Free Video Violin Lesson 3
Posted by Thom on Jan 27, 2008 in All, Lessons • 23 comments
Hello and welcome to Stringsavvy.com Violin Lesson #3! In the last lesson we went over holding the instrument, how to pluck, and learning our string names. Today we will be learning the notes on the D string as well as how to hold the bow!
Opening up to page 6 you will notice how the finger numbers work:
First Finger – Index
Second Finger – Middle
Third Finger – Ring
Fourth Finger – Pinky
Place your thumb on the neck, just barely coming over the fingerboard right on your first tape marking and curl your first finger around to be placed on the D string. This is the proper placement for your thumb. It should be just about perpendicular to the neck versus running right along side it.
Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd tape and you’re ready to play G!
To get into position for F#, place your 2nd finger directly behind your 3rd finger. This should be nice and tight with little or no room between your fingers. Keeping your 2nd finger down, lift of your 3rd finger. Now you are ready for F#!
The trick to pulling off Lift Off is to keep your 2nd finger down the entire time. Whenever you play a G, put your 3rd finger down, whenever you play F#, raise your 3rd finger just barely over the string. Make sure that when you do put your finger back down, that there is NO space between the 2nd and 3rd fingers as pictured below!
The bracket your see underneath the G A G in the first 2 measures is a symbol used to tell you to keep your finger(s) down. The secret to doing this is making sure you’re making a sort of tunnel over the A string without actually touching it.
How to Hold the Bow
- Make a thumbs up
- Thumbs Down, place on the edge of the frog
- Middle Finger across on other side of the bow
- Ring Finger on or behind logo/eye
- Rest Index and Pinky on top
Vocabulary
Pizzicato - Pluck the strings. Also written as pizz.
Alternating Fingers Exercise
This exercise is designed to help you shape your fingers and watch your angles so as to not mute other strings when playing. For instance, you can have a finger down on the D string and still play the A string without any interruption in sound. It is to be practiced keeping fingers down until told to release them. At first this may be a little difficult, as your brain will want to compensate and make you lift your fingers. Keep at it and you’ll be alternating strings in no time!
Download Alternating Fingers Exercise
Assignment
- Review Pages 4 & 5
- Practice #10-22 on your own.
- Watch out for rests and repeats!
- Use your CD to play along with.
- Alternating Fingers Exercise
- Practice your bow hold daily. You can kill time at work/school by picking up a pen or pencil and practicing!
- Alternating Fingers Exercise (Pizzicato only!)
Back to Lesson Index
Back to Lesson 2
Foward to Lesson 4
Hello, I’m fortyfive years old.I’ve had my violin
for about one year picked it up a few times but did’nt have any direction till I saw your videos.
Now I cant stop practicing.I want to be the best
I can be.I’m unemployed right now, funds are low
so this is great.Thank you for your lessons.Will
there be more lessons.Please let me know.
Chris Marengo.
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Hey Chris! That is awesome, I am so glad to hear that!
I am actually uploading lesson 4 right now!
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hello dear Thom,
i would be so happy if i could describe my feeling, i think you are so amazing. your way of teaching is easy and understandable. i wish all the teachers were like you. i thank you once again and i hope you will continue on your excellent work.
good luck
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Thom reply on July 9, 2008:
Thank you so much for the kind words! I hope you continue with the violin, I am currently working and developing new lessons as well as a mini course which will start releasing soon.
Shoma Irani hasteed?
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Hey, These Violin lessons are great! I have an electric violin which I got last month for my birthday. I only have one question… which book do you use with the violin lessons?
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Thom reply on August 16, 2008:
Hey Andrea! Glad you are learning the violin! I have more lessons in the works right now!
I use the Essential Elements 2000 book, which you can find a link on the main Lesson index page or right here
Hope you stick with it, if you ever have any questions don’t be afraid to ask!
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Hey, Thom! Thank you so much for putting your lessons on the web. My father bought my mother a violin for her birthday about eleven months ago after she mentioned that she would like to learn, and during those past eleven months the poor instrument has been sitting in her closet, untouched. Being a nurse, she has a lot of work to do and not enough time to spare, and simply couldn’t fit any lessons into her already-hectic schedule.
I’m a classical music nut, and after listening to a version of Debussy’s “Claire de Lune” -the melody being played by one of the sweetest sounding violins I’ve ever heard- about a week ago, I decided that I would like to learn how to play the violin. I dug through the closet until I found my mother’s neglected birthday gift and began searching for lessons in my area. My search results: nada.
Your free online lessons were a shining light in the darkness, which I practically leaped for after weeks of searching and begging my parents to spare the gas money to take me to another city for lessons. I bought the book, as well as the finger tape, and I’ve been practicing every day since I found this site. I have to say that I feel quite ashamed that I didn’t start learning the instrument earlier. I’m going to try and convince my mother to learn with me, though I’m not sure if she has even an hour a day to devote to practicing. Never fear, though! Her violin shall sit and collect dust no longer, for I am determined to learn how to play it.
Just finishing up my daily practice,
Kaitlyn
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Thom reply on August 21, 2008:
Hello Kaitlyn!
That is so awesome! That warms my heart! I am glad you are enjoying the lessons and I hope your mother decides to start as well! If you have any questions never be afraid to ask! I have some more lessons in the works coming soon!
