! Sign up here.

5. Learn to Tune

Once you get your violin, the first task will be tuning the strings. Tuning is an art in itself. If you purchased a real violin and not a VSO, this step will be so much easier. In my free “Learn to Play Violin” course, I’ll show you the basics. You’ll also need a free tuning app.

6. Put on Your Shoulder Rest and Get it Adjusted

Learning to play violin yourself means constantly evaluating your playing and your body comfort level. Getting the shoulder rest adjusted comfortably is a big part of playing violin without tension. I’ll show you how you can easily put your shoulder rest on and adjust your shoulder rest in my free beginner’s course.

7. Separate the Left and Right Hands

Violin can be hard because the left and right hands are doing totally different things. If you are teaching yourself violin, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is trying to do everything at once. I always teach the left hand by itself (with pizzicato or plucking the strings) then I teach the bow hand by itself. As you get comfortable with each hand you can combine them. Learn to play violin in easy to master steps as opposed to trying to conquer everything at once. You’ll be less likely to get frustrated and make faster progress.

8. Focus on Ear Training Not Sight Training

If you are learning to play violin, you’ve probably noticed that there are no frets on a violin fingerboard! How do you know where to place your fingers? By ear! This may seem hard, but I can teach you how to place your first finger correctly without finger tapes in about a minute.

Finger decals may seem like an easy fix if you are teaching yourself violin, but they can actually harm your progress in the long run.

Finger tapes force you to rely on your eye sight. That means finger tapes cause you to use your eyes for a completely auditory skill! Why would you let your eyes tell your ears if you are in tune? It’s kind of like hiring a musician to do your taxes. It just doesn’t make sense.

One reason people who learn violin on their own get frustrated as they progress to the higher levels is because their ear is not up to par with the rest of their playing, because they never asked their ear to do anything! Then you have to start all over and teach your ear the basics.

With my method, I start teaching your ear to be in control from the very beginning. Don’t rely on visual cues for auditory skills. You’ll be happier with the results.

9. Practice Every Day (or Most Days)

If you want to learn violin yourself, it’s important to practice regularly. I do suggest taking one day off a week to refresh, but you should make it a goal to practice all the other days. It’s better to practice 30 minutes every day rather than two hours once a week.

10. Set Up a Practice Routine (And Stick With It)

If you are going to teach yourself violin, you have to be your own teacher, which means you need to hold your practice routine to a high standard! This is the ultimate key to success in my opinion. People who are learning to play violin get easily frustrated and feel like they never make progress if they don’t have a practice routine. That’s because they play a little of this and a little of that. When they hear a new song they want to learn they drop everything else and do that for a while until something else catches their ear. It’s impossible to make progress like that.

Getting a practice routine will help you make small steps of progression and it will be easy for you to see the progression, which will make you want to practice more!

I’ve got a great guide to practicing violin for beginners. Check it out here.

11. Avoid the Common Bad Habits

While everyone is different, every violin student usually deals with the same set of issues. Crooked left wrist, locked right thumb…I could go on.

In my Complete Violin Beginner’s course, I cover all of the bad habits I’ve seen from teaching violin for 15+ years. Learn the bad habits you need to avoid before they even become an issue!

11. Get Feedback

If you want to teach yourself violin, you can! With today’s technology it’s totally possible to learn violin completely on your own. However, it’s also important to get feedback. Sure, you can post videos on the internet and let the whole wide world offer you suggestions, or you can get feedback from a real, live, violin teacher. Even if you are learning violin on your own, getting your questions answered in a timely manner is important to making progress. With my Online Studio, you can post questions, videos, and pictures and get immediate feedback from me, a real-live-violin teacher. Easy peasy!

12. Go Slow

This is literally the best piece of advice I could give to someone wanting to learn violin. There is no timeline. Take it easy and go slow. You should go slow mentally but also physically. You should play slowly. How slow? Think if you were trying to annoy someone playing really, really, really, slowly. Yes, that slow. I still practice that slowly. I would be a better player now if my 15-year-old-self had practiced that slowly.

13. Know that the Bow is Everything

It’s easy to focus on the left hand, but as you teach yourself violin, you’ll soon realize that the bow is everything! It’s how you make things louder and softer, how you add phrasing and dynamics. It’s your tone, the very heart and soul of your playing. Most teach-yourself violin courses don’t focus nearly enough on the bow, but I start out from the beginning teaching you the fundamentals you need to be successful with the bow.

