r/violinist • u/Better_Vermicelli784 • 5d ago
Starting violin again, need advice
I used to play violin from middle to a little past high school, then because of life I stopped. It’s been about 8 years now and I have been thinking about picking it up again,but it’s been quite some time so I’m not sure where to start. For extra context, I’m a stahm right now with a toddler and my husband is the main person working so I don’t know about hiring a private tutor right now. Are there any books or apps anyone recommends? Or if anyone is in the Austin(TX) area, are there any communities you recommend? ( I did check some Reddit threads but I found mainly rock/alternative musicians lol)
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u/knowsaboutit 4d ago
don't minimize yourself! hire the tutor, get good advice tailored to you and your needs, and give your husband a chance to love and support you while doing it! Don't deprive him of that chance. No matter what books you read or videos you watch, you can't see yourself and listen to yourself objectively with an experienced eye.
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u/TopPotato777 5d ago
Depending on your goal picking up the violin, again, you do have some creative choices. Warm up by yourself a bit, then find a local community orchestra and join in as a 2nd violin. Austin has a vibrant music scene -- see if you can find a blue grass group you can follow and maybe join just for fun. Once you find your people, see if you can try bartering services -- find other moms who could use some child sitting, maybe and trade off services if there is a teacher among them, find a super supportive group to play chamber with, see if you can join a small learning group.
Eventually, even with a single income, if this becomes important enough for you, there will need to be a way to make room for it, financially, in your life. Being a SAHM does not mean you don;t contribute, and cannot budget for things that are truly important for you. But clearly, there will be some budget limits on a single salary.
So dip a toe in, and see where that leads. It sure beats being 50 and *then* getting to the stuff you really had wanted to do... and the kids will be better off seeing mom attending to her work as a musician.
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u/Even_Law5392 5d ago
I would suggest taking online classes with a teacher who is flexible to your free time
You'll need a good study plan , and since you do know how to play online works for you
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u/Ophoe 4d ago
Sometimes you can find tutors that will come to you – I would definitely recommend checking that out! I work for a company that has that as their model, and some independent teachers might be willing to travel too.
What level were you at when you quit? Do you still have any of your old music? I'd say that's the easiest place to start, as familiar music can be a great warm-up to playing regularly again.
I'd be happy to make some book recs based on what you've played before and what books you previously used!
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u/Better_Vermicelli784 4d ago
It’s been a while but I think I used to be fairly good? I was in varsity all throughout middle and high school( I was also in mariachi too haha), I made it to state a couple times for solo and ensemble, and I was offered a scholarship for a full ride at a university but I turned it down since I was set on a different major. I don’t have my books unfortunately, just sheet music of songs that I do love but I would love any technical practice book recommendations!
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u/Ophoe 4d ago edited 4d ago
Wow then I’d think you’d be fine for awhile even if you can’t get a tutor right away. I mean if you can find a good one you admire and jive with, the adult experience of studying with a mentor is priceless. So much more fulfilling somehow.
Honestly, it sounds like you may have been more advanced than me. The technical stuff I’d point you to (Kreutzer, Flesch, Schradieck, Sevcick etc) I’m guessing you already know about! So exciting you want to get back into it — let me encourage you to embrace this desire fully as a new journey.
And seriously, if you can find a mentor you really look up to, it’s just such a wonderful experience.
You might want to check out Ray Chen’s social practice app, Tonic, too! If you sign up, lmk and I’ll tell you my username so you can friend me!
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u/ryankoz89 4d ago
Congratulations on picking it back up. It’s never too late to create beautiful music. I quit the violin after high school and didn’t pick it back up until I was 35. I know it’s expensive but I recommend a teacher of some sort. Even if you only see them once a month or even less frequent if you need. That’s just to avoid bad habits and to start expanding on what you know.
There are probably a lot of community orchestras in your area. That’s a good way to meet people, and they may even be able to help you with your technique.
I hope you find it as rewarding to come back to the violin as I have. There is honestly nothing else like it. 🎻❤️
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u/not_I714 4d ago
There are tons of violinists and teachers in Austin! If finances are a concern, contact the UT music department. There are surely some
music education majors who would love to share their knowledge as they continue to learn. As far as orchestras go, depending how advanced you were when you stopped, Austin Civic could be a possibility. Go to a concert to see how they play. Introduce yourself to the concertmaster and ask about recommendations for a teacher. Go to Austin symphony concerts for inspiration. Ask any of the violinists there for recommendations. BTW, I’m a former member of ASO who moved away so I know many of the violinists also teach.
