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Showing posts with label tuning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tuning. Show all posts
Monday, October 6, 2008
How to tune a violin
It's always been hard for me to tune a violin, being a piano player since I was young, I always took tuning for granted and never gave it a second thought. If you are like me, instead of struggling through it, try these videos from Elizabeth Willis on Expert Village. She goes through the whole process step by step assuming no prior knowledge and shows you some cool tricks. It's a nice way to get started. Make sure you check out the rest of the series at Expert Village to get the whole story.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Broken String
So after a few months of hibernation, I finally got my violin out and tried to tune it. This time, I was adventurous enough to pretend that I have a perfect pitch and tune without an aide, and then see how far I am after I finish by comparing with sounds from the "Violin for Dummies" CD. (By the way, there are also some nice websites for violin tuning. All you have to do is search google for "voilin tuning". One I particularly like is from Violin Online.
I thought I was doing pretty well until :: snap::, my A string broke. Luckily I didn't sustain any injuries to my face or other body parts, but I've now officially broken my first voilin string. I remember my former summar instructor reminding me that it happens to the best of us, (sometimes even while playing in concert!), I was only slightly consoled by that fact. I am frustrated though that it was the A string that broken on me instead of the E string, which is more thin and fragile, therefore more likely to snap.
Now I must look for a good voilin repair shop. I believe it should be a pretty quick and easy fix, and hopefully not too expensive. I also noticed a weird vibration on the G string which I haven't heard before. I'll ask them to check it out while they're at it.
Unwilling to give up, I went ahead and practiced "Twinkle twinkle little star" and "Jingle Bells" using my mere 3 strings. Hopefully I'm not sounding too bad, though its hard for me to tell sometimes if I'm out of tune. For now, I'm trying hard to practice keeping my left fingers down on the finger board while playing the higher notes. The twisted arm position is still pretty strange for me. Meanwhile, trying to hold the bow properly while keeping a relaxed positiong is nothing less than difficult. At least I'm getting back into the mode of practicing. Being a piano player since I was young, I can't help but yearn for some piano time after my violin practice. Too bad its not possible now in my small apartment.
I thought I was doing pretty well until :: snap::, my A string broke. Luckily I didn't sustain any injuries to my face or other body parts, but I've now officially broken my first voilin string. I remember my former summar instructor reminding me that it happens to the best of us, (sometimes even while playing in concert!), I was only slightly consoled by that fact. I am frustrated though that it was the A string that broken on me instead of the E string, which is more thin and fragile, therefore more likely to snap.
Now I must look for a good voilin repair shop. I believe it should be a pretty quick and easy fix, and hopefully not too expensive. I also noticed a weird vibration on the G string which I haven't heard before. I'll ask them to check it out while they're at it.
Unwilling to give up, I went ahead and practiced "Twinkle twinkle little star" and "Jingle Bells" using my mere 3 strings. Hopefully I'm not sounding too bad, though its hard for me to tell sometimes if I'm out of tune. For now, I'm trying hard to practice keeping my left fingers down on the finger board while playing the higher notes. The twisted arm position is still pretty strange for me. Meanwhile, trying to hold the bow properly while keeping a relaxed positiong is nothing less than difficult. At least I'm getting back into the mode of practicing. Being a piano player since I was young, I can't help but yearn for some piano time after my violin practice. Too bad its not possible now in my small apartment.
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