14. Find Community

Successfully learning violin yourself means you need to stay motivated. Learning violin can be frustrating so it’s very important to have a community of people like you to help you through the struggles. When you join the Meadowlark Violin Online Studio, you get an exclusive community filled with people just like you!

15. Learn to be a Detective

Teaching yourself violin is possible especially if you can learn to be a detective. What does that mean? Don’t just play a tricky measure a million times until it starts to sound good. Stop. Think through a problem. What exactly is making it hard? Is it a left or right hand issue? Separate the hands (remember step #7? It’s still important). Learn to find the very kernel of the thing that is causing the issue. Fix the issues instead of fixing the symptoms and you’ll be able to move on quickly to the next thing.

This is what I do when I teach myself violin and when I teach others! Be a detective!

16. Simplify

When learning music, always simplify it as much as possible, especially if you are dealing with a tricky measure. Take away the difficult bowing, simplify the rhythm. Get it down to its bare bones and then you’ll be able to see what the real issue is.

17. Start Playing with Others

Joining a jam session, a community orchestra, a church group, or just playing along with friends is essential to staying motived if you are learning to play violin yourself. It might seem intimidating but you’ll find people just like you, people who love the violin!

18. Learning Violin is a Cycle

Learning to play violin, even if you are doing all of these steps, does not mean you’ll progress without ever hitting any snags. This is the cycle of learning to play violin.

You’ll make progress and then all of the sudden it will seem like you can’t do anything right. Everything will sound horrible. This plateau is not a bad thing! In fact, it’s a good thing. It usually means that your ear is progressing. Little inadequacies with your intonation (how well you play in tune) or your tone will start to bother you. That’s great! It doesn’t mean that all of the sudden you are having those issues. You probably always played like that, but now you are hearing and picking up on more things than you did before. Give your ear a pat on its proverbially back. It’s doing its job.

When you realize learning violin is a cycle, you’ll reach those plateaus, understand what’s going on, learn to fix the issues, and then continue to make progress.

19. Have a Clear Path for Progression

Okay, so you’ve taught yourself the basics of the violin. What next? If you are learning violin on your own, you are in charge of your next steps, and that can be overwhelming. You might find you are just swimming around in a whirlpool doing the same things and never getting better and learning “the next thing.”

Having a clear path for progression is vital if you want to teach yourself violin. My online membership makes that path clear for you so you don’t have to continuously think, “What do I do next?”

Here’s some of the courses for beginners in my online membership

-Complete Beginner’s Course. Over 6 hours of instruction to take you from knowing nothing to understanding advanced concepts like “low 2” and how to bow in the upper and lower half of the bow. I’ll teach you this all by ear so you can teach your ear to be in control.

-Music Theory for Violinists. This course will teach you how to read music, how to understand rhythm and key signatures, plus anything else you ever wanted to know about music theory. It’s your go-to guide if you have questions about anything music theory related. No more googling, “what’s that squiggly line above that note?” I’ve got the answers.

-Suzuki Book I and Book II tutorials. The Suzuki books are not just for kids, nor are they for people that just want to learn classical music. Suzuki is great for fiddlers too. I don’t teach the Suzuki method, I teach the Lora method. These books have beautiful little songs to help you progress from beginner to advanced player. I’ll teach you all of the songs. It’s like having a private lesson with me because I teach you everything you need to know. There’s play-along tracks and duets to make playing fun. Talk about clear progression.

-Creative Scales for the Experimental Violinist. My scales course will take you through at least a year of guided scale practice. You’ll learn every scale beginner and intermediate violinist use as well as new bow techniques with every scale.

-Song Tutorials. Spice up your playing with fiddle tutorials, like Ashokan Farewell, hymn lessons, and tutorials for classical music pieces.

-Sheet Music library. No more looking up free sheet music online. My sheet music library has over 125 songs categorized by skill level, ready for you to print and download.

-Intermediate Courses. When you’re ready, learn third position and vibrato. It’s all here for you.

In addition there’s live lessons, community forum, and so much more. Learn more here!

