Learning to Play Violin

• Borrow a violin that is your size. You may want to consider having an expert player put tapes on the neck to indicate the frets.
• Don't touch the strings or the hair on the bow.
• Listen to violin music. Watch other players. Watch how they hold the bow and stroke the strings. Listen to the tone of the music.
• Trim your nails on your left hand.
• Hold the bow with your right hand, thumb in the corner, fingers laid down over the black part.
• Rub rosin onto the bow and tighten the bow by turning the little knob at the end of the bow. Don't touch or drop the rosin.
• Practice playing each string; stroke them with perpendicular strokes. Look in a mirror to make sure you're perpendicular. Always aim for a clear tone.
• Start practicing songs that you already know and like. You can access easy tablature online or purchase a song book.
• Reading tablature: The thickest and lowest string is a G, next a D, A, and E. Tabs show what finger to place on what string, such as D 2 (second finger on the second fret) or E 0 (open E - no fingers on the neck).
• Get a good teacher to show you good form.
• Practice every day, if even for five minutes each. Warm up, and work on tone always.
• Use a electronic to tune the violin; turn the big knobs for big adjustments, and the small ones for minor adjustments.