Pegs Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Has anyone here done this? DS (8) is interested in learning (Celtic fiddle in particular), and I can't really afford lessons for him. Could I get him fitted with a suitable instrument and teach him myself? I'm fairly proficient at 'cello and a self-taught violinist. My biggest concern is that my violin technique probably isn't all that great, and I don't want to pass on any bad habits. Thoughts, ideas, resources are all welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 You may be able to teach him basics. There are enough youtube videos to help with position and technique, and little kid books (ds8 used the Violin Fun Book) have pictures of how to hold the bow. When he has trouble with technique his teacher shows him video links. Emedia has a violin starter set for $80-200 (depending on size) that comes with a cd of video lessons if you wanted to go that route. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmarthur Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Allysonsviolinstudio on youtube has a lot of good videos for learning on your own. It is not intended to replace an instructor, but it does help with learning the basics. I recall she talks about bow hold and posture too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 (edited) There are quite a few free videos on violinlab.com Also sending you a PM Edited March 12, 2018 by maize 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luuknam Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 You'd probably do no worse than Broccoli's violin teacher. :banghead: (I played violin for 10 years as a kid, but then hadn't played in 13 years or so, plus, Broccoli can be hard to teach, so, I figured I'd pay someone at a music school... (biggest music school in the area), where he started in November... not amused, Broccoli's bow hold, posture, etc are all wrong though he can play some simples songs, scales, arpeggios now, but like I said, kid is hard to teach, and it's not a hill I'm willing to die on, but he will be getting a different teacher next year (I tried correcting his grip, posture, etc, but the kid just starts flailing and falling to the ground, so, meh... I need his teacher to insist on good grip, posture, etc, because I get to play the bad guy in all academic subjects already.... outsourcing this for a reason)... In case anyone is wondering why I'm not switching teachers right now, it's because he has violin at the same time as Celery has guitar, and I don't care to have to show up to music lessons two times a week instead of one time, and I do think there are some interesting parts about his teacher's approach, but :banghead: on the grip/posture) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 You'd probably do no worse than Broccoli's violin teacher. :banghead: (I played violin for 10 years as a kid, but then hadn't played in 13 years or so, plus, Broccoli can be hard to teach, so, I figured I'd pay someone at a music school... (biggest music school in the area), where he started in November... not amused, Broccoli's bow hold, posture, etc are all wrong though he can play some simples songs, scales, arpeggios now, but like I said, kid is hard to teach, and it's not a hill I'm willing to die on, but he will be getting a different teacher next year (I tried correcting his grip, posture, etc, but the kid just starts flailing and falling to the ground, so, meh... I need his teacher to insist on good grip, posture, etc, because I get to play the bad guy in all academic subjects already.... outsourcing this for a reason)... In case anyone is wondering why I'm not switching teachers right now, it's because he has violin at the same time as Celery has guitar, and I don't care to have to show up to music lessons two times a week instead of one time, and I do think there are some interesting parts about his teacher's approach, but :banghead: on the grip/posture) Sounds like time to try a different teacher. Is your current teacher Suzuki trained? There are lousy Suzuki teachers out there but the good ones are careful to teach correct bowhold, posture, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyGF Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Sounds like time to try a different teacher. Is your current teacher Suzuki trained? There are lousy Suzuki teachers out there but the good ones are careful to teach correct bowhold, posture, etc. My daughter's violin teacher often spends 6-12 months remediating students who come in from different teachers because of the poor habits they have learned. Go find a new teacher. OP, if your son's goal is fiddle, I think it is easier than classical violin. As a violin/flute/piano mom, though, violin seems the easiest to screw up. I know that isn't helpful for how-to, but I'd be careful. Especially since habits are hard to correct. FWIW, I put off my daughter for two years because I thought it was a passing fancy and we didn't have $$ for it. She has made really quick progress, though, now, because she is so passionate. Emily 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luuknam Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 (edited) Sounds like time to try a different teacher. Go find a new teacher. Reading comprehension, y'all. I told you why I'm not finding a new teacher atm. So stop telling me what to do. It's this, or no violin until next year, and while I agree no violin might be better than bad habits, I don't need a 7yo to be mad at me over an EC, since he's not going to understand why he's have to do without for several months. It's not like he's likely to make a career out of it. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything on this thread... my point was that a teacher isn't necessarily better than a cellist who has self-taught violin. ETA: sorry I overreacted... just feeling frustrated, but looking for a new teacher is just really not in the cards for the remainder of the year. Edited March 12, 2018 by luuknam 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegs Posted March 13, 2018 Author Share Posted March 13, 2018 Thanks, everyone. I'll watch a few videos about positioning and bowhold and see about getting him started. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 I was taught by a cellist. The big thing is flag is to hound him about his left hand position as it's absolutely different than cello. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah0000 Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 Could you afford just a few lessons with a trained violin instructor to get the hold right? I'm not musically trained in any way but DS had a Suzuki instructor for one year where he focused primarily on technique and now I feel comfortable using The Violin Lesson Book at home on my own. He doesn't have much interest though so its not really a big focus. I do find The Violin Lesson Book very incremental and helpful. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegs Posted March 14, 2018 Author Share Posted March 14, 2018 Could you afford just a few lessons with a trained violin instructor to get the hold right? I'm not musically trained in any way but DS had a Suzuki instructor for one year where he focused primarily on technique and now I feel comfortable using The Violin Lesson Book at home on my own. He doesn't have much interest though so its not really a big focus. I do find The Violin Lesson Book very incremental and helpful. We might be working something out with Maize regarding an instruction swap. :) Could you link me to the book you mentioned, please? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah0000 Posted March 14, 2018 Share Posted March 14, 2018 https://www.rainbowresource.com/product/sku/030654 Sorry I got the name wrong. It's just The Violin Book. You'll have to go through the contents to see where to place your child. If you get instruction in holding and bowing technique elsewhere then you could probably start in book 3. But books 1 and 2 might be helpful for reminders. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegs Posted March 14, 2018 Author Share Posted March 14, 2018 Thanks Sarah. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LydiaG Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 We do an online violin class (Practice Monkeys) that my kids really enjoy. I don't know if it is what you're looking for, but I'd thought I'd recommend it since my kids love the teacher. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegs Posted March 15, 2018 Author Share Posted March 15, 2018 We're swapping lessons with maize's family tomorrow. I've never taught by video before, so I'm a bit nervous! DS is really excited. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegs Posted April 3, 2018 Author Share Posted April 3, 2018 This is going really well! We've had a couple of lessons with maize, who has given us some great advice about getting set up and comfortable. DS is practicing for about five minutes every day for now. I'm hoping that his stamina improves with time. The new chin rest and shoulder rest should help, too. They're in the post right now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condessa Posted April 4, 2018 Share Posted April 4, 2018 If you have some experience and know what correct bow grip, fingering position, posture, etc. looks like, then yes. You won't be able to do it forever, but you can definitely start him off. I started all my kids on violin myself, using ideas from the blog teachsuzuki.blogspot.com --the writer gives very very detailed directions on every step of starting a beginner, teaching twinkles, and introducing each song from the first Suzuki book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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