20. Don’t Give Up

My last piece of advice may seem obvious, but if you want to play violin, you have to play violin. Violin can be hard, but anything worth having in this world usually takes some effort. The more effort it takes, the more it’s worth it. When you learn to play violin and start telling others that you play, you’ll usually hear one of two responses. Either, “I’ve always wanted to play violin.” Or “I used to play violin…” Don’t be either of those two people. If this is what you want to do, you can do it. You can teach yourself violin and play the music you love. You just have to pick up the violin and start playing.

Comment below and let me know what you think. Are you ready to learn violin?!

Happy Practicing!

~Lora

Download Your Free “Learn to Play Violin” Checklist

Click here to download your checklist.

Can You Teach Yourself to Play Violin? Yes, Here's 3 Reasons Why!

If you want to learn to play violin, you may be asking yourself, “Can I teach myself to play violin?” “Do I need a private teacher to play violin?” I’ve been a violin teacher for over 15 years and my opinion on this subject has drastically changed in that amount of time.

If you had asked me 15 years ago if you can teach yourself violin, I would have said an immediate no. But the technology (and my mindset) has changed so much over the last decade that I now firmly believe you can teach yourself to play violin and be successful at it!

Fifteen years ago I would also have said that you must have IN-PERSON violin lessons to be successful. Well, that was before I started teaching exclusively online violin lessons. I learned very quickly that a good violin teacher can see, hear, understand, and teach a student just as well in an online setting as in an in-person lesson.Then I began to realize a couple things that made me understand how students could teach themselves the violin with the resources available online.

But perhaps the biggest reason I changed my mind on this subject was the realization of how I truly learned to play the violin…read on to find out more!

Download Your Free “Learn to Play Violin” Checklist! Click here to download your checklist.

3 Reasons You Can Teach Yourself Violin

1. Everyone is unique, but everyone also deals with the same common problems.

As I taught more and more students I began to see the same problems and bad habits arising with every student, whether they were 8 or 80. I realized I could record a few lessons about these common bad habits that all violin students face, send them out to my students, and then have more time to spend on other topics in their private violin lessons. (Here’s an example)

This worked tremendously well. First off, I was spending less time teaching the same thing over and over again. Secondly, students were able to realize what bad habits might creep up BEFORE those bad habits even developed. Win win for everyone.

2. Technology Makes it Possible to Teach Yourself Violin

This is a pretty obvious statement, but with my experience recording lessons for students to watch on their own time, I realized the possibilities technology offered in violin instruction.

In private violin lessons, there is never enough time to teach a student absolutely everything they need to know about a subject. Learning violin involves not only learning how to place the fingers and bow, but understanding music theory, ear training, relaxation, posture, motivation, practicing, and so many other topics.

There was never enough time to teach students all the required information. I finished every 30 minute lesson trying to cram as much information in as possible, always feeling like I had never explained everything to the degree it needed to be explained.

Here’s where technology came in again and made learning violin by yourself possible.

With private violin lessons, I often spent the first lesson talking about the same things: how to tune the violin, how to put on the shoulder rest, what the names of the violin strings were, the parts of the violin ,etc. That usually took up an entire 30 minutes (and $40 of the students’ money). These lessons were usually pretty one-sided, with me doing most of the explaining and the students occasionally asking questions.

What if I could record all of those topics, send them to my students, and have them show up for the first lesson with their violin tuned, their shoulder rest on the violin, and ready to learn their first song? I would save them $40 and I would get to spend more time teaching them new things and saving more time for their questions. Another win for everyone around!

I began recording song tutorials with this same method and I realized I could take as much time as I needed to explain every aspect, every measure, every rhythm, every intonation problem, every “gotcha,” ever slur, every dynamic, everything a student would need to be successful learning that song.

Suddenly, private violin lessons didn’t seem that necessary when my collection of recordings covered every topic a beginner violin student would deal with, and in much more detail than any private lesson could provide.

Okay, time to rethink my staunch opinion on whether or not you can teach yourself to play violin. But there was one other reason that made me see it all in a new light.

#3 The Best Learners Are Their Own Teachers

What made some of my private students more successful at learning the violin than others? It wasn’t natural ability or talent. It wasn’t even dedication or a solid practice routine (although those things definitely helped). The reason some students progressed faster than others was that some students were simply better at teaching themselves.

Think about it, even if you take a private lesson every week, for every other day, every other minute your practice, you are your own teacher! Even if you are a brand new beginner, you are constantly evaluating what you are doing and coming up with ways to do it better!

