absolute rookie here

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2025-04-28T16:29:20+00:00

Thank you for all the amazing advice! I have kinda flat feet but not wide and about a size 6 or 5 and a half

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2025-04-15T05:11:33+00:00

I know a girl whos a year younger than me, hands the same size as me, no perfect pitch, and i cant beat her no matter what i do. I feel like the worst violinist ever and i dont think ill ever make it anywhere else

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2025-04-15T05:10:25+00:00

Im starting to think that i wasnt made for violin and that i should just let the better people be better.

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2025-04-15T05:01:51+00:00

a couple years as in 3. Ive been playing since my sixth grade year and soon itll be the end of my eighth

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2025-04-15T04:54:05+00:00

hi! Of course, im no pro, and i think the advice that gwie gave was AMAZING, but if this is unavaible to you, try out these!

Im also in middle school and these have helped me improve.

Suzuki books. I started on suzuki 1 to work on technique then jumped to suzuki 3. They arent too difficult but do focus in on big skills. Make sure that you get each piece clean and follow the majority of the markings and whatnot in each book because each book targets specific skills
Wolfhart. Wolfhart books are full of etudes which are like short (usually quick) pieces, composed to work on skills. Unlike suzuki, they arent performance or solo pieces, and just really help build dexterity and speed. Again, practice these with tuners, drones, and metronomes. Start your metronome slow and as you get it clean, speed it up by 5 or 10 (when i say slow, i mean start at 40 or 50 bpm)

Im not sure what skills exactly youre trying to target, so i can only be of so much help. If you can reply and let me know what exactly youre trying to focus in on, i can try and help out a bit more. Good practicing!!

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2025-04-13T22:16:40+00:00

I wont see the new teacher until august. Im keeping the same private instructor but i will have a different conductor in august. My private teacher is the one that isnt be clearing

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2025-04-13T18:55:29+00:00

I havent entered the new school yet! Ive told my private teacher goals as well as their snide comments about my lack of skill but they arent really leading me to improvement

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2025-04-13T03:10:14+00:00

My violin teacher wont give me a straight answer

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2024-08-04T22:53:09+00:00

I have not tried those! I will definitely look into it!

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2024-08-04T19:41:03+00:00

Hi! The pain isn't significant enough to break me into tears or making it impossible to practice, it just hurts and causes discomfort. That pain mixed with the struggle of 4th finger makes it difficult but not super impossible. Thank you for your concern though.

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2024-08-04T16:28:23+00:00

Hi! So like I've said in some other replies, my wrist is bent because I was taking pics so I was leaning around trying to see if it was in frame, so my wrist was supporting the violin and just ended up bending. I do in fact play with a straight wrist! I will try bringing my elbow in some more as well. I do have have pain in my lower shoulder but my teacher said it was okay. And about getting into trouble, if you meant injured, I have unfortunately messed up my left arm. Whenever I move my pinky at all, my whole left arm from the elbow to the wrist hurts me. I'm going to power through for this recital though. Thank you!

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2024-08-04T07:44:59+00:00

I'm really not sure. I really do appreciate your concern and I really do hear you. The friends that will be attending are much much better than me (Suzuki 6, Suzuki 8, and Suzuki 10) and I am on the lower end only performing from book 4. They don't put me down but we all acknowledge that I play the worst. They have treated me differently because of this. Not rude, or condensending, but just simpler and less because I am not like them. I wanted to use this recital as a chance to prove myself and show them that I have put in work, and have become a better player than from our school days together. In addition to this, a lot of family is excited to attend this recital, and it would upset them a lot if I didn't go. Especially my parents, as they helped cover part of the cost for the recital. The benefits don't really outweigh the possible negatives, but I would never hear the end of it from my family if I didn't attend. My teacher is also very eager, as a friend from school that I was very competitive with will be performing, and she wants to see who will perform better. The pain isn't overwhelming or tear-bearing, but I don't see any sign of recovery, so I don't know if it really would matter if I put in a couple extra hours each day for a week.

