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!

60 Easy Songs for Violin (With Real Sheet Music)

Here are 60 of my favorite easy songs for beginner violin. If you are just starting to learn violin, having lots of easy violin songs to play will help keep your motivation going! I’ve made a collection of 60 easy violin songs for beginners. There’s plenty of easy violin sheet music here to keep you busy for a while!

I’ve transposed all of these songs into easy to play key signatures for the violin and I’ve also included a first position note guide and a key signature reference guide for finger patterns in every key signature.

Enjoy the free sheet music for all of these violin songs! While I love creating these violin arrangements, they do take a considerable amount of time to notate, arrange, edit, test-play, and upload. If you want to download and print all of this music (and much more), 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 200 easy, intermediate, and advanced violin songs). Learn more about becoming part of my online studio here!

I’ve separated these easy violin songs for beginners into a few categories. To jump ahead, click below.

Violin Note Guide and Key Signature Reference

Brand New Beginner Violin Sheet Music

Traditional Violin Songs

Easy Fiddle Sheet Music and Irish Songs for Violin

Easy Classical Songs for Violin

Intermediate Traditional and Irish Songs for Violin

Easy Hymns for Violin

Easy Violin Christmas Songs

Violin Note Guide

These are all of the notes that you may need for the easy violin songs below. These are all of the notes in first position on the violin. You may find this helpful if you are teaching yourself violin. The finger numbers are above the notes.

This key signature reference guide may look confusing. It just tells you the finger pattern for every key signature. Those little arrows mean the fingers are half steps apart, or they’re touching on the violin fingerboard. Need more explanation? My Creative Scales Course covers all of these scales and finger patterns in detail.

Brand New Beginner Violin Sheet Music

Now on to the 60 easy violin songs for beginners! This first group of easy songs for violin can be played by brand new beginners. Use the first position violin note guide above to help you know where to put your fingers.

If you’re not quite ready for note reading yet, or maybe you just want some even easier songs for violin, check out my Easiest Violin Songs Ever (Violin Tab—No Note Reading).

  1. Boil Them Cabbage Down

2. Can-Can

3. French Folk Song

4. Go Tell Aunt Rhodie

5. Hot Cross Buns

Need some more help learning how to play these songs for violin? I’ll show you everything you need to know in my Complete Beginner’s Violin Course. Click below to learn more!

6. Lightly Row

7. Mary Had a Little Lamb

8. Oh! Susanna

9. O Come, Little Children

10. Sweet Betsy From Pike

11. Buffalo Gals

Traditional Violin Songs

This collection of traditional easy violins songs includes lots of old time favorite fiddle tunes and traditional songs that everyone enjoys. Want to download these songs? Check out my Sheet Music Library in my online studio where you can download all of these songs plus dozens more!

Interested in more traditional violin songs? Check out my other collections below

3 Easy Fiddle Tunes

Stephen Foster Songs for Violin

12. Home on the Range

13. Maiden’s Prayer

14. Camptown Races

15. Yankee Doodle

16. Yellow Rose of Texas

17. Scarborough Fair

18. Redwing

19. Lorena


Easy Fiddle and Irish Songs Sheet Music

Everyone loves these classic easy fiddle tunes for violin. Sometimes I’ll start out with an easy version of the fiddle tune and then give you some embellishment options, like in Old Joe Clark below.

You may also be interested in:

Slow Easy Fiddle Tunes

Scottish Fiddle Tunes

Sheet Music Library

20. Old Joe Clark

21. Cripple Creek

22. Oh, The Britches Full of Stitches

23. Soldier’s Joy

24. John Ryan’s Polka

25. Midnight on the Water


Easy Classical Songs for Violin

If you would like to learn some easy classical songs for the violin, here’s of few of the easier classical songs for violin.

If you would like more wonderful options for easy classical songs, check out my collection of Classical Songs for Violin.