That’s exactly what I do as a violin teacher.

It made me think of my first week after finishing graduate school. For the first time in over a decade, I no longer had formal violin lessons. It was a strange feeling, at one point incredibly freeing and on the other hand, very confusing.

What should I practice? How would I continue to make progress now that I was learning violin on my own? I soon discovered that when I became my own teacher, I began to analyze and understand my playing in ways I hadn’t been able to when I took private lessons. Being my own teacher and teaching myself the violin made me a better player and a better teacher!

So yes, you can teach yourself to play violin. Not only can you teach yourself the basics, I think you can teach yourself intermediate and advanced skills. Maybe there should be some caveats with that. Learning violin on your own is not for everyone and there’s definitely right ways and wrong ways to teach yourself violin.

Learning violin on your own might work for you if you…

• Are self-motivated (Most adults are even if you don’t think you are. How do you know you’re self-motivated? Do you need cheap toys from Dollar General to bribe you to practice? No? Okay, you’re more motivated than 90% of children. Congratulations. You probably have the motivation to learn violin yourself.)

• Have personal discipline (Teaching yourself violin means practicing every day (or at least most days)

• Have the time to analyze problems on your own (this can be better although sometimes more time-consuming than someone telling you your problems)

• Can organize your time

• Enjoy moderate challenges

• Don’t have time for private lessons or don’t live near any violin teachers

Learning violin on your own is not for you if you…

• Don’t like to push yourself

• Have trouble focusing

• Don’t like practicing by yourself

• Have trouble sticking with a routine

• Want to play at Carnegie Hall

How to Teach Yourself Violin (The Dos and Don’ts of Learning Violin on Your Own)

Okay, you’ve decided you can teach yourself violin. Great! There’s a couple things you should watch out for and a couple things you should do to make learning the violin on your own easier.

1. Don’t Piece Together Lessons on Youtube. Find a Self-Taught Course with Meaningful Progression.

Probably the biggest issues students face when trying to teach themselves to play violin is dabbling in this and that and never learning anything in a meaningful progression. That’s a recipe for frustration. You’re also going to miss out on valuable lessons that you need to understand for advanced concepts and you may develop bad habits along the way. This is where teaching yourself to play violin can be disastrous.

How to avoid that frustration? Find a self-taught violin course that will show you all the fundamentals in an easy to follow progression.

Ahem. Um, yes you know what I’m about to say. I have some options for you when it comes to “teach yourself violin” courses. And yes, they happen to be my courses. What a coincidence!

My “Learn Violin in One Hour” course is over an of instruction on literally everything you need to know to get started. I’ll cover topics like how to choose a good violin, how to tune your violin, how to put on the shoulder rest, how to adjust the shoulder rest, how to hold the bow, how to play the left hand fingers, how to play violin easily without finger tapes, and an easy song. Yes, all in an hour.

Best of all, it’s totally free! Why? Because it’s my mission to make it easier for people to teach themselves violin. As a violin teacher I’ve also struggled for years helping students who didn't get a good start with the fundamentals. Having to relearn the basics can be frustrating so I want you to have the best possible start. Trust me, if there are fewer students out there with stiff bow holds, I’ll be a happier person. Sign up for the free course here.

2. Get a Practice Routine and Stick With It!!

Setting up a good practice routine is probably the next best thing you can do to be successful at teaching yourself violin. I’ve got lots of advice on how to set up a good practice routine.

Click here to read and watch my ultimate practice guide for violin beginners (and intermediate and advanced players and anyone else who practices anything!)

3. Commit to Practicing Every Day (or at Least Most Days)

If you can practice every day, even for a small amount of time, you’ll make progress and be able to learn violin on your own. Regular practice is essential to learning this instrument. It’s better to practice ten minutes a day every day rather than two hours once a week.

Regular practice will help you continue to make progress which means you’ll want to practice more. This cycle is so important to staying motivated.

4. Learn to Be a Detective

To be your own violin teacher, you have to get down in the nitty-gritty of violin playing. If something doesn't sound right. Act like a detective. Don’t just play it again and again and again hoping for different outcomes (that’s the definition of a crazy person, right?)

Stop. Get out your proverbial magnifying glass. Is it a rhythm problem? A problem with note reading? A left hand problem? A right hand problem? Once you figure out what the issue is, you’ll be able to come up with a solution to fix it!

