Being a violinist -

The violin is an amazing instrument. It can do so many things. It has a wide range producing notes very high and very low. You can make a wide variety of different sounds on the instrument and  it has an enormous amount of repertoire written for it. At every possible stage there is wonderful music,everything from fun beginners pieces to fantastic concertos written by composers like Beethoven or Tchaikovsky. There is no reason, ever, to be bored if you play the violin!

Practicing the violin is the key to everything you do. One can learn to enjoy practice , becoming satisfied with building step by step on your own achievements on a daily basis. For most practicing violinists, especially if they are a beginner or very young it is a good idea to fit your practice into your daily routine,for example 30 minutes before your favorite TV program or 20 minutes after supper. If you are more advanced and are looking at practicing for two hours or more it is a good idea to have a plan with short breaks so that your concentration is always at an optimum . This way you will make the most of your time and the quality of your practice, hence your actual playing will be at a high level.

If you practice well you will always sound good and that goes for beginners too.There is no need for scratchy strained sounds to exist at all. Learning step by step with well planned out technical instruction  will generate a good sound at every stage immediately . This makes learning the violin a pleasant experience for the student and everyone around them.

Once you are an accomplished violinist there is much you can do . Joining an orchestra is lots of fun and setting up a chamber group with your friends can be very productive . The other area to explore is improvisation and getting involved in other genres such as Jazz or World music. The violin is a very adaptable instrument and is vibrant in music of many cultures. Violins are a predominant instrument for tango music, for example .The fiddle music of Scotland and Ireland is really wonderful.

A lot of pleasure is involved in hearing the many outstanding violinists that are giving concerts at this present time. There is always something going on that involves the violin and hearing a good concert can be extremely inspiring. Listening to recordings is also a great way to spend time. I recommend Stephan Grapelli and some unaccompanied Bach.

The violin is a universal instrument that can do many things,play many types of music and cross many cultural boundaries. Once you 'Get into it' there is so much to do!