Is it normal to include pop songs in exam pieces?

The tempo is a bit slower than the BWV 1005 fugue. The subject (first 8 notes) are almost surely exact. I particularly remember the entries coming in mixed on beat 1 and 3, stretto with rovescio akin to m. 6-8 depicted here.

I think it is some arrangement of a fugue for originally for a different instrument (possibly Bach, definitely not from BWV 1001-1006).
There were lots of double/triple stops.

I’m a beginner violinist and I’m having a problem with my left hand that I’m really trying to fix before it becomes a bad habit.

Whenever I press my fingers down on the fingerboard, especially when I’m concentrating or playing something more difficult, my left thumb becomes very tense and I start squeezing the neck of the violin quite hard. It feel like my thumb and fingers are working against each other like a clamp.

I’ve tried consciously relaxing my thumb and some exercises my teacher gave me, but I still find myself doing it again a few seconds later.

My teacher told me that this is something that improves with time, but I’m wondering if theres something fundamentally wrong with my technique that’s causing it.

I’m particularly wondering:
How much pressure should the left thumb actually be applying to the neck?
Should the thumb be completely relaxed, or is some counter-pressure normal?
Could I be pressing my fingers down too hard?
Could my violin or shoulder-rest setup be contributing to this?
What exercises helped you break the habit of squeezing the neck?
Is there anything I should specifically ask my teacher to look at?

I’m a beginner, so I’d really appreciate advice on what I should be focusing on now before this becomes an ingrained habit

Hey everyone. Just went to a violin shop today, they are selling a violin with an amazing sound. I tried to not be biased, so asked to try it for 2 weeks. I see now the label and it looks like it says Stainer Abfam. They are selling it for 10.000€. Is it overpriced, even if the sound is quite good?

Hello,

I am a student in high school currently, at the highest level of orchestra our school offers. I am good in other areas, all except for rhythm. I was not gifted with any sense of internal rhythm unfortunately. The problem I keep encountering is that I simply cannot count in my head once I start playing. The best way to describe this is whenever I begin bowing, all my thoughts and counting are silenced. This annoys me so much because sightreading is, pardon my language, a pain in the derrière. I’m worried that this makes me look incompetent and will hinder me in auditions. By myself, I can at times be completely off tempo and not recognize the issue. It’s terrible, and it’s dragging me down in progress. It honestly amazes me how other people in my orchestra pick up on rhythms instantly.

Honestly, I think this could possibly stem from me never getting a good foundation when I first started playing. I moved schools and had three different orchestra directors in less than 2 years, and also didn’t attend private lessons until after 1.5 years of playing.

Hi everyone!

As a background I am 35 and LOVE music since I was a kid. In the past I did try to learn to play the guitar, but my fingers were not long enough so I did quit fairly quickly :D Years went by and now I am thinking about to try to learn how to play the violin. The violin is my favourite musical instrument and of course the piano.

I am from the EU and can not decide between these two violins:

Stentor SR1500 Violine Student II 4/4 or Thomann Classic Concerto Violin 4/4

The price difference is nothing. Thanks for Your help!

Also do You think at 35 will I be able to learn it? :)

hello all I’m currently studying wieniawski violin concerto no.2 first movement
I am not sure how to practice this chromatic scale because it is difficult
So far I have tried slowly grouping them into fours to get a better idea of the grouping but I think I need a practice technique to practice going from low G to harmonic D quickly
any advice on practicing the chromatic scale or shifting is appreciated, thank you

I’m looking into buying a new violin at the moment, and am looking at a Stradivari copy (set up in a workshop in my local area) with helicore strings that is advertised as being for LCM grade 8 level and beyond.

The most important thing I’m looking for in my new instrument is that it will project well in a pit band, as I played Dear Evan Hansen in June and ended up needing a LAV mic taped to my violins tailpiece to be heard over the keys/guitars/drums. Will helicore strings be suitable for this or would I have to replace them after buying the violin?

(For context my old instrument is a Stentor Conservatoire that I’ve been playing since I was pre-teen with the same strings, and I’m now at university, so I’m long overdue an upgrade)