Comments on: Violin Lesson #38 (Review #8 1st); Playing in Tune Pt. 4

By: Linuxica

Linuxica — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 09:08:14 +0000

Another great violin lesson, thanks!

By: xiaoleideng

xiaoleideng — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 08:58:09 +0000

I used to use the block fingering, but now I am leaning towards independent fingering because I sometime overshoot my first finger and all my notes are out of tune when I use block fingering. One question though, I’v never used any tape on the violin; do you think it is a good idea for me to use that?

By: professorV

professorV — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 08:13:26 +0000

Tapes are a crutch that are sometimes needed and can really help a new student. You should really train the ears and not use the eyes – but playing the violin is very difficult. If you are having success already, don’t change what you are doing. If you are having a lot of trouble with a specific finger, ask your teacher if a tape would help. Practice tuning 3rd finger w/ string below and 4th with string above. 1st with string above to train your ear. Good luck.

By: xiaoleideng

xiaoleideng — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:21:07 +0000

great! thanks

By: BenChanViolin

BenChanViolin — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 06:40:30 +0000

Great video, and I agree 100% on the block fingering concept- I learned that from Suzuki with the tapes when I first started. I also think in “hand frame” where the first finger on one string and fourth finger on a higher string form a natural octave. So, when I shift, I try to preserve that octave spacing between first and fourth finger in the destination position. Anyways, thanks for the video, it’ll certainly help other violinists grasp this difficult concept of good intonation.

By: professorV

professorV — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 06:02:06 +0000

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I remember one of my teachers asking all of us, over and over again, “what’s the hand frame?”
I wish I had used that in this clip. Thanks for bringing it up!

By: BenChanViolin

BenChanViolin — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 05:37:04 +0000

No prob, and yes it still rings true in my ears also :-)

By: xiaoleideng

xiaoleideng — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 05:20:09 +0000

I asked my teacher today, and she told me to stay away from tapes but to train my ear harder. I recorded her playing 4 open strings and C major scales so I can listen to them everyday while doing my physics lab. Also, the fingering tips works wonder. It trains both my finger and ear at the same time!

By: xiaoleideng

xiaoleideng — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 05:12:56 +0000

my teacher’s grandpa( also a violin player/teacher) taught me a practice last week similar to what you have described: he ask me to press down first finger first, then all the 3 other fingers and listen carefully; then keep the first finger and only press down 4th finger and listen carefully. Hope it is helpful for other beginners.

By: professorV

professorV — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 04:55:29 +0000

That kind of ear training is great! Good tip for everyone.