Violin is one of the most beautiful instruments in the stringed-instrument family. It is commonly referred to as the “most human of all instruments” because of it’s ability to mimic the human voice. While listening to an expert violinist, you might wonder how one generates graceful melodies with what appears to be effortless technique — but playing the violin well takes a lot of practice.
When you first learn to play violin, you may find it difficult to produce a good sound, if any sound at all. Fortunately, you don’t have to be an expert to begin making pleasant sounds with your violin, and in a short amount of time, you too can start unfolding your violinist abilities. Here are a few tips for playing the violin.
A few tips for getting the violin to sound out properly
The ability to produce sound from a violin is directly tied to the relationship between the right hand (the bow) and the bridge of the violin. In order to create a nice tone from your violin, a few key things need to take place:
- The bow should always be parallel to the bridge at all points and in all strings (frog, middle, tip). Also, make sure that your bow and the strings are making a perfect “T” as the bow crosses the fingerboard.
- Allow a good amount of the hair from the bow has to be touching the strings while using the bow.
- The “Sweet Spot” – To produce a nice warm sound from your violin, be sure to bow place the bow about 1 inch away from the bridge. A good tone is not possible when the bow is placed too close to, or too far from the bridge.
~ Jesus Saenz (Music By Ross Instructor – Violin)
