Learn the Violin Online with Online Violin Teacher Meghan Faw Lesson 15/15: Summary and Practice Tips
Congratulations! You have reached the end of this free Learn Violin Online beginner course. I am so incredibly proud of you. Take a second and think about how much you’ve learned and how far you’ve come throughout this course. What I hope you’ve come to realize is that a structured, clear, step-by-step learning plan is invaluable.
Lesson 1 covered violin setup and parts of the violin. These are important to know because they are referenced in many of mine and others lessons.
Lesson 2 covered tuning. Proper tuning of the instrument is paramount for ensuring that your notes sound correct. In that lesson we plucked the strings while we tuned, but you should be able to bow now!
Lesson 3 covered posture and positioning. This is something you’ll have to keep an eye on and continue to refine throughout your journey. I was still making posture adjustments even through college!
Lesson 4 covered straight bowing, which is vital for producing a clear, even sound.
In lesson 5 you learned how to use the 1st finger, in lesson 6 you learned how to use the (high) 2nd finger, and in lesson 7 you learned how to use the third finger. Then, we combined all of the skills we learned and practiced 3 scales in lesson 8. When placing your fingers and playing scales, it’s important to be mindful of your intonation. If you hit a note out of tune, instead of just adjusting your finger and moving on, instead go back to the previous note and practice landing it in tune.
In lesson 9 you learned the basics of reading sheet music such as note values, time signatures, and key signatures.
In lesson 10 you learned and practiced using the fourth finger. The fourth finger takes awhile to strengthen so I suggest adding fourth finger exercises into your daily practice routine.
In lesson 11 you learned about common beginner bowing techniques such as detache, staccato, and slurs.
In lesson 12 you greatly expanded the amount of pieces available to you by learning 4 new finger placements: the low 2, high 3, low 4, and low 1.
In lesson 13 you practiced these new finger placements in 3 new scales: 2 octave G Major, 1 octave D Minor, and 2 octave B flat major.
And in lesson 14 you learned different and more complicated note values, time signatures, and rhythmic patterns to further expand your ability to read sheet music.
You’ve probably heard that repetition is an important part of practice; however you only want to repeat things when they sound exactly how you want them to. Say you’ve played a passage 5 times trying to get it right. How many times do you then need to repeat it? At least 10! The more times you play it correctly, the higher odds you’ll have of playing it correctly again.
Finally, I know you are a busy human, and finding time to practice can be tough. Above all else, to truly make progress, you must make practice a priority. Some things that help me make sure I get my practice in are:
Breaking it down to smaller, more frequent chunks
Scheduling practice into my day
Practicing after an already established habit