Easy Songs from Classical Music for Violin

Sheet Music Library

26. Merry Widow Waltz

27. All Through the Night

28. Brahms’ Lullaby

29. Donna Nobis Pacem

Intermediate Fiddle and Irish Songs Sheet Music

Now we’re going to get into some slightly more advanced traditional and Irish songs for violin. I consider many of these songs to still be appropriate for beginner level violinists, but you’ll find some have tricky rhythms, advanced note reading concepts, and other items that make these songs a little tricky.

30. Michael Row Your Boat Ashore

31. My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean

Want to play a super easy duet with me on the violin? I’ve got a duet included in my Complete Beginner’s Course for My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean.

32. Santa Lucia

Want to play a super easy Santa Lucia duet on the violin? I’ve got one included in my Complete Beginner’s Course.

33. The Man on the Flying Trapeze

34. Volga Boatman

35. Wayfairing Stranger

36. What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor

37. Ash Grove

38. Danny Boy

38. Wild Mountain Thyme (Will You Go, Lassie)

39. Whiskey in the Jar

40. The Wild Rover

I’ve got a video tutorial on this fun Irish fiddle song in my studio!

41. Rosin the Bow

42. Black Velvet Band

43. Angeline the Baker

44. Old Folks at Home

45. Hard Times Come Again No More

46. Devil’s Dream

47. The Parting Glass

48. Swallowtail Jig

Swallowtail Jig is one of the most popular easy fiddle tunes ever! And for good reason. It’s a ton of fun to play on the violin, ahem, I mead fiddle. I’ve got a full tutorial on Swallowtail Jig as part of my membership, along with many other song tutorials. Check it out here.

49. Aura Lee

Enjoy my free video tutorial and scale warm-up on Aura Lee here.

Aura Lee Tutorial and Scale Warm-Up


Easy Hymns for Vioiln Sheet Music

You can also download my free book of violin hymns. Enjoy over 50 classic hymns transposed just for violin. And for those of you who are interested in learning third position, this hymn book also features additional verses in higher octaves, perfect for third position!

Get the free book, Favorite Hymns for the Violin here.

50. Be Thou My Vision

51. Come Thou Fount

52. Count Your Blessings

53. He Leadeth Me

54. Jesus Loves Me

55. How Firm a Foundation

56. Blest Be the Tie That Binds

57. Amazing Grace


Easy Christmas Songs for Violin Sheet Music

Below you’ll find just a taste of easy Christmas songs for violin. I’ve got lots of Christmas songs for violin in my online studio, Sheet Music Library as well.

58. Jolly Old St. Nicholas

59. Silent Night

60. Joy to the World

Congratulations! You’ve made it to the end. Hopefully you’ll find something in these 60 Songs for Violin to keep you busy! Feel free to search through my collection of Free Sheet Music here.

By the way, you can print and download ALL of this music when you join my online membership. You’ll get access to all of my courses as well as my sheet music library with over 150 Songs for violin, ranging from easy to intermediate and advanced.

Want to learn more about how you can transform your playing with my online studio? Click below to learn more.

Meadowlark Violin Online Studio Membership

Happy Practicing!

~Lora

How to Play Swallowtail Jig on the Violin (Free Sheet Music)

Swallowtail Jig is perhaps one of the most famous of all Irish fiddle music jigs. It’s peppy and dance-like but also has a distinctive minor quality, which I think adds to its allure. If you have been wanting to learn how to play Swallowtail Jig on the violin, this song of the month is for you!

During this lesson you’ll learn an E minor scale in 6/8 time to match Swallowtail Jig. Learn tips and tricks to make the E minor arpeggio a cinch.

(If scales are confusing you, check out my guided scales course here.)

Then we’ll talk through several practice items to make Swallowtail jig easy on the violin. I’ll also show you some ornaments, slides, and turns you can add in to make this jig sound great on the fiddle!

If you want to play Swallowtail Jig as a fiddle duet, scroll down for an easy duet part!

Want to get the song of the month sent right to your inbox? Sign up for my newsletter below. (You’ll get some free goodies too!)