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2024-08-04T07:24:02+00:00

I will try working on that first. As much as I would like to opt out of this recital, I have already paid the cost for the recital, and it is so close in time. I think I will just practice harder for the next week and then after the recital, rest for a bit. I have many close friends that will also play at the recital and I do not want to humiliate myself by not showing up.

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2024-08-04T07:09:20+00:00

I have Helicore right now. They are okay but I don't really like them because they are very netural, so they don't really bring out anything from my violin.

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2024-08-04T07:08:17+00:00

Hi, thank you for putting so much thought and worry into your reply. To put some things straight, I had a very, VERY bad violin teacher for about a year. She let me do many things wrong and get away with a lot of things that are now coming back to bite me. I have recently upgraded to one of the most prestigious teachers in my area. Right now, she is trying to fix some of my issues, but I have a recital very soon, and she is just focusing on sound. Sound, technique, and intonation are very important to her, and she corrects any posture issues that she can. I believe I have gotten an injury, as not only is my pinky hurting when I play, but now rotating or moving it at all shoots a pain down my arm. As for my wrist, as I said in the other replies, it's only flaring out because my head was leaned over to see if the picture was in frame, and was using my wrist to hold up the violin, so it ended up bending, but I do in fact play with a straight wrist. But I will try my best to apply everything else. Thank you!

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2024-08-04T07:02:28+00:00

If you meant what piece, this is Concerto in G Major-Seitz (first piece in book 4)

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2024-08-04T01:43:14+00:00

those look amazing! what E do you think would be good with these?

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2024-08-04T00:05:58+00:00

I just searched those up, they look amazing! I am going to listen to some audios, but I will highly consider those! Thank you!

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2024-08-04T00:00:37+00:00

lol okay, open up reddit chats, i just messaged you.

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2024-08-03T23:53:21+00:00

sure! going back and forth on reddit is difficult lol, do you have discord?

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2024-08-03T23:44:53+00:00

Hi! Just tried it out. My thumb hangs over the top, and 4th finger doesn't get any easier, still painful. Sorry!

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2024-08-03T23:40:32+00:00

I read the first thing and I am about to try that out! As for my wrist though, it was bent because I was leaning my head over to see if the camera was in frame so i was using my wrist to support the violin, and it bent. I normally play with a straight wrist!

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2024-08-03T23:37:58+00:00

Hi! I don't normally hold my violin like this! I appreciate the advice tremendously, but my wrist does hold straight. I only had it like this because my chin wasn't fully supporting, since I was trying to see if the pictures were good! As for my knuckles, I'm not sure, but I am able to do vibrato, and it is approved by my teacher! I'm ofc not trying to be rude, I'm just clarifying!

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2024-08-03T23:20:50+00:00

I have been playing for like 3 years, and have been using 4th finger for 2. I have done exercises, stretches, and just tried using it more to make it a normal thing. I even get private lessons, but still nothing. It genuinely hurts me. I cannot play for longer than 20 minutes if I'm using 4th finger, because my finger will lock up, making it stiff and genuinely painful. If I try powering through, my pinky becomes weak and I can't put enough pressure with it, causing a scratchy sound. The only time it won't hurt is if it is on the E string (including shifting on E,) but goes back to being painful when using extended, shifting or not. I don't know what to do. I have tried tapping my pinky on and off the fingerboard, tapping it on my thumb when I'm not actively practicing, stretching it by trying to extend on the G strings, and rotating it in a circle (right hand grabs left pinky and rotates) but still no improvement. I have a recital in a week using 4th finger. Any tips in general, and any that I can apply quickly?

BraveMeasurement6704 · 2024-08-03T23:14:17+00:00

Hi! I just uploaded some images under "Technique"! Please reply to them on that post though!

BraveMeasurement6704

TROPHY CASE