Have you ever watched the all-time feel-good classic, The Sound of Music?
Among the many lovely songs in the movie, one song particularly stands out for its witty lyrics.
It's none other than Do Re Mi.
During a scene where Maria was gathering with the Von Trapp children, she begin their first "music lesson" with this song.
"Let's start with the very beginning.
A very good place to start.
When you read, you begin with A-B-C
When you sing, you begin with Do-Re-Mi"
From there, she introduced them to all the musical notes, which in turn helped them to sing anything.
The same principle applies when we are playing any tunes on a musical instrument, like the violin. That's why in this article, we will review some musical styles you can explore with the violin.
Genres & Musical Styles That You Can Dabble Into As A Violinist
It's a myth that you can only play classical pieces with your violin. In fact, the violin is played in different music genres by many famous violinists over the years.
As an aspiring violin player, here are some musical styles that you can venture into as your violin skills progress over the years.
The Classical
Of course, you can't miss out on the OG. Classical music generally refers to the music that was composed before the 20th century.
Whether it's big names from Mozart, Paganini, Vivaldi, Beethoven, or Bach, there are plenty of amazing violin solo pieces and classical violin ensemble concertos that you can learn and practice.
The Contemporary
The most obvious contemporary music genre that we are exposed to is through film compositions and original soundtracks.
For instance, many of us would be familiar with the theme song from the Pirates of The Caribbean franchise that is composed by Hans Zimmer.
If you are an avid moviegoer, you would have gotten flashbacks and goosebumps moments whenever you hear the orchestra ensemble from Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones as well as the heartbreaking theme from Schindler´s List, all of which were composed by the legendary and award-winning composer. John Williams.
Many established violinists such as Itzhak Perlman and Anne-Sophie Mutter have interpreted these compositions alongside globally recognised orchestras.
Also, fans of Studio Ghibli have been rejoicing when the announcement of Joe Hisaishi's album on the film classics like Howl's Moving Castle, Kiki's Delivery Service and others were released this year.
Source: Esplanade
The Crossover
Whether it is Henry Lau in the Kpop scene, Don Moen in Contemporary Christian Music or the recent dynamic collaboration between Ray Chen and Jay Chou for his latest single, Greatest Works of Art (最偉大的作品), you can't deny the significance of their violin-playing which merges the best of pop and classical world.
Not only that, the violin is used to play many compositions that incorporate multiple music genres like jazz, folk music, funk and so on.
What Should You Look For In A Violin Teacher?
You can tell that playing the violin allows you to enjoy various benefits and versatility.
A few questions arise from here. How can you start as an absolute beginner? Where can you find a reliable violin tutor? What kind of violin tutor you should hire?
You can find the answers to all these questions through an amazing tutoring platform — Superprof!
Superprof provides you with a one-stop solution to find a violin tutor near you in the most cost-effective way. All you need to do is just visit the Superprof homepage, indicate your desired subject to learn, your current location (city/state) and start browsing the tutors' profiles.
From the tutors' profiles, you will be able to know their basic information which includes their years of experience, qualifications, tutoring rates and so forth.
Here are three important things that you should take into account during your violin tutor selection process.
Professional qualification
If you intend to learn violin professionally and sit for examinations in the future, it's best to learn from a violin tutor who has passed all the grades of the official violin examinations.
That way, he or she will be able to guide you step-by-step and give you a proper introduction to the violin as they are well versed with the syllabus, evaluation method and also mark allocation for the theoretical and practical components of the examinations.
Feel free to check and verify the tutor's qualification in terms of their official certificates for the violin grades or even inquire about their undergraduate programmes if they claim to have an education background in music.
You can rest assured that the violin tutors' profiles at Superprof are verified before they are approved on the homepage.
Performing experiences
Next, you could also choose a violin tutor who has many performing experiences.
Don't be surprised to find many professional violinists or chamber musicians who are offering violin lessons at Superprof.
If you are also keen to perform as a violinist one day, you should certainly hire a violin tutor with similar performing experiences so that you can master some performing tips from them directly.
Past reviews/ recommendations
There's a high chance that you will be meeting your violin tutor for the first time (whether in person or online).
Hence, it will be great to read about how their previous students think about their teaching styles, teaching methodology and overall learning experience.
Via the Superprof tutors' profiles, you are able to look at all the reviews and comments that are 100% rated by the students at Superprof.
This will give you a better idea of what to expect for your first lesson and also the teaching environment.
What To Take Note Of If You're Taking The ABRSM Violin Practical Exams?
For most violin learners, you will be encouraged to sit for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) violin exams for each grade.
You should look through the following important information as you are preparing for the examination.
Elements of exam
When it comes to the practical component of every bowed string examination, candidates will be tested on three violin pieces, scales and arpeggios, sight-reading as well as aural tests.
The three violin pieces are chosen from three different lists (List A, List B and List C) where they have different playing styles and characteristics.
Since most violin pieces require accompaniment, it is up to the candidate to pick them. Most of the time, it will be your violin tutor.
Photo by Premkumar Masilamani on Unsplas
Marks allocation
Each violin piece holds 30 marks, the scales and arpeggios component each holds 21 marks and the aural test holds 13 marks.
The full mark for the entire paper is 150 marks.
Marking scheme
A pass for the practical component is 100 marks over 150 marks.
To achieve the Merit grade, candidates need to score from 120 to 129 marks, whereas for Distinction, the candidates need to score at least 130 marks.
3 TED Youtube Videos To Motivate Your Violin Learning Journey
Everyone will agree that playing a musical instrument is not solely a technical process, but also a culturally enriching and meaningful one.
In between your practice sessions, you can watch these three videos to gain some insights and encouragement about the violin.
#1: Why should you listen to Vivaldi's "Four Seasons"? by Betsy Schwarm
This video breaks down the cultural significance behind Vivaldi's masterpiece and why it remains popular today.
#2: How learning the violin brought meaning to my life by Charlie Siem
If you feel like giving up or are unsure about your violin learning journey, this video is for you. Charlie Siem shares his personal experiences in his career as a contemporary classical violinist.
#3: Communicating the emotion in classical music by Daniel Heifetz
A musical performance is made complete with fully projected emotions. This video will inspire you to perform effectively and create a bond with the audience through your emotions.
How To Reduce The Impact of Performance Anxiety As A Violinist?
Let's face it.
Performance anxiety is real.
Even if you are going for a private violin examination, you will still be performing for the examiner in the room. It could be overwhelming if it's your first time.
As time goes by, you might have other opportunities to perform in a bigger crowd and it's easy to feel nervous when you have to play multiple pieces with higher difficulty levels too.
Here are four tips for you to minimise your performance anxiety.
Tip 1: Take deep breaths
Taking deep breaths is the most direct way to relax and keep yourself calm. It helps to regulate your heartbeat and allows you to focus in the present.
Tip 2: Make sure you're on time
It's good to reach the performance venue early so that you will not feel rushed and fearful of not being ready. You could also take some time to familiarise yourself with the stage or venue and even have a short rehearsal before the actual performance.
Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash
Tip 3: Don't be too hungry or thirsty before the actual performance
Playing any musical instrument is not only a physical, psychological but also physiological activity.
Take care of yourself, pay attention to the signals of your body and make sure you are in your best state before you perform.
Tip 4: Remind yourself that you've practised (x100 times)
Last but not least, give yourself a pad on the shoulder and remind yourself that everything will go on smoothly. Reflect on the practice sessions and the guidance of your violin tutor.
You got this!
As you practice your Do-Re-Mi on your violin and progress to more advanced chords and harmony, we hope you'll have an enriching learning experience and perform confidently as a violinist one day!
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