The Beginner's Guide to Learning Violin

As you’re first learning to play violin, focus your attention on perfecting your posture and bowing technique. Little details like how your pinky rests on your bow, the shape of your wrist, and the way you stand can have a monumental impact on how you sound.
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Check out these instructional videos from Geoff Dolce, Head of Curriculum at Trala, to get you started on the fundamentals of good violin posture and a comfortable bowing technique.

How to Hold Your Violin

Like any new skill, holding your violin and bow will feel awkward at first but will become more natural with practice and time. If you’re unsure how to hold your instrument, here’s a step-by-step video for holding your violin with proper posture.

Checking Your Violin Bow Hold

Developing a natural violin bow hold will give your more control over your tone, technique, and volume. The next time you play violin, pay close attention to your bow hold and return to this video to check your form.

Getting Ready to Play Your Violin

Every time you practice, hone in on one element of your posture. For example, if you’re learning how to play the song Amazing Grace, spend your practice session paying close attention to the position of your left hand. How does its placement and shape impact your tone and intonation?
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If you need a refresher on violin posture and form, watch this short video lesson from Trala’s Head of Curriculum.

Advice for the Left-handed Violinist

Violinists use both hands equally, so left-handed students are often encouraged to learn violin using the same side and posture as right-handed individuals. That being said, there are many violin players who choose to bow with their left hand due to injury or personal preference. If you’re one of these rare violinists, you’re in good company - the comedian Charlie Chaplin, the famed violinist and conductor Paavo Berglund, the multitalented composer Niccolo Paganini, and many Trala students learned to bow with their left hand.

Picture yourself playing violin one year from today.

Are you serenading a loved one? Auditioning for a local ensemble? Sharing your favorite song with friends and family?

No matter your end goal, daily practice will be your ticket to success.
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When it comes to learning violin, consistency is key. Set a realistic practice schedule, and stick with it. Practicing for just 15 minutes a day will help you more than if you were to commit to a single halfday practice session once a week. Don’t be afraid to repeat the same skill or section of a piece again and again. You may find that your biggest violin breakthroughs come through methodical, repetitive practice.
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If you’re a parent, college student, or work long hours, you might find it easier to practice first thing in the morning or right before you go to sleep. Leave your violin case in a safe, high-traffic area of your home for a visual cue to practice, or set an alarm on your phone as a reminder for when it’s time to play.

Busy beginner violinists should also consider habit stacking, the process of linking your new habit of practicing violin to a longtime habit that’s part of your daily routine. For example, if you set the table every night at 7pm, keep your violin case in the dining room so that you can practice for 30 minutes while dinner is in the oven. If you already do yoga every morning, keep your violin case by your yoga mat and practice for 20 minutes before your sun salutations.

Set yourself up for success by creating the perfect atmosphere for practice. Find a quiet, private space in your home where you can play violin without fear of being interrupted. If you live in an apartment building, have roommates, or want to practice while the kids are in bed, purchase a violin practice mute so you can play for as long as you’d like without bothering anyone.

Consider this checklist when creating the perfect practice space for a beginner violinist:

One final piece of practice advice: your violin is a sensitive instrument that needs to be tuned at the start of every practice session. Practicing on an out-of-tune instrument slows down your progress and makes it hard to create a beautiful sound. Think about it this way: when your open strings are out of tune, every note you play will sound wrong, even when your fingers are in the right place. For tips on how to tune your violin, check out Violin Tuning 101.

When you’re first learning violin, you’ll make some strange, scratchy sounds. Your bow hold will feel awkward and reading music might not come as easily to you as you’d like. It will take many hours of practice to learn advanced skills like vibrato. All this is normal. You’re not a slow learner, you’re just in the process of learning a very difficult and rewarding instrument.
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Learning violin takes patience, dedication, and perseverance, but with the right mindset, anyone can do it. If you commit to a consistent practice routine today, you’ll be making beautiful music by this time next year.
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While it may take some time for you to feel comfortable jamming with friends, playing with vibrato, or performing on stage, resist the temptation to rush your violin journey. You’ll find more joy in your daily practice if you take your time, return again and again to foundational skills and exercises, and celebrate the growth you’re seeing along the way.

With slow and steady learning in mind, here are five learning tips for violin beginners of all ages:

As you learn violin, getting feedback on your technique and how you sound will help become a stronger musician and avoid bad habits. Feedback can take many forms including a private violin lessons, group classes, or an interactive app for learning violin.

When you’re meeting a new violin teacher for the first time, ask yourself the following questions:

Do they understand and support my goals?

Am I forced to learn through the Suzuki method, or am I able to learn through a method better suited for adult beginners?

Do they make me play Bach when I want to play Bluegrass? Are they teaching me pop songs when I want to play concertos?

Are they used to working with students who share my experience level and age group? Are they comfortable working with adult learners?

Do they make me feel comfortable, motivated, and confident about my abilities to learn violin?

Are they actively engaged and invested in my learning?

Can they accommodate my schedule?

Are they able to teach me the genres I want to play and techniques I want to learn?‍

If your practice time is limited, if you don’t live near a music school, or if you can't find a the right teacher in your area who meets the above criteria, sign up for online violin lessons with a Trala teacher. Download Trala from the App Store or Google Play to get matched with the best private lesson teacher for your unique needs and interests. When you're a beginner, the right music teacher can help you navigate important milestones like finding the best violin and shoulder rest (hint: don't order your violin from Amazon), setting achievable goals, and building a strong practice routine.

If you’d prefer to learn on your own or need more structure in your self-directed practice time, go beyond YouTube videos and look for a tool that will allow you to get feedback on how you sound and the notes you play. Consider purchasing a chromatic tuner or downloading Trala to make sure that you’re playing in tune and developing a beautiful tone. That being said, we highly recommend supplementing any self-directed learning with lessons with a professional violinist. When you take lessons with a great teacher, you'll become a more confident, adaptable musician.

Looking for inspiration? Read up on other violin students who began their musical journey later in life. Remember, you’re in good company! Every great violinist was once a beginner, and right now thousands of people around the world are learning violin for the very first time.