Gelling - Violin Lessons for Beginners

Progressive Beginner Violin is a fun and easy introduction to violin playing for the beginner. All essential left and right hand techniques are covered along with music reading, theory and an introduction to a variety of musical styles.

Over the course of this book, you will learn how to play melodies and studies in both major and minor keys along with pizzicato, bowing techniques and a variety of musical terms. You will also learn to understand rhythms, scales and key signatures as well as how to transpose.

All examples sound great and are fun to play. By the end of the book you will have a good grasp of the basics of violin playing and be ready for more advanced study of Classical music, improvisation or both.

To develop good timing habits right from the start, it is recommended that you use a metronome with all the examples in the book until you can play them easily from memory. If you are serious about music, a good teacher can help you progress much quicker than you could on your own.

The best and fastest way to learn is to use this book in conjunction with:

• Using sheet music to learn simple arrangements of a wide range of pieces by various composers. This will help you build a repertoire and mean you always have something to play with other musicians.
• Practicing and playing with other musicians as often as possible.
• Learning by listening to your favorite recordings. Start building a collection of albums featuring violinists you admire. Try to find sheet music versions of the pieces you hear on the recordings, even if they are simplified. Imitating great violinists will help your tone, timing and intonation.

Using an Electronic Tuner

The easiest and most accurate way to tune your violin is by using an electronic tuner. An electronic tuner allows you to tune each string individually to the tuner, by indicating whether the notes are sharp (too high) or flat (too low). Instruments with pickups can plug directly in to the tuner.

There are several types of electronic tuners but most are relatively inexpensive and simple to operate. Tuning using other methods is difficult for beginners and may take many months to master, so we recommend you purchase an electronic tuner, particularly if you do not have a teacher or a friend who can tune your instrument for you. If your violin is way out of tune you can always take it to your local music store so they can tune it for you.

Once a violin has been tuned correctly it should only need minor adjustments before each practice session. It is best to have your teacher tune your violin for you until you are confident you can do it yourself.

A Word about Intonation

Many young students have difficulty playing pitches accurately. This will improve with practice and experience. It is important to understand the concept of exact pitches, but not to worry if the student has intonation problems at first. It is best to work on intonation with a teacher right from the start.

For more books and recordings by Peter Gelling visit www.petergelling.com

LESSON ONE

Parts of the Violin and Bow

It is important to learn the names of all the parts of your violin and bow. Do this for a few minutes each day until you know them from memory. Have your teacher or a friend test you on the names of the parts.