Violin help

[Groundy]

I play Guitar, keyboard, harmonica, so I decided on a Violin, not a good move, I bought an electric one to keep the noise down a bit, that was over a year ago I tried a couple of times and put it away, anyway since I retired a month ago I have more time, I have no problem with the fret board and playing the notes its getting the Bow right some notes are as clear as anything then the next one is like someone scraping your fingernails down a blackboard, I would appreciate any advice.....Apart from get rid of it..lol....Thanks in advance....Alex

[Geir]

I trien the violin for a while when my daughters took lessons years ago,  and I think it must be the hardest instrument to play. But if you got the fretwork down Isay you have a good shot at getting it right ! The bow I didn't find that hard. The clue is to hold it right. This page give some good tips :

http://www-scf.usc.edu/~woonhyol/page3.htm

[Hilary]

Bruno's the expert, but about 100 years ago I used to play the cello - have you got some Rosin (block resin) for the bow - it makes it glide along the strings easier.

[maxit]

yea, I tried it too, having played the mandolin (they're tuned the same way)... I suggest you to begin with the trad. british fiddle tunes, they're easy and very effective. no way to avoid the scraping fingernails effect, at the beginning LOL

[alfstone]

I've tried it...no luck. Too difficult for me. 

Alfredo

[bruno]

In reality, you needed to have learned before the age of 12, is the general consensus - and it is considered to be the hardest instrument to play, I'm not sure if that's true - but heyho. You can learn when you are older, but you need a teacher. There are many things going on at the same time, so is a bit like riding a unicycle - and you just need to get to the point when you don't have to think about it (easier said than done). Note that most virtuoso practice at least 12 hours a day. A fellow at work is learning, with a teacher - and is now passed his grade 3, later in life - so possible. It is nothing like playing the guitar! I found that out coming the other way, violin to guitar. I assumed that playing the guitar would be easy given I was grade 6 or 7 violin when I first picked up the guitar. I was wrong - different hand muscles (some the same) - but my hand muscles were in pain, and I had to learn barre chords like everyone else - no real short cuts. Pitching is complex, it muscle memory (practice) and listening. Playing the fiddle through cans is really, really hard to pitch properly. The pro's have special headphones with only one ear cup - so they can pitch properly. Playing, you shouldn't use too much rosin, you need to keep the how hare flat on the string, and between the bridge and the finder board. You need to learn to keep it in the same position on the string from the bow tip to the bow heel, else you get rosin on the finger board and you get sticky fingers. Left hand position is critical, and is how you hold the violin -  and it goes on and on. Vibrato is very different from the electric guitar, as you bend the string on a guitar, but never on a violin .....
 
B

[Groundy]

Thank you all so much, seems I have taken on something a lot bigger than I thought but I will carry on, Thanks for the link Geir, I know what you mean about Resin on the fingerboard and sticky fingers Bruno, been there LOL. if I ever get near any thing that sounds half decent I will post it, Thanks again everyone....Alex