Common Questions About Teaching Yourself Violin

I don’t know how to read music. Can I teach myself violin?

Yep! In fact, I teach who to play violin basics without ever picking up a piece of sheet music. You’ll learn better, have better muscle memory and ear training if you learn the basics without looking at music. Trust me, there will be plenty of time to learn to read music and I’ll help you through it.

I used to play piano (or guitar, or any other instrument). Will it be easier to learn violin?

Any musical background will help you when it comes to learning violin on your own. But it’s definitely not a prerequisite. I have students that have never been involved with any sort of music making other than listening to the radio and they are phenomenal players.

Am I too old to learn violin?

Oh brother, do I have an opinion on this one. I believe my personal journey with learning violin gives me the authority to answer this question. I’ve got a whole blog on that topic! Read it here.

How Long Will it Take to Learn Violin?

The beautiful thing about the violin is that it is a journey that is never complete. That should be encouraging. No matter how much I progress, no matter how well I play, there’s always something else to learn, a new song to master, a new style of playing to discover.

But to answer your question, learning the basics totally depends on how much time you have to spend. (And whether or not you are spending that time the right way). An average player spending an average of 30 minutes a day practicing will be playing at an advanced beginner/intermediate level in around a year. What’s an advanced beginner/intermediate level? That means playing those songs you really like, like Swallowtail Jig, Ashokan Farewell, Irish Washerwoman, etc.

Summary

Teaching yourself to play violin is totally doable if you have the right mindset and the right resources.

What do you think? Are you ready to teach yourself violin? Read Learn to Play Violin in 20 Steps next.

Let me know in the comments below!

Happy Practicing

~Lora

Download Your Free “Learn to Play Violin” Checklist

Click here to download your checklist.

Am I Too Old To Learn Violin? A Violin Teacher's Opinion

You’ve always wanted to learn the violin, but now you’re asking yourself, “Am I too old to learn the violin?” Is there a point when it’s too late to learn the violin? Can adults even learn the violin?

I feel like I have a special authority to answer the question “Is it ever too late to learn violin” because I was an adult beginner. Well, adult-ish. Most professional violin teachers start anywhere from ages 2-10. I started playing violin when I was 15, which is unheard of. I was essentially an adult beginner.

I went from knowing nothing about violin to successfully auditioning, getting accepted, and receiving scholarships for several prominent University Music Programs. And I did all of that in less than 3 years!

So if anyone can answer your question, “Am I too old to learn the violin?” I can and the answer is NO!

While I may have had the disadvantage of lost time as an adult beginner, I had the advantage of an analytical mindset, dedication to practice, and a discerning ear. Three things that most 5 year-olds don’t have!

Here’s what I learned during my journey to learning the violin as an adult.

Download Your Free “Learn to Play Violin” Checklist Click here to download your checklist.

How to Learn Violin as an Adult

Set-Up a Daily Practice Routine and Stick With It

One of the benefits of being an adult violin beginner is the ability to organize and structure your time. Setting up a regular practice routine will help you make progress by allowing you to practice the same thing several days in a row.

Need more practicing tips? My 30 Day Practice Challenge will help you practice the RIGHT way and skip all the frustration!

Don’t Compare Yourself With Others

As adults, we are constantly wondering how we measure up with others.While it’s great to listen to better players, it’s tempting to constantly beat ourselves up for not sounding as good or staring to play violin sooner!

My violin teacher always told me that there’s always someone younger and prettier than you that can play twice as well. How true that statement is! You have your own unique skillset and approach to learning the violin, so don’t beat yourself up! Your journey is unique. Your obstacles are unique. If this is what you want to do, then do it and don’t worry about everyone else!

There is No Timeline. You Will Never Absolutely Master The Violin

That might sound disparaging, but when you think about it, it’s encouraging! No matter how well you play the violin, you will never be at a point where you can’t learn anything else. That’s the beauty of the violin. It always has something to teach us. So slow down. There’s no rush. Learn to enjoy small accomplishments. Learn to enjoy the process of making progress and you will always love playing the violin!

Why Violin Teachers Love Adult Beginners

When I started teaching violin, I quickly realized something. I loved teaching adults. Sure, kids are sweet and fun, but let’s face it. The majority of kids are taking violin lessons because their parents want them to play violin. I always had to entice children to practice violin with practice rewards, cheap toys from the Dollar store, or the occasional threat to discontinue lessons with them.