Swallowtail Jig Free Fiddle Sheet Music With Warm-Up Scale

Here’s the free fiddle sheet music for Swallowtail Jig, along with the warm-up E minor scale and arpeggio.

Download the free Swallowtail Jig Sheet Music and Warm-Up Scale Here

Swallowtail Jig Fiddle Duet

Grab a friend or play-along with me! The fiddle duet for Swallowtail Jig is pretty easy so you can play-along with the main part even if you’re not quite ready to tackle all those notes in the real jig. Plus, playing Swallowtail Jig as a duet is tons of fun!

Download the free sheet music for Swallowtail Jig Violin Duet Part Here


Watch the Video Lesson and Play-Along tracks below!

How to Play Shenandoah on the Violin (Free Sheet Music)

This month, learn how to play a beautiful American folk song on the fiddle, Shenandoah! Shenandoah is tricky since it’s slow and there’s some difficult tied notes. Watch the video for my tips on how to practice tied notes.

I’ve also included an easy violin duet part for Shenandoah so if you’re just starting out, or if you want to enjoy some nice harmony, try it out!

Want to get the song of the month sent right to your inbox? Sign up for my newsletter below. (You’ll get some free goodies too!)

Easiest Violin Songs EVER (Free Violin Tab Music)

Easiest Violin Songs Ever Long.jpg

Are you looking for easy violin songs? So easy you don’t have to spend twenty minutes just trying to figure out what the notes are? Do you just want to play an easy song without feeling like you need to take a course in music theory? Then I’ve got the songs for you! Not just any songs, the easiest violin songs ever, with no note reading required!

Why Play Easy Violin Songs Without Note Reading?

Some teachers might snub their noses at playing songs without actually reading the notes. Is that cheating? Absolutely not. In fact, when I start students, no matter their age, I spend several weeks doing songs just like these easy violin songs. Why? Because with violin there is so much going on! Keep your left wrist straight! Higher on those 2nd fingers! Bow pinky curved! Straight bow! It’s frustrating enough as it is. So why make it more complicated with note reading? Spend some time on easy violin songs. Focus on the basics of playing. And when you want to add in note reading, it won’t totally rock your world.

Even if you have been playing for a while and you are comfortable with note reading, these easy violin songs look hard when you look at the sheet music. But once you simplify it into violin tab, you’ll find it’s not that tricky.

How Does This Tab for Violin Work?

Musical tablature indicates fingerings, not notes. So the numbers in these easy violin tablature songs 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 easy violin tab. There’s really no way to indicate rhythm. It’s best if you know the song. 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 easy violin songs to know how slow or fast to play the notes on violin!

Also check out my easy violin Christmas songs using this this type of music notation.

Easiest Violin Songs EVER

I try to start with the easiest songs and work my way down to more challenging ones. Try them all!

Dashes after notes mean to hold that note longer (usually hold that note for the same number of dashes)

Hot Cross Buns Violin Music

 Any String:      2 1 0                2 1 0                0 0 0 0             1 1 1 1             2 1 0

Mary Had A Little Lamb for Violin

Any String: 2 1 0 1      2 2 2--     1 1 1--        2 2 2--      2 1 0 1       2 2 2 2 1 1 2 1 0--

Boil Them Cabbage Down

A:  2222 3--3--    2222    1--1--    2222    3--3--     2211    0--0--

 Ending: E: 3230130  A: 320120.  E: 3

Chicken on A Fencepost

Parentheses means play those notes faster.

A: (3333) 33       E: 10103          A: (3333) 33       4310    (3333) 33           E: 1013 4310               A: 333

D: (3333) 33       A: 10103          D: (3333) 33       4310    (3333) 33           A: 1013 4310               D: 333

Frère Jacques

The last “AEA” is open A string, open E string, open A string.

