How to Play the Violin for Adults
- 1). Hold the violin properly. Sit comfortably in a chair with a straight back and place your left hand around the violin's neck. Your left palm should support the bottom of the neck. Place the body of the violin over your left shoulder, with the violin's chin rest centered over the shoulder. Older adults might have difficulty assuming this position. Rest your chin on the chin rest and remain relaxed. Your left hand will support the weight of instrument.
- 2). Tune the violin. The strings should be tuned to G, D, A, and E. It's best to use a chromatic tuner in order to achieve the most accurate tuning possible. Turn on your tuner and pluck the lowest string on the violin. Turn the tuning knob until this string sounds a G natural. Proceed by tuning the remaining three strings.
- 3). Pluck the strings without fingering any notes. The pad of your fingertip should strike the string and rest on the adjacent string. This style of playing is called "pizzicato." You'll often be required to use pizzicato playing in accordance with sheet music. As an adult, it might take some practice to master this technique, given your larger fingers, when compared to a child.
- 4). Refer to a fingering chart to learn some of the basic fingering patterns. You'll finger the strings with your left hand as you pluck or bow the strings with your right hand. Try to master some basic notes and play them in sequence to create a scale. As you progress, try to read some easy sheet music and play it pizzicato on the violin. Adults might find this process more difficult than children if they don't have prior musical knowledge.
- 5). Try playing the violin with the bow. Hold the bow with your right hand, curving your fingers over the top of the stick. Your middle finger should be in line with your thumb. Bow the strings between the fingerboard and bridge. Bowing closer to the bridge will produce a louder tone. Keep the bow straight and draw it in a line parallel to the bridge.
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