Adult beginners are totally different. They WANT to learn violin. Teaching someone who is as passionate about the violin as you are is a violin teacher’s dream! My adult beginner violinists always came to me with questions, insightful thoughts, and wonderful suggestions for me! Who could ask for a better student?

Even when my adult students came to lessons without having practiced much in the previous week due to life getting in the way, there was always something to talk about and discuss. Violin lessons with adults are never boring or routine!

From my own experience, I knew that adult beginners have several advantages to learning the violin. When I started teaching violin, I realized how important these advantages were. Here’s what I learned.

Advantages of Learning Violin as an Adult

These are my general observations after teaching violin for 15 years. There are always children that don’t follow these typical patterns, but they are rare!

Children

• Extrinsically motivated

• Rely on teachers to constantly analyze and correct their playing

• Have to be taught what “sounding good” sounds like

• Have goals made for them

• Take time to understand music theory (and usually don’t enjoy it)

• Struggle to focus during practice time

• Must be made to practice

• Don’t voluntarily listen to violin and fiddle music

• Don’t realize importance of violin community and support

• Enrolled in online course, jam sessions, and community orchestras BY adults

Adults

• Intrinsically motivated

• Analytical thought process allows them to make faster progress and “be their own teachers.”

• Discerning Ear: Adults know what they want to sound like

• Make their own goals

• Understand music theory quicker and how it applies to violin

• Know how to focus during practice time

• Want to practice!

• Listen to violin music regularly

• Seek out other violinists to learn from and be around

• Seek out their own opportunities to enjoy playing violin (online courses, jam sessions, community orchestras)

As you can see, there are a lot of advantages to learning violin as an adult. So if you’re wondering, “can adults learn the violin?” Yes, absolutely. And they usually make faster progress than children for the reasons I mentioned above.

Disadvantages of Learning Violin as an Adult

Let’s be honest, there are some things adults will struggle with more than children.

The Discerning Ear

This is both a strength and a thorn in the side. As adults, you’ve been listening to music, and probably a lot of fiddle and violin music for years. You KNOW what a good violinist sounds like. That’s great. That gives you a goal and something to work towards. You also know when something sounds bad that it’s not supposed to sound that way.

That skill is a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because it will allow you to progress faster. It’s a curse because you will also beat yourself up because you never sound as good as you want to sound! The lesson to be learned: don’t beat yourself up! Remember, the discerning ear is an asset.

Tension While Playing Violin

Most adults (myself included) deal with tension issues. To be honest, I think children deal with these issues too, they just aren’t as aware of it. For instance, I’ve never had a 6 year old come to a lesson and say, “I can’t figure out how to get my left hand to relax.” But I hear that all the time from my adult beginners! Playing the violin is a demanding physical skill. You’re asking your muscles to do things you’ve never asked them to do before. Dealing with tension and learning to relax while playing is something you’re probably going to deal with. Don’t worry, I know lots of ways to help you out with that!

Previous Injuries

The longer you’ve been alive, the greater chance you’ve developed issues from previous injuries. I recently dealt with De Quervain's tenosynovitis in my left hand that affected my playing for a year and made me totally rethink how I use my left hand. (Just so you know, I didn’t get De Quervain’s from playing violin. It developed after trying to lift something heavy and supporting the weight just on my fingers and wrist—don’t do that!)

I personally think these injuries can make you a better player. Having to work around a problem makes you analyze what’s going on more so than someone who hasn’t dealt with that issue. So embrace your injuries. They can teach you a lot about how to play (and how not to play!)

Is 25 Too Old to Learn the Violin?

People often tell me their age and ask, “Am I too old to learn violin?” No! I’ve had students in their 70s and 80s start learning violin and make phenomenal progress. You’re never too old to learn the violin.

What is the Best Age to Learn Violin?

However old you are. Seriously, next year, you will be a year older and you’ll wish you started violin today. There’s no ideal age to start learning violin. But the longer you wait, the older you’ll be when you start, so start now!

How to Get Started Learning Violin Today

I hope you’ve realized that you are never too late to start learning violin. If you’ve already played violin but took a break, it’s also never too late to start learning violin again. Ready to start learning (or relearning) violin today? I’ve got a free 1 hour course just for you. “How to Play Violin in 1 Hour.” It’s great to refresh the basic fundamentals or learn violin from scratch! Sign up today.

