You and your kids can be great at violin, starting on day one! In fact, you must do several things well at the very beginning. Get this short list right and you’re good to go. Mess up on these points and progress will be slow at best.
Sadly, even many intermediate level players are fuzzy on some of these points. Their playing can suffer from poor tone, inaccurate pitch, tension, pain and inability to play fast or difficult passages. The basics of violin really do matter more than you might think.
Here are my left hand “must do” points, in no special order:
Violin Left Hand Spot Check:
- Light Hand Touch
- Finger Angle and Contact Point
- Hand and Arm Rotation
- Left Arm Pendulum
- Wrist Neutrality
I made a 30 second video for each of these points. You can find the videos here.
The secret: you should look much like a pro the first day you pick up a violin.
Click on this link: Left Hand Cheat Sheet Violin Videos to view. Suitable for beginning and intermediate players.
Remember: sharing is caring. Please send this link to your violin playing friends and families. If you have a comment or question, please leave it below! Thanks.
2 replies on “Violin Technique Spot Check: Five Things You Must Get Right”
When I first learned violin in elementary school the instruction was minimal. This video demonstrates the basics that every violinist needs to advance.
Some great advice. Personally what I gained from this was that the fingers should be slanted and not perpendicular to the strings.