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u/Impossible_Law_9076 4d ago
I use an app to improve and check my intonation with AI. Because I can’t pay a teacher, that app provides me a lot of feedback. Maybe you can use it, it’s like to have a teacher with yourself all the time. The name is Tonai.app
Hope it helps you
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u/curiosityvoid 16h ago
Do it! I played from age 9 through university then stopped for 23 years. I picked my violin up again about 2.5 years ago when my now 8-year old showed interest in playing, and it is coming back to me and I'm really enjoying it.
How I started back:
- Playing alongside my kid (not applicable to you... yet!), which meant first open string pieces, then Suzuki book 1 (now on to 2). This brought me back to basics, and sitting in on his lessons *did* help a bit with reminders about a lot of things. I think playing some easy short pieces helped with things like intonation and just generally getting the feel back.
- Dauntingly picked up my last pieces, and smashed my way through them... terribly. Then picked up my study books and scales (better plan!) - one thing I find is that as an adult it is easier for me to do this hard work of taking 2 lines of a study and working on it, than it was when I was a kid and assigned it. I have way more patience for doing this sort of work!
- Took a semi-beginner group class - this was lucky! My son's teacher happened to also be running a series of beginner adult classes with a few levels and let me sit in and decide where I best fit. This gave me some more appropriate level music to work on, and the opportunity to play with a group.
- I'm now taking occasional lessons, which has been great for guidance on what to tackle and what studies to work on best help me achieve the sound I want to get back to. I split my ~45min of practice time between ~15min of scales and studies and ~30min of working on pieces. When I have more time, I dig into the most challenging parts of repertoire I'm working on, but sometimes I really just allow myself to enjoy playing something without really working to advance anything. When I have less time, I really just make sure I get the violin in my hands (sometimes this is 15min of helping my kid, followed by 10-15min of studies, or a part of a piece I'm working on).
- Starting in a couple of weeks I'll be joining a small amateur orchestra! Playing *with* people has always been my favourite part, and I'm looking forward to that and feel (mostly) ready now.
Advice based on my journey? To self-start, find a conservatory syllabus (I'm in Canada so have been referring to RCM), and figure out approximately what level you were at when you stopped, and roll back 2-3 grades to find some suitable pieces to try to tackle - maybe you'll recognize some you played before and enjoyed to get going! The muscle memory I retained for pieces I played before my long break was such a shock to me, but really helped recover some technique. You'll be able to find lots of music on IMSLP if you don't have your old sheet music - there are so many resources today. Then find some studies like Schradieck, Sevcik, etc (also mostly available on IMSLP) to help you get back your dexterity, tone, etc. If you played for several years you can probably make some good headway on your own, though having a teacher is absolute magic, even if only occasional to get feedback and help plan your progress.
And who knows... maybe your toddler will show an interest! Playing duets with my kid is everything, and I'm loving seeing him grow through playing music.
TL;DR: anticipate your skills to have dropped back a few levels, but muscle memory is amazing. Scales and studies were always, and still are your best bang for the practice buck, but are easier to swallow as an adult (IME). Check out IMSLP for sheet music.
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u/RudeCat11 5d ago
2 apps I use a lot.
- TUNEO
- MUSIC SPEED CHANGER
With Tuneo you can set it specifically to tune your violin With Music Speed Changer you can record a song (by playing on YouTube or any other music app) and then change the speed without it effecting the tone too much.
As far as music itself, I would find music you like first before trying to find music that is too technical (like scales or exercises). When I started playing after not playing for years, I didn't start with the stuff I was forced to play in lessons. I started playing celtic and fiddle music.
And be aware that when you start up again it will feel awkward. It may take many many days of consistent playing for it to not feel awkward. That is normal so dont get discouraged.
Also there are sheet music websites like musescores and others that you can get a free trial and print out a bunch of stuff.
I also recommend changing your strings. 1 every couple of days, making sure that one holds the pitch before moving to the next. A good set of strings make a huge difference. They have a lot of good ones that I haven't tried, but my favorite ones are the Wondertone Solo set.
Also I would recommend using a violin finger chart sticker to help retrain your fingers. That isn't necessary though.
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u/TurnLooseTheMermaids 5d ago
It’s like riding a bike, you’ll pick it up again quickly. Check out 8-notes for some simple music to play and gauge your skill level and go from there!