The Student Room Group

Tips for beginner violinist?

I have a violion and I want to learn without a teacher.

any advice?
Start learning the basic notes and watch videos on YouTube
Reply 2
Hey! Always great to see someone with an interest in the violin but it is extremely difficult to teach yourself an instrument such as the violin withouy a proper teacher. It is easy to develop poor and improper technique which can cause injury to your neck, back and hands but also create problems in the future when attempting harder repertoire and harder techniques. It makes sense that if you have fault foundations than everything else will also fall apart. I would recommend learning some theory and trying to find yourself a teacher as they will help you develop properly and faster.


source: am a violinist!
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by Spyderaz
Hey! Always great to see someone with an interest in the violin but it is extremely difficult to teach yourself an instrument such as the violin withouy a proper teacher. It is easy to develop poor and improper technique which can cause injury to your neck, back and hands but also create problems in the future when attempting harder repertoire and harder techniques. It makes sense that if you have fault foundations than everything else will also fall apart. I would recommend learning some theory and trying to find yourself a teacher as they will help you develop properly and faster.


source: am a violinist!


@Heyok Seconded by another violinist. 100% do not recommend self teaching. That money spent on tuition will save you some serious physical injuries down the line, and also of course speed up your learning massively.

The reason violin is expensive to play isn't the cost of the instrument (at non-pro levels they're about the same cost as a guitar) it's the amount you have to spend on tuition to actually play the thing!
Reply 4
Original post by Heyok
I have a violion and I want to learn without a teacher.

any advice?


It's going to be really hard to start learning without a teacher. Your motivation will fall, and without being introduced to technical foundations, you will likely injure yourself. Get a teacher and don't just rely on YouTube, and if you do, just stick to one channel if you can. It gets really complicated when you start flitting around various videos, confusing your already established American bow hold with your Russian/Franco-Belgian manifestation. Also, with a teacher, you'll be able to set up proper goals for yourself, instead of learning bits of this and bits of that. Teachers would also teach you the fundamentals of music theory, which is another kind of beast to tame. Without proper training in the basics of music theory, you won't understand what you're playing, and there's no way you can progress to the higher tiers of Violin playing.

- Experienced Violinist
I hope your neighbours are extremely tolerant. :tongue:

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