A: 0120 0120 234-- 234--        E: 010   A: 320            E: 010  A: 320             AEA     AEA

Au Clair De La Lune

A: 0001 2--1-- 02110----

A: 0001 2--1-- 02110----

Old MacDonald for Violin

D: 3330 110-- A: 1100 D: 3---0 3330 110-- A: 1100 D: 3---0

D: 3330 3330 3030 3310

D: 3330 110-- A: 1100 D: 3----

Happy Birthday for Violin

L2 means low 2nd finger. Place the 2nd finger right next to the 3rd finger.

 D: 001032--       001043--           00        A: 31    D: 321--  A: L2 L2 1        D: 343--

London Bridge

A: 010 D: 3234-- D: 123-- 234--

A: 010 D: 3234-- 1--4-- 2 0---

Jingle Bells

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

                   222--  222--  24012----   3333  3222  4431     0----

Can-Can

D: 0 0 1321 A: 0 0 01 D:23 1 1 1321 0 A: 3210 D: 321

D: 0 0 1321 A: 0 0 01 D:23 1 1 1321 0 A: 0 D: 12 0 0

French Folk Song

Hold the notes with dashes for three beats

A: 333 222 123 0---

D: 333 222 111 0---

D:012 012 012 3---

D: 123 123 123 4---

A: 321 0

D: 3210 1 0---

  

Ode To Joy

Parentheses means play those notes faster.

D: 2234 4321 0012 211-- 2234 4321 0012 100--

D: 1120 1 (23) 20 1 (23) 21 01 G: 1--

D: 2234 4321 0012 100--

Three Blind Mice

I’d like to thank my student, Marae, who helped me figure out a lot of the following songs and gave me some great ideas for new violin songs. Thanks Marae!

A: 2 1 0 2 1 0 

A: 4 33 2 4 33 2

E: 0 3 3 212  3 00 

E: 0 3 3 212  3 00 

A: 3  2  1 0 2 10 

Star Wars Easy Violin Music

H3 means high 3rd finger

D: 111 A: 0- -4--321       E: 3-- 0--A: 321 E: 3-- 0--A: 323 1----

D: 111 A: 0- -4--321       E: 3-- 0--A: 321 E: 3-- 0--A: 323 1----       

D: 112-- 2         A: 3210 0121 D: 2 H3

D: 112-- 2         A: 3210 4-- 1--

D: 112-- 2         A: 3210 0121 D: 2 H3

D: 11 4 3 L2 1 0          G: 3 H21        D: 1

D: 111 A: 0- 4-321       E: 3- 0-A: 321 E: 3- 0-A: 323 1-
D: 22  A:3 1 0

Hey Diddle Diddle

Listen to Hey Diddle Diddle here (you can play along with this version)

A: L2 E: 0 2 0 (do this 2 times)

E: 00 A: 3 L2 3

E: 00 A: 3 L2 3

A: 3 E: 00 L2 L1 0  A:3

E: 0 1111- 01-2 3-

E: 3 4 4+(stretch) 2 1 0 1 A: 3 2

Do You Want to Build A Snowman Easy Violin Music

D: 3 3 3 0 3 A: 1 0 1

D: 3 3 3 0 3 A: 1 0

D: 3 3 3 0 3 A: 1  L2 1 D: 3

A: 1  L2 1 D: 3

D: 3 3 0 3 A: 1 3

A: 33 L2 1 L2 3 D: 3

D: 3 A: 0 1  3

A: 0 1 0 D: 3 A: 0 1 4

D: 3 3 3 0 3 A: 1 0 1

D: 3 2 3-

Toreador Song

A: 3 43 11 101 L2 1-  L2 0 3 1   D: 3 1 4 0 0         A: 0- 4 3 L2 1 0 1 L2 1-  D: 2      A: 1 1 L1 H2     E: 1 

A: 4 H3 4 0 1 L2           1          D: 3      A: 4 3   D: 3 0   A: 2 1 0            D: 3

I’ll be adding more easy violin songs with tab so check back frequently. Let me know which ones you would like to see!

Happy Practicing!