Music Notes Blog | Violin Tips, Technique & Practice Insights

Once a violin is a good fit for a student’s level, the bow is often the next thing worth looking at. A bow needs to match the instrument it’s paired with, so I generally recommend having the right violin in place first before putting money into a better bow. Helping students figure out what their…

Most students start out on a rental or an entry-level violin, and that’s the right way to begin. As your playing grows, it’s natural to wonder when to upgrade your violin. That’s a great question to ask, and it usually means you’ve outgrown your current instrument. A Student Who Made the Switch A former student…

If you’ve spent any time around violin method books or talked with advancing students, you’ve probably heard the word etude, sometimes called a study. These are short pieces written specifically to build one technical skill: shifting, string crossings, finger dexterity, bow control, or intonation. So, do violin students need them? My answer is yes, but…

Most of the time, determining violin size is straightforward: measure arm length, see how comfortably the fingers reach the fingerboard, watch the elbow angle, and you arrive at the right size. But every so often I run into a case where a student plays on a smaller size, is noticeably more comfortable, and it still…

If there’s one finger that trips up more violin students than any other, it’s the pinky. This is a common technique students work on in my violin lessons studio, and I understand why. The pinky curls under the neck of the violin, straightens out at the worst moment, or just refuses to reach the string…

Despite using correct bowing technique, my student’s bow kept sliding around during a recent lesson. No matter how much she tried to keep it in one spot near the bridge, it drifted toward the fingerboard, then slid back toward the bridge again, and her grip got tighter with every pass. Here’s the thing. She wasn’t…

Every year I work with students who have played violin for a year in their school orchestra, and a few of the same technical issues come up again and again. None of these are things a school orchestra program does wrong. A director managing twenty or thirty students at once simply doesn’t have the time…

Many of my students play in their school orchestra, and I often get asked how private lessons fit in with orchestra.The short answer is that they solve different problems. School orchestra gives students ensemble experience, sight-reading practice with a group, and the chance to work toward a concert with other musicians. Private lessons give a…

Note reading is another skill I teach online, using flashcards, a well-sequenced method book, and close coordination with parents in the room. Starting with Flashcards I start with just two flashcards at a time, since note reading is a lot for a student to retain all at once, especially early on. Each card has the…

Intonation is another technique people assume needs a teacher’s hands on the string, physically nudging a finger into place. But I’ve taught accurate intonation to students who take violin lessons online for years, using the same method I use in person. Building the Ear When we’re placing tapes on the fingerboard, I tell parents exactly…

Left-hand evenness, each finger landing with consistent weight and timing, is something I work on with online students just as much as in-person students. It’s what makes fast passages sound clean instead of muddy, and keeps intonation steady from note to note. A phrase played with even fingers also has a settled, controlled quality, rather…

When I teach online, I can’t feel a student’s hand the way I can in person. Since I started teaching virtual violin lessons back in 2014, I’ve relied on a few visual and musical signs instead. Watching the Fingers and Pinky A relaxed hand keeps the fingers curved over the strings, not flattened out. The…

Tension in the left hand can disrupt critical aspects of playing such as finger placement, which directly affects intonation, finger agility, and vibrato, both of which depend on being relaxed. Since tension limits speed and control, staying relaxed is crucial to musicality and physical comfort. A relaxed hand also helps reduce repetitive strain that can…

Preparing for a youth symphony audition — whether for Minnesota Youth Symphonies (MYS) or Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies (GTCYS) — takes more than just practicing the audition excerpt. Here’s what I actually work on with students well ahead of an audition date. Choosing Between MYS and GTCYS One question I get often is which…

Getting violin size right matters more than most people expect. If it’s too big, a student — child or adult — ends up fighting tension and bad habits before technique has a chance to develop properly. If it’s too small, kids will outgrow it fast, and adults may find their movement feels cramped. This is…

Of all the techniques people assume can’t be taught remotely, vibrato tops the list. It’s subtle, physical, and deeply tied to feel — which makes it a reasonable thing to be skeptical about. I’ve taught vibrato successfully to online students for years, using the same method I use in person. Building the Motion I start…

It’s a fair question. When parents or adults first consider online violin lessons, the most common concern isn’t the technology — it’s whether real progress is actually possible without a teacher in the room. After teaching violin online since 2014, I can answer that from experience rather than theory. What Students Have Actually Accomplished Online…

Many parents and adult students wonder whether higher positions can really be taught effectively through online lessons. I’ve taught violin positions in person since 2004 and online since 2014. With the right approach, online lessons work just as well for this as in-person instruction. Why Higher Positions Feel Difficult When students first move beyond first…

A relaxed bow hold is one of the first things I work on with students, and one of the hardest to get right. The instinct is to grip the bow tighter for more control, but control comes from flexibility: a hand that can respond, not one that’s locked in place. Here are four exercises I…

One of the most common things adult violin students tell me is that they know they should practice, they just can’t seem to find the time. After a long day of work, family responsibilities, and everything else life demands, picking up the violin feels like one more thing on an already full list. The good…

The bow hold is one of the first real challenges in learning violin, and one of the most rewarding to get right. Once it starts to click, everything from tone to control improves. Since 2004, I’ve collected a handful of tools and techniques that help beginners get there faster. The Pinky House Problem You’ve probably…

Starting violin as an adult comes with a unique set of mental challenges that have nothing to do with ability. Two issues come up more consistently than any others — and both have straightforward technical solutions. Mental Block 1 — Feeling Self-Conscious About Your Sound Most adult beginners are surprised by how different the violin…

If you played violin years ago and have been thinking about picking it up again, you’re further along than you realize — even if it doesn’t feel that way yet. The Gap Between Memory and Fingers The most common experience returning players describe is this: their musical memory is ahead of their fingers. The music…