Katharine Rapoport - Violin for Dummies

Violin For Dummies, 3rd Edition

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

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Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2014954683

ISBN 978-1-119-02290-9 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-02291-6 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-02292-3 (ebk);

1. Table of Contents

Violins have fascinated humans ever since they began their existence in primitive forms. The violins shape is so stunningly beautiful, and its tone so evocative like a human voice, but with a magical take on the sound. Watching violinists play allows us a peek into a secret world where physical ability and artistic expression meet to make beautiful music.

I first fell in love with the violin when I was in grade school in London, England. One day, my music teacher, Miss Simpson, brought to class a fascinating-looking case. She opened it up to show us the most exquisite item I had ever seen a violin. She played a few notes on this beautiful instrument, and I was hooked for life. After listening to my persistent requests for a violin of my own, my parents figured it was more than a passing fancy, so they set me up for some violin lessons with my neighbors daughter. I even used her old -size violin, which cost the shocking sum of 10! The musical bug kept me busy through high school and university, and it has never worn off, even after many years of pursuing a full-time career in music.

I talk to so many people audience members after I play a concert, friends, colleagues, people who see me carrying my violin case on the subway who all tell me the same thing: I wish I knew how to play the violin. Violin For Dummies is for all of you (and for all the people I dont know personally, but who I know are out there) who have the same desire.

Even if youve never picked up a violin, let alone tried to play one, this book tells you what you need to know to make some music. I take you from the first moment you look at your instrument right on through the stages of an exciting journey to playing the violin. And the journey is fun I guarantee it.

No matter how skilled you are with the violin (or even if you have no skills yet), this book has something for you. If youre new to the instrument and want to play, you can follow the chapters in order. If you have some violin background and are looking for some tips on sharpening your skills, you can zone in on areas where you want some advice and skip over the places where you know how to manage.

If youre a more advanced musician, or even a music teacher, you may want to use Violin For Dummies for reference. I give you extra teaching ideas, and you can find some new tricks and approaches to playing that really work.

Because youre reading this book, I can make quite a few assumptions about you already:

• You have a violin.

  If you dont have a violin, youre preparing to buy, rent, or borrow one, along with a few necessary bits of equipment. I tell you about all the equipment you need, plus some violin accessories that are just really cool.

• You love all kinds of music, and you want to play music yourself.
• You want to study the violin seriously and quite thoroughly, but you dont want to be bored out of your mind in the process thats why I sprinkle so many fun songs throughout the book for you to play.
• Youre not necessarily familiar with reading music, but you want to give it a try. That curiosity is just what you need, because I ease you into reading musical notation until you can read it as well as youre reading this right now.
• Youre eager to add words like pizzicato and purfling to your vocabulary. I give you all the basic violin and music terminology you need to sound very knowledgeable.
• You have access to current technology and the Internet so that you can listen to musical audio tracks and watch video clips of the violin in action.

Throughout this book, youll no doubt notice some little pictures in the margins. I hope they grab your attention, because thats their job. Whenever you see one of these icons, look for the following kinds of information:

A Tip icon tells you stuff that makes life a whole lot easier, and that may even make playing the violin a whole lot easier. So my tip to you is to watch for the Tip icon.

A Remember icon tells you to keep in mind something you probably already know.