VIOLIN LESSONS
VIOLA LESSONS

PARTS OF A VIOLIN                        External, and a few internal parts of a violin
PARTS OF A BOW                           Major parts of a violin (or viola) bow

CARE OF VIOLIN AND BOW           Important things to remember
PERIODIC MAINTENANCE              Simple things to do for your instrument

TYPES OF VIOLIN STRINGS            Gut, Steel, Steel-wound Gut, Synthetic: ball and loop ends
REPLACING STRINGS                       How to replace a violin string

PLAYING FIDDLE LEFT HANDED   Why you should play right-handed
BOWING VERSUS PICKING             Different concept in  controling sound

STARTING OUT                                 You just got your fiddle: what to try first
HELPFUL FINGER EXERCISES        Simple left and right hand silent exercises
HOLDING THE VIOLIN                     Modern way to hold the violin
HOLDING THE BOW                         Light flexible hand hold on the bow

ELEMENTARY BOWING TECHNIQUE

    crescendo and decrescendo

BASIC LEFT HAND FINGER TECHNIQUE              left elbow, wrist, hand, fingers

BOWING AND FINGERING RELATED
    single notes
    slurred notes
    repeated notes
    tremolo

USING BOW AND FINGERING TOGETHER
    shaping a note


INTERMEDIATE BOWING CONCEPTS

APPLYING ARM WEIGHT THROUGH THE BOW TO STRINGS

RIGHT HAND FINGER TECHNIQUE

        upper arm vertical motion
     
    WITH ELBOW AGAINST A WALL

LEFT HAND POSITIONS ON THE NECK
    Numbering of positions
    navigate by left thumb and by ear
    similarities in fingering
        example: 1st position on G = 4th position on D

LEARNING VIBRATO
    learn in 3rd position first
    two motions at once
    end of finger rolls mostly down-pitch
    vibrato exercises

SHIFTING
    ARM AND HAND TIMING:
        up-shift: arm leads hand
        down-shirt: hand leads arm
    MODERN SHIFT STYLE:
        shift on previous finger
    SITUATIONS:
        shifting to same finger
        shiftingt, then change fingers
        change fingers during shift
    TIMING:
        between left arm and bowing
    PRACTICE:
        shifting exercises
        make up your own

BASIC SCALES  AND ARPEGGIOS
    one octave
    two octave

FINGERING TECHINQUES
    trills
    grace notes

DOUBLE STOPS
    3rds
    6ths
    octaves
    10ths

SPECIAL BOWING TECHNIQUES
    bounce bowing
    spacatto bowing
    pizzicatto
    sul pontecello

SPECIAL FINGERING TECHNIQUES
    left-hand pizzicato
    natural harmonics
    false harmonics
    Non-standard tuning

Music Lessons