Learning Violin as an Adult is Awesome!

Yes, there were many times I would have given anything to start a year sooner. Now I’m grateful I didn’t. Learning the violin later made me a better teacher, and I also believe it made me a better human being! You’re never too old to learn violin so start your journey today!

Happy Practicing!

~Lora

Download Your Free “Learn to Play Violin” Checklist

Click here to download your checklist.

How to Practice the Violin in 8 Steps: Ultimate Practice Routine

Practicing violin is a skill, just like learning to play in tune is a skill. You have to practice practicing! Once you learn how to practice violin the right way, you’ll be able to make more progress in less amount of time. That means you’ll have more violin practice time to devote to other areas.

I’ve tried many practice routines for violin, but I’ve decided this structure is the best practice routine for maximum results and progress. These 8 practice steps are what I do every day!

Ultimate Violin Practice Routine for the Best Results

You want to make sure you are getting the most out of your practice time with the violin, but more importantly, you want to make sure that you aren’t reinforcing bad habits while you practice.

One reason many beginner violin students get frustrated with the violin is that they can’t ever tell they are making progress. This problem is fixed by getting a practice routine and sticking with it. By practicing the same things everyday and sticking with a routine, you’ll be able to see progress every single day. If you jump around and never practice the same scale, exercise, or song more than a few days, you never truly master any skill or song, and therefore you can never tell if you are making any progress. So if you want to know how to practice violin the right way, here’s what I’ve learned after playing violin for over two decades!

1. Start With Stretches

Stretches are so important to practicing violin the right way. Stretches get your muscles warmed-up and ready to play. They also help you to relax and will help you to avoid tension while you’re playing.

I start by stretching large muscles, like my back, my shoulders, and my arms. Then I stretch smaller muscles, like my neck and wrists. Finally I stretch my fingers and hands. Now you’re ready to pick up your violin and practice!

2. Warm-Ups

During your warm-up period, you are focusing on warming-up each hand separately. Don’t try to combine hands yet! I don’t start playing scales until I’ve done several minutes of warm-ups.

Warm-ups for the violin include things like playing long bows on open strings and doing slides for the left hand. This is also a great time to incorporate some experimenting into your practice time (I’ll talk about that later).

If you need some ideas for warm-ups, watch my 5 Essential Warm-Ups for the Violin.

3. Scales

Scales are absolutely crucial to making progress on the violin. I can’t stress this enough. I know because after I graduated from college, I thought I would cut out scales for a few weeks. (It was my first time in a decade I didn’t have regular weekly lessons with an instructor so I was trying to spread my wings). That experiment didn’t end well. After two weeks of playing scales on and off, I could tell my playing was really suffering. My fingers weren’t hitting the strings precisely, nor where they quickly adjusting to being in tune. Back to scales!

Scales should never be boring. They offer a blank slate to incorporate all of those various tricky passages in your solo pieces. Experiment with your scales and watch your progress soar!

Want a free violin scale book? Sign up below and get my free violin scale book, Creative Scales for the Experimental Violinist!

4. Etudes/Exercises

What are etudes? They are like a mix between a song and a scale. They are usually shorter compositions that focus on one technique element, like trills, 4th finger, or slurred bowings. The options are endless when it comes to etudes.

If you’re not currently playing etudes, this would be the time where I would practice exercises from your method book, or tetrachords.

5. Solo Pieces

Next up in our ultimate practice routine for the violin, your solo piece! Now it might be tempting to just play through your solo piece from the beginning, but this isn’t always the best way to approach practicing. Start with the problem spots while your focus is fresh. Don’t just repeat the tricky spots, be a detective. Try to determine if it’s a left or right hand issue. Simplify the tricky measure as much as possible. Take out tricky bowings or rhythms. Once you’ve isolated the exact problem, play it correctly several times until you start to feel muscle memory taking over.

Then start at the beginning and work your way through the rest of the piece!

It’s tempting to have a lot of solo pieces you’re working on. There are so many great pieces for classical violin and for fiddle that it’s easy to get distracted always playing new songs. But this means you’re spreading out your practice time and never really mastering any one song. My general rule is a max of 2 songs that are your main focus songs. You can have songs that you are polishing or songs that you always play as well. But for new songs, try to keep your practice time focused on one or two songs.

