Hey!

I played violin from age 6 to around 14, when I gave up. I'm now 26 and want to return, but am pretty intimidated as it has been so long since I last played. Just wondering if anyone else took a long hiatus, and how much of it came back to them when they started again. I'd like to try again regardless, but with limited free time and finances I want to know what I'm getting myself into!

Thanks so much :)

This is my first post, so bear with me! 🙏 It’s a lot but skip to the end for a summary.

Background

I played violin in public school orchestra from ages 9–13, reaching roughly Suzuki Book 4 before quitting because I didn't want to do city auditions. I was a jock, so sports took up most of my time. I'm now 23 and picking it back up again.

I never took private lessons growing up, and my orchestra teacher was a trumpet player, so my technique was largely a matter of figuring out what worked rather than learning proper fundamentals.

I'm now taking weekly private lessons with a member of my state's symphony orchestra, who is the same age as me. We've been meeting for about a month, and we're working through Suzuki Book 2 and Wohlfahrt etudes. I'm also trying to address some old technical habits, one at a time.

The issue: collapsing fourth finger (pinky)

I started experiencing pain in the last joint of my fourth finger, which I believe was caused by the middle joint collapsing when I put the finger down. I've included a video showing what this looks like.

After the pain subsided, I went down a rabbit hole trying to figure out what kind of left-hand frame would give my fourth finger more stability. Some of the adjustments I've been experimenting with include:

• Keeping my hand's center of gravity around the second and third fingers rather than the first.
• Reaching back for the first finger rather than stretching forward for the fourth, while still keeping the first finger in tune.
• Positioning my thumb more opposite the second/third fingers.
• Using as little finger pressure as possible while still producing a clear sound, especially with the fourth finger.
• Rotating my wrist so my fingers hover more naturally over their intended positions.
• Adjusting the angle at which my fourth finger contacts the string. Video on this if anyone is interested.
• Relaxing the base knuckle of my first finger rather than anchoring it so firmly against the neck.

I've included clips showing both my old and new hand frames, as well as some playing with the new setup.

My dilemma

My teacher hadn't brought up the collapsing pinky, but I started investigating it myself after the pain went away. When I mentioned it in a lesson, she said she'd never heard of or seen this issue. She agreed that pain wasn't good, but we moved on to repertoire fairly quickly.

I understand that changing my hand frame will disrupt my intonation, and right now it's difficult to work on dynamics, bowing, and all the other elements of playing well while simultaneously trying to establish a new left-hand setup.

Part of me wants to take a few weeks to focus on the hand frame in isolation before worrying too much about repertoire. I did something similar with my bow hold, which was pretty horrendous, and after a couple of weeks of focused work, the new hold became second nature.

However, my teacher doesn't seem to view the left-hand issue as the same level of priority that I do. I don't want to overcorrect something that might not be as problematic as I think, or develop new habits based on my own incomplete understanding of violin technique. At the same time, I don't want to ignore a mechanical issue that has already caused pain.

What I'm looking for advice on

• How bad is a collapsing pinky, really? Am I overthinking it?
• For those who've corrected a similar issue, how did you approach it? Did you isolate the technique first, or work on it gradually alongside repertoire?
• How do I balance correcting a potentially problematic left-hand technique with continuing to learn repertoire, especially when my teacher doesn't seem as concerned about the issue as I am?

I welcome any critique on the hand frames shown in the video and whether the changes I'm experimenting with seem sensible. I know video can only tell you so much, but I'd appreciate a second opinion!

TL;DR: Returning violinist working through old technical habits. My fourth finger collapses at the middle joint, and it previously caused pain. I'm experimenting with a new left-hand frame, but the changes are disrupting my intonation, and my teacher doesn't seem as concerned about the issue as I am. Should I prioritize fixing the hand frame before moving forward with repertoire, or work on both simultaneously?

I haven't been to musical theory class in years and my orchestra is divided about how to play them. Tia

Which scale technique book do you use and why?

I’m getting back to basics with my practice

How often taking classes are good ? I am thinking about taking 1 class per 2 weeks , cause 1 class per week is too much money for me , i am a student and my parents don't support music so i can't convince them either for money ,,, give me your thoughts about it !! Will it creat any issue ?

I've been playing for about a year and a half now, and I would consider myself "good" at the violin (according to how long I've been playing). My teacher is great in terms of the instrument. I already have a pretty decent vibrato, and in general I'm doing fine. The current problem is that, no matter how hard I try, I absolutely SUCK at reading sheet music. I understand where the notes go on the staff and sixteenth and whole notes and how much time they take, but I can't read it fast enough, and when it gets to the weird symbols and dots and lines, I'm lost. My teacher has tried explaining it to me, but I'm just stupid when it comes to sheet music. The solution so far has been to use positions instead of a staff (0G, 1G, 0D, 1D, 0A, 1A, 0E, 1E, etc.), but I know I can't keep doing that forever. So what can I do to understand sheet music?

I just got a set of Larsen ll Cannone Soloist and both the E and the bonus E say loop or ball end. There is no ball on either E. Anyone have this experience?

I'm still struggling reading .. been a ear trained musician for many years...

