What comes to your mind when the word "orchestra" is mentioned?
Classical music?
Musicians with formal attires?
The sound of string musical instruments?
Among the various musical instruments, do you know that the violin takes up the most seats in a complete full orchestra setting?
In fact, the violinists of an orchestra are divided into two groups where the first group plays the melody while the second group plays the harmony of each piece during the performance.
Having said that, it's no surprise that violin lessons are popular across the globe, even in Malaysia.
In this article, we will dive deep into the five main motivations that drive people to learn and practise the violin.
Reason 1: A mobile and versatile musical instrument
Do you know that a full-size violin weighs less than one kilogram?
Its light and small frame make it one of the most mobile musical instruments, and you can easily bring it with you wherever you go, even when you are going abroad.
Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash
Also, you can start playing it at any venue after some minor tuning without having to look for any power plugs and sockets.
Remember what we mentioned earlier about the two groups of violinists in the orchestra? This means that it works well as a solo musical instrument as well as an ensemble musical instrument.
Apart from the conventional violin, the electric violin is also widely used in situations where amplifiers and external speakers are connected to maximize sound production. Don't be surprised that there are universities that offer specialised undergraduate and graduate programmes for electric strings.
In terms of musical instrument versatility, the violin can be played to not only produce a wide range of single notes but the violinists can also perform various violin techniques and styles such as vibrato, double stop, pizzicato, tremolo and others.
Reason 2: Get to share and spread the beauty of classical music
At times, it's easy to feel that your violin tutoring and practice sessions are going nowhere and you are just caught up in an endless cycle.
This hits hard if you are one of the few that learns violin among your peers in school too. If you're honest, it doesn't help when most people view classical music as a rigid and overserious genre.
As you are about to wallow in solitude and weariness, please remember that your violin learning journey can be an immersive and engaging one once you get connected to a like-minded community.
Surely, you have heard of Two Set Violin, an Australian-based violin duo (Brett Yang and Eddy Chen) that not only creates funny and educational violin-related content on Youtube but also performs regularly in different cities worldwide.
Some of the famous videos on their channel include:
- 8 Most Epic Classical Music Performances Everyone Should Watch
- Classical vs Electric Violin
- 23 Different Musical Genres on the Violin
- Cutting Open A Violin
- The Most Accurate Violin Movie Acting
- Non-Violinists Friends Try To Play The Violin
Source: The Star Online
It's a good place to start for individuals who have absolutely zero knowledge of classical music and also for those who have been playing the violin for many years. Occasionally, the channel also features established violin players such as Ray Chen, Chloe Chua, Hillary Hahn, Benny Yu-Chien Tseng and others.
Perhaps you can use this opportunity to share this channel with your family and friends as an ice-breaker where they can learn about the broad spectrum of classical music. From there, you can even talk about how common classical music is in our everyday media.
Reason 3: Improves concentration and cognitive abilities
Next, we will be talking about how you get to develop your concentration and cognitive skills through violin learning.
From identifying, remembering the fingering and bowing techniques to reading the notes at the same time, you certainly require deep focus whenever you are playing the violin.
Not only that, when you are learning a new violin piece and gradually progress to play a whole violin concerto solo part, you are also required to memorise the entire melody too.
You are being intentional and proactive as you focus on different parts of the piece by absorbing the information of the dynamics, melody progression as well as the overall tempo of how the piece should sound. In the long run, you are also cultivating self-discipline and the skill to pay attention to the tiniest details.
Similarly, like the piano, both of your hands need to move at the same time, working together in harmony. This not only facilitates the coordination of your hands and fingers, but it also stimulates various parts of the brain to boost your cognitive abilities.
Reason 4: Broaden your emotional capacity and social skills
It's challenging to play the violin with a straight face. It's even more challenging to watch a performance of someone playing the violin with a straight face.
In fact, some violinists are even famous for their grand gestures, rich facial expressions and overall demeanour during their actual performances. At times, the audience is also influenced by that and in turn, gets immersed as they listen to their performance. Nobody enjoys a passionless performance.
Beyond flawless musical techniques, people are more naturally drawn to various soulful, touching, engaging and entertaining interpretations of violin pieces It is a universal language that requires no further explanation.
In the words of Hans Christian Anderson, he beautifully mentioned that when words fail, it is music that speaks.
The violin is an extremely delicate musical instrument and it requires one to be sensitive and immersive when they play it. Having said that, you get to explore various emotions as you are playing different pieces.
For a piece like The Marriage of Figaro Overture by Mozart, it is uplifting and cheerful. On the other hand, for a piece like Barber: Adagio for Strings, Op.11, you are immediately transported to a solemn memory.
If you are in the mood for a slow dance and dreaming about romantic adventures, there's Romance for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in F major, Op. 50 by Beethoven. If you are looking for something playful and childlike, there's Golliwog's Cakewalk by Debussy.
Even though the violin is played as a solo instrument, it can be played in a small quartet group to a full-scale orchestra. That means you get to meet and interact with different violin players on a regular basis.
Furthermore, you need to corporate with one another to complete a piece together for the best synergy. In between, you have to spend time practising together as well as have discussions on how to improve.
Photo by Manuel Nägeli on Unsplash
Reason 5: Leads to various performing or career opportunities
While some of us may pick up the violin as a hobby initially, it could also translate into performing and career possibilities in the future.
Whether you are fond of performing, teaching or even composing, there is always a demand for musicians, especially violinists locally and internationally.
As a musician, you'll never know where your passion and skills will take you.
For instance, you can go for various auditions that are organised by different symphony orchestras to become a chamber musician. If you are fond of travelling and learning new cultures, this could be your dream job as you could participate in many tours too. One good local example is the Malaysian Philarmonic Orchestra.
If your passion lies in education, you can continue to further your studies and apply for the role of a music educator at international schools, music academies or even universities too.
Depending on your current learning level and learning goals, you can start to build a strong foundation or continue to take advanced violin lessons by enrolling in private violin tutoring to have a comprehensive view of how violin learning takes place.
If you are unsure about the alternatives when it comes to finding a violin tutor near your city, we strongly recommend you to visit the Superprof homepage.
Superprof is a user-friendly tutoring platform that connects passionate students and dedicated tutors across the globe in the most effortless manner.
At Superprof, you can find a violin tutor that matches your preferences in terms of the locations, teaching mode, teaching qualification, years of teaching, teaching scope, overall performance experience, recommendations as well as hourly rates.
Important note: You are able to check all the above information on the tutors' profiles.
In other words, you will be presented with accurate search results based on a systematic filtering process in just a few clicks via the Superprof homepage.
You can opt for face-to-face violin lessons or 100% online lessons with Superprof. Currently, there are more than 2000 registered Superprof violin tutors that can offer personalised lessons to you.
Once you have decided on the tutor, you can then proceed to connect with the tutor via the messaging feature to discuss the details of your violin lessons. Learning has never been so easy and flexible!
There you have it. Five solid reasons on why learning violin is beneficial and meaningful to you in the long run. May you find great fulfilment and utmost satisfaction throughout this journey.
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