-Thom
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Hi Thom,
have to sincerely thank you for the effort you put into the lessons. i’m sure you’ve already heard loads of this from all the comments but these online lessons has been one of the factors which made me go out and get a violin proper after months of deliberation and i’m really enjoying it so far
just a question… i’m struggling a bit to keep my fingers from touching the other strings when having my fingers down. it kind of always touches the next string ever so slightly and when i try to compensate and create the ‘tunnel’ my thumb tends to slip from it’s original position to under the neck. might my shorter than average fingers be causing the problem? or is there a trick i didn’t quite catch?
and again, thanks a lot, teacher, for this wonderful site!
Kelvin
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Thom reply on August 26, 2008:
Hello Kelvin!
You are very welcome!
Yes, as we are all built differently, sometimes you may have to compensate a little. It is ok if your thumb comes under the neck a little bit to facilitate the fingers in only landing on one string, just be sure that the movement is coming from your elbow and arm turning around the neck, and not your wrist and hand.
I touch on this in lessons 6&7 with the violin on the shoulder, in the case of playing “guitar style” just make sure that you aren’t tweaking your wrist in an uncomfortable way, but rather let your arm allow your thumb and hand to rotate around the instrument.
I hope that helps!
-Thom
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Hi there, i just have a question where do you know where to put the tape on the violin. Did i forget to watch something or do i need the book for this.
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Thom reply on September 15, 2008:
I have not yet made a video for this because it can really depend on the instrument.
There is a product called Don’t Fret (listed on the main Lesson Index page) that gives you tape lines as well as where to place your bridge for accuracy.
If I get my hands on an extra full size violin to demonstrate the preparation on I’ll put together a video. In the meantime the Don’t Fret is the way to go
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Question… Where can I get this book? I can’t order things offline and I’m not sure if my band director (marching band) would be able to get a copy of this version of Essential Elements… We’ve used that company before to learn the basics our chosen instrument, but I’m really not sure if much else is available to him…
How would I go about purchasing this book?
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Thom reply on September 18, 2008:
Hello Christy!
You can purchase the book through this link here, or by going to the Lesson Index and following that link as well!
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hello its my first time playing and im having a hard i found your videos which are awsome my only problem is where do i put the tape markings???????? thanks so much
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Thom reply on September 22, 2008:
Hello Sarah! Daniel asked the same question earlier this week, please refer to my answer
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Hello Thom,
It has been a month since i started learning to play violin. You are my only teacher. I just depend on your uploads on you tube and on the stringsavvy site of course.
Im now on lesson 5 part 2. I finished lesson 5 part 1. I felt happy knowing that i have learned something even if i havent met my violin teacher personally..Nice!
However, i have a problem. I guess i really have to grab a copy of the book you refer your lessons from. I could no longer hear the notes while you play along “old Mcdonald and “Twinkle twinkle”. (whether what you said was a G or a D… or something else…)
I’ve been to different bookstores/shops to look for that book.. Unfortunately, i could not find one. I do not know if the site selling the Essentials book delivers internationally. Im from the Philippines actually.
Thank you Thom.
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Thom reply on September 21, 2008:
Hello Pia,
The book is definitely essential to following along on the site here, have you checked my amazon link? I don’t know for sure but from what I have heard amazon will ship books and such to the Philippines. Read the comment right above yours for easy links or visit the lesson index page.
I hope you can find the book!!
-Thom
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Hi! I don’t know if you rmeember me from yesteray, but a really big thanks for telling me for the rosin~ I got some today and finaly managed to get some sound
Right now it’s too late for me to take a look at the lessons since I need to sleep for work tomorrow and everyone’s in bed already, but I’ll most likely start looking at the videos tomorrow~
I’ve dreamed of playing violin for so long and sadly simply can’t afford any course because we’re poor so I’m -extremely- thankfull for those videos. I was stucked with the faith of learning all on my own until I found your site so thank you so much for it! (if you assumed buying an electric violin was a huge gap in the buget, well you’re right xD My mom and grand-mother wanted to rip my ears off and probably still do haha.)
I’m really looking forward to practicing
I tried a bit tonight and had a hard time because I use to play guitar and bass and am used to supporting the instrument with my leg instead of arm and shoulder and to have a lot of space between notes on the neck, but I’ll get the hang of it eventually. I just need to stop curling up on my chair to support the violin with my knee and learn to keep my fingers close together
Funny moment earlier tonight: My sister is in the same room as me so had to endure my crap-tastic first try ever and eventually said “What did I do to deserve that? D:” It was hillarious.
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Thom reply on September 22, 2008:
Haha I love it! Surprisingly, when I was beginning my cats loved to hang around me while I played… :: insert violin/dying cat insults here
::
What kind of electric did you get?
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Silver reply on September 22, 2008:
Silent Violin from Yamaha, SV-120. I hope I picked something good xD
I think my dog will do what he can to stay far away from me when I practice for the few first tries haha
I’m hoping it’ll get my sister interested. She did tell me she would snatch my violin and give it a try every now and then so I think I’ll try to have her take a look here too :3
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Thom reply on September 22, 2008:
Yamaha is great brand! I use the SV200 when I want an edgier sound with all my effects over my acoustic
Good pick!
I’m a beginner violin player, being jobless and parental units not supportive in my Violin Dream, I couldn’t afford 85$ a month for lessons near me. So when I found this site, I was very happy! I can’t believe your doing this for free; then again, I’m rather glad though. (Again, broke.) So I will most definitely stick to this website for a good long while!
Thanks so much!
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