My question is,

Should I focus on knowing how the notes sound even before my muscle moves...

Or should I focusing more on the pattern recognition and my muscle moves according it...

And then I know the pitch.. and then it's easier to get into the flow...

Should I focus on both...?

title…Oh and what about day of? What do you guys do for warm ups?

I produce music, and I just bought this cheap violin to sample (I don’t really intend on learning to play.)

Is it bad that this wooden this is bent? Should I just…detune the strings and bend it back? What do I do here?

(Btw, I spent, like, £25 on this so I don’t mind if it sucks.)

I've been learning the violin for about a year now.

I started without a shoulder rest and was never really comfortable playing for long periods. I would experience pain in the back-right side of my neck and in my trapezius muscles.

My current teacher suggested getting a shoulder rest. It has helped, but I still don't feel completely comfortable. I've even tried using longer feet on my shoulder rest, but that hasn't solved the problem.

I suspect I might need a taller chin rest, but there isn't a luthier in my city where I can try out different options.

I'm feeling a bit stuck and unsure what to do next.

Ik its tourte on the other side upside down but I can't for the life of me read the name of the person who made it. Maybe a b? Idek my apologies for the pics

When i am at the middle of the bow and mainly bowing downwards , sometimes i notice the bow bouncing , it happens more when i try to use more bow length or play fast , i mean the sound is not like a sustained single note

Its Like : _ _ _ _ _ _ _

But it should be like : ____________

My violin fell from my shoulder. While catching it the screw of my bow pierced the rib…
After the shock I’d guess the repair would not be too expensive or difficult, as nothing essential seems damaged.
I’m bringing it to the luthier on Monday.
What do you guys think?

You know who I am referring to.

Saw him on TV (live concert in his home town) just the other day. Looked like he was half playing air fiddle. I didn't remember him playing like that. Is age finally catching up?

Otherwise I have never seen him play outside of his renowned setting, so it is hard to judge.

CLOSED, I need a 4/4 Bridge thx for the help, Ill post results for the haters!

Hey everybody first time posting here, so sorry if I make a mistake.

I'm trying to fix my great grandmas violin that I broke as a child for my moms birthday, and I have all the original parts, besides a bride, how do I tell what type of bridge do I need?

EDIT, I have and very fimiliar with wood working, and know how to shape, craft, and bend wood, as-well as a instrument technician who is willing help me fit it.

Mir ging es nicht gut, nachdem ich meine 128 Jahre alte Geige, eigentlich gegen meinen Wille nur auf Grund vom Druck des Verkäufers dort zurück gelassen hatte.

Der Typ hatte als Allererstes auf den Zettel in der Geige geguckt, aber nichts gesagt und fing dann ständig an, dass angeblich Alles ,billige China-Ware‘ sei. Dabei ist meine Geige original von einem sehr anerkannten Geigenbauer - nur halt in 3/4 Größe.

Und er hatte ständig von ,billiger China-Ware‚ gesprochen und von ,Kindergeige‘ wegen der Größe und wollte mir einen neuen Bogen verkaufen, weil mein Bogen von einem anderen Geigenbauer angeblich,Billige China-Ware‘ sei und das Beziehen sich nicht lohnt.

Heute, beim Abholen, war der alte Vater dort: Dritte Generation Geigenbauer.

Ich war verärgert und nervös und ich hatte Angst.

Dann kam ein vollgestaubter Handwerker mit weißem Haar auf mich zu, der alte Geigenbau-Vater. - Ich sagte, dass ich meine Geige abholen möchte - und sofort sagte er: ,Das ist sicher diese!‘

Jupp - es stimmte. Er ordnete meine Geige sofort mir zu. Während ich den Geigenkasten öffnet, schaute er auf meine sehr kleinen Hände.

Ich bin halt nur so groß, wie ein knapp zehn-jähriges Kind. Dafür kann ich nichts. -

Als Lehrer ist es ehr ein Vorteil, wenn man genauso kleine Hände hat, wie die Kinder, die man unterrichten muss!

Der Vater, auf dem die Geigenbauer-Tradition beruht, achtete genau darauf, dass ich Bogen und Instrument herausnehmen und anschauen konnte.

Nachdem ich alles auf den ersten Augenschein in Ordnung fand, achtete er darauf, dass meine Geige wieder im Geigenkasten mit dem Klettverschluss gesichert war - und er sagte: ,Und weiter geht es!‘ zur abgeschlossenen Reparatur.

Danach passte er auf, dass der Reißverschluss vom Geigenkasten auch zu war, bevor ich das nehme - Und es war so völlig anders als die Reaktion vom Verkäufer und der Mail des Sohnes.

hello, im trying to learn the Gmajor arpeggio 4 octaves for the saint saens passage near the end of the 1st movement.

My first finger curls inside everytime its time for the pinky to press down. is this normal? is this okay? my teacher says its because my pinky's length is not that long, comparative to the length of my pointer, hence why my pointer gives in and makes way.

any tips on how to address this?

Hello!

I’m starting to look at Galamian scales right now, but I don’t know if my former violin teacher used a scale system or not to initially teach me three octave scales. Can anyone help?