E minor scale on the violin is easy to learn and a great place to start if you want to play pieces in a minor key. You may encounter three versions of any minor scale: the natural, harmonic, and melodic. But today, I am focusing on the E natural minor scale. E Minor Scales, Arpeggios [...]
JULIA'S VIOLIN BLOG
This is where I share my best violin learning tips, so you can learn to play your favourite songs beautifully.
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I'm so excited to share my list of the best violin concertos with you! A violin concerto is an extremely difficult work for a solo violin with an orchestra. These are some of the trickiest, most beautiful pieces of music in the world, and are what many of us hope to aspire to. What goes [...]
A comprehensive guide to Italian music words, terms, and indications. As you begin learning the violin, you might wonder, "why there are so many Italian words in my music?" And, the longer you learn and play written classical music, the more Italian music terms you'll see! It's important to know what they all mean so [...]
One of the most foundational ideas you should learn as a beginning musician is how to read the time signature in music. The time signature, or meter, tells us the number of beats per measure and organizes the sound on the page of sheet music. To play written music, you’ll want to understand what these [...]
Learn about violin parts: what they’re called and how they work to produce sound. As you start to learn the violin, it’s important to learn about all the parts that make up the instrument. This helps you understand how it produces sound and gives you the right words to describe what you’re doing. It’s also [...]
Check out my best violin tips which will help you see fast improvements in your playing. In our fast-paced world, it can be hard to have the patience to learn something new. As a beginner violin player, I know you want to learn to play fast! Luckily for you, I have many practice tips up [...]
Learn about the ricochet violin bow stroke, examples in the violin repertoire, and exercises you can practice to master this articulation. Have you ever heard of the bow stroke, “ricochet”? It’s an articulation found in advanced violin and orchestra music. While it can feel difficult to learn, it’s a fun stroke to both play and [...]
In music theory, names of scale degrees refer to the position of a note in a scale, starting with the tonic as the first note. Each note in a scale is assigned a number, known as its scale degree, and is named accordingly. These scale degrees have specific functions within a scale, and understanding their [...]
Learning how to play the correct rhythm can be a challenge for any musician. Luckily, Rhythm Cards can help anyone to learn various rhythms in a fun and easy way! Check out the free set of Rhythm Cards or upgrade it right away to the full set, and play 10 fun games to bring your [...]
Improve your violin playing by following my bowing tips! Violin bowing technique, the way in which you bow, is critical in your development as a violinist. Robert Gerle wrote in the preface to The Art of Practicing the Violin: ”It is the bow technique which will largely determine the artistic category of the player”. So [...]
If you’re thinking about learning the violin, a big part of your research is probably finding out how much violin lessons cost. In general, the average cost for violin lessons in the US is around $60 (USD) for an hour, $70 (CAD) in Canada, £35 in the UK, and €37 across Europe. There are a [...]
Explore the D minor scale and play it on your violin! Some people believe that different musical scales can kindle emotions because each additional sharp in the key signature adds vitality and freshness, and each flat can make a piece feel gentile, meditative, or even dark. Additionally, there is a general rule initiated by the German composer [...]