6. End on a High Note

You’re not done practicing quite yet! End your practice time playing something you love. Maybe an easy song you’ve already learned or a measure you do particularly well. It’s important to end your practicing feeling good about what you’ve accomplished. That will make you excited about practicing the violin again!

7. Experiment

Okay, that was the structured part of your violin practice routine. Now it’s time to experiment. Save a special time during or after your regular practice routine to add in some experimenting.

Your experimental time has no structure, no goals, no expectations. Feel free to experiment playing way up high, try doing dynamics with your bow, or pick out a song by ear. Experimenting is crucial to your progress as a violinists but we violin teachers rarely talk about it. Why? It’s hard to teach and it’s impossible to critique! That’s also the beauty of it. So make sure you take time out of your practice routine to experiment!

8. Don’t Practice All At Once

Don’t feel like you have to fit all of these items into one practice session. In fact, it’s best if you split it up. Do your stretches, warm-ups, and scales in one practice session, then take a break and do the rest. Maybe have an entire practice session where you just review old songs or another practice session dedicated entirely to experimenting. Taking breaks will keep you fresh and focused. Before you start practicing after a break longer than an hour, do some type of abbreviated warm-up and stretches. Maybe do some open strings and a scale just to get your fingers and muscles limbered up again.

How Often Should I Practice Violin?

Practice every day. Shorter segments are better than massive practice marathons where you are more likely to loose focus. Don’t feel like you have to do this practice routine all at once. Feel free to split it up, but always start each new practice session with a warm-up or scale. It’s hard to start playing cold!

While it’s important to practice every day, it’s also important to take at least one day off a week. This allows you to refresh and come back the next day ready to practice again!

Use your off day to listen to more music or just relax and go for a walk! If you really want to practice on your off day, you can. But remember, whatever you do on your off day is a bonus!

I think once you implement this practicing strategy you’ll notice drastic improvement, better progress, and more joy from playing the violin! Write in the comments below and let me know how you practice!

Happy Practicing!

~Lora

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing (Free Sheet Music for Violin)

If you want to learn to play Come Thou Fount on the violin, you’re in the right place! This hymn is absolutely gorgeous on the violin. I’m going to teach you how to play Come Thou Fount for the violin in first position and in third position.

For even more easy hymns along with intermediate third position parts, join my online studio to download my hymn book, Favorite Hymns for Violin. It has over 50 of my favorite hymns transposed into easy to read key signatures for violin. You’ll get Favorite Hymns for Violin in addition to several other downloadable violin books and over 200+ songs and sheet music for violin.

More Third Position Resources for Violin

Third position on the violin allows you to play two higher notes! But it does much more than that. You’ll notice some songs, like Come Thou Fount can be played entirely up in third position very comfortably. You can even play those notes you usually play in first position still in third position. Try it! I think you’ll like it!

Check out these other articles and videos on learning third position!

What is Third Position on the Violin and Why is it Hard?

Easy Scales in Third Position for the Violin

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Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing Free Violin Sheet Music

Click here to download your free copy of Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing for the Violin plus the scale warm-up.

Christ the Lord is Risen Today (Free Easter Sheet Music for Violin)

If you are looking for some perfect Easter hymns for the violin, Christ the Lord is Risen Today is a great one!

For even more easy hymns along with intermediate third position parts, join my online studio to download my hymn book, Favorite Hymns for Violin. It has over 50 of my favorite hymns transposed into easy to read key signatures for violin. You’ll get Favorite Hymns for Violin in addition to several other downloadable violin books and over 200+ songs and sheet music for violin.

Key Signature for Christ the Lord is Risen Today on the Violin

Christ the Lord is in the key of D major. That’s F# and C#. For more scale lessons check out my complete scales course with over 150 lessons on scales.

Practice Spots for Christ the Lord on Violin

In the tutorial, I’ll talk about locating your practice spots for any song. In this Easter hymn for violin, the practice spots are the measures with 8th notes! Practice those measures first!

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Sign up for my free newsletter below and you’ll get updates anytime I upload new song tutorials (plus get some free violin printable goodies as well!)

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Christ the Lord is Risen Today Free Violin Sheet Music

Click here to download your free copy of Christ the Lord is Risen Today for the Violin plus the scale warm-up.