Things to Know Before You Play the Violin

Did you think that you’d sound like Paganini the first time you performed? Anytime you begin something new, you’re not going to be perfect at it right away, but that’s no reason to get discouraged. When you start learning how to play the violin, there are some things you should know right off the bat.

1. You won’t sound like a movie soundtrack. Professional players study for years to be able to produce the sounds you hear in films. When you first start playing the violin, you’ll sound scratchy and feel uncomfortable holding your bow. For a while, you’ll hear a lot of rough noises that may irritate your ear; but once you get the hang of how to play the instrument, you’ll sound much better.
2. Your violin needs to be taken care of. When you prepare to play your violin, you’ll have to tighten the strings and your bow. You’ll also have to apply rosin to your bow. Rosin is a substance that makes the naturally-slick bow hair sticky and able to create sound; but it also has to be cleaned off the strings after each use. Over time, you’ll also have to change the bow hairs and the violin strings. Don’t worry, though – after a while, this will all become second nature to you.
3. You become part of a community. When you learn to play the violin, you join thousands of other musicians who do as well. You’ll meet other violinists who you can exchange tips and music with, and you’ll also create lifelong friendships with people who share your same love of music.

The first step to becoming part of that community is by taking music lessons. When you take music lessons at Grace Music School, you instantly become part of a family. We offer violin lessons for all ages as well as lessons for a variety of other instruments. To start your musical journey & join our family, call us at 631-239-6169 (Fort Salonga) or 631-470-9705 (Melville).