Play Violin Right with Posture, Tuning and Tension

Learning how to play the violin is already hard enough. There’s the much-needed audiation skill, the ability to read sheet music while trying to produce a steady sound with the bow, and a lot more. But if you master the basics (e.g., the right posture, violin tuning, and bow tension), then you might not have the problems you’re already experiencing right now. All that said, here’s a quick list on how to smoothen your violin skills’ rough edges.

 

First, get a private room with a music stand and a straight back chair. Obviously, the music stand would hold your music sheets while the firm—yet comfortable—chair would prevent you giving away your posture. Once done, you can then tune your violin to GDAE with the help of a piano or a pitch pipe. Don’t worry if the pitches doesn’t “exact”, you’ll be able to tune your violin more efficiently the longer you practice. After tuning, it’s time to tighten your violin’s bow. Here, be sure to have a 3^rd of an inch of space between the bow and its hairs. This way the hairs on the bow are firm enough to work with the violin’s strings, yet flexible enough not to snap.

Lastly, don’t forget to relax. Play violin music like you would a read a book: calm yet attentive. If you get too stressed, there’s a huge chance you’d make mistakes. By smoothing out these rough edges, you wouldn’t have much trouble on your next lessons. Happy fiddling!

Guitar Music 101: Tuning Your Guitar

There are a lot of technical hurdles every beginning, aspiring guitarist must tackle. Strumming, plucking, chord switching and finger positioning are just a few. Yet there is one challenge that leaves every beginner scratching their heads: tuning. Though it’s true that a guitar novice could play a song on their first day, however, proper guitar tuning could take weeks—if not months—to learn. So what can beginners do for the mean time? Read on and find out.

 

Obviously, good guitar music requires a properly tuned guitar. For beginners, getting an electronic tuner is the best—if not most practical—choice. These gadgets are typically placed near the guitar’s soundhole. As one string is struck, the tuner then shows what pitch that specific string is in. With that in mind, the 6^th string (e.g., the thickest string) should be tuned to “E.” The succeeding strings, on the other hand, should be tuned to: “A” for the 5^th, “D” for the 4^th, “G” for the 3^rd, “B” for the 2^nd, and a high “e” for the 1^st.

If an electronic guitar tuner isn’t available, the best substitute is tuning by approximation. The key here is pressing the 5^th fret of each string (except the 3^rd, where the 4^th fret is used ) and making sure that the string below it sounds exactly the same. It takes a bit of practice, but this is the best way of tuning a guitar without using an electric tuner. All that said, have fun tuning!

Piano Lessons for Kids: Keeping Your Child Interested

Has your child ever become bored in his or her piano lessons? If they did, then don’t worry. It’s natural. See, some kids usually do have a very short attention span. Most children also get bored of doing the same thing over and over again. That said, here are some tips that’ll surely help you restore your child’s interest in learning the piano.

 

First, you can start by getting the right piano teacher. Your instructor should be passionate yet patient enough for your child. On top of that, he or she should also be warm, friendly, and encouraging. Next, ask your instructor to include piano games during your child’s lessons. There are a lot of free online piano games available, so spicing up your child’s interest shouldn’t be that hard. If your child is relatively young, you could also buy personalized music CDs that feature piano melodies. This helps your child explore the piano as well as build his or her interest in the instrument. Once you have that, you should also create the right ambience for your kid’s tutorials. Piano lessons for kids shouldn’t be done in an area where there are distractions like the TV, video game consoles, and a lot of noise.

Lastly, it’s important that you as a parent should participate in your child’s tutorials. You don’t have to sit with them every time your kid has a session, though. Rather, the act of simply listening and appreciating your child’s progress would definitely help a lot.

Violin Music in Itzhak Perlman’s World

Itzhak Perlman is synonymous to brilliant violin music. He is known for his direct precision, interpretation, and technique. The virtuoso has also appeared in every major orchestra in the world. On top of that, he also uses the famed—and antique—violin named the Soil Stradivarius.

 

Despite his worldwide renown, however, Itzhak had a rough childhood. As a child, he contracted polio at the age of four. Polio, an acute disease, rendered the young Itzhak’s legs useless. Adamant, however, the young Itzhak managed to get around through crutches. As soon as he can hold a violin, Itzhak studied music at Shulamit High School in Tel-Aviv, Israel. By 1958, the violinist emigrated to the US where he pursued further studies at the esteemed Juilliard School of Music in New York. His debut came when he performed at Carnegie Hall where he won in the celebrated Leventritt Competition. From there, Itzhak came to fame when he performed with other famous musicians like Yo-Yo Ma, Yur Temirkanov, and Isaac Stern. And by 1993, Itzhak garnered worldwide attention when he provided the score for the Academy Award-winning film: Schindler’s List.
Recently, Itzhak has tried to begin conducting in music. He has taken a post as principal guest conductor at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Itzhak is also teaching at the Perlman Music Program on Long Island, New York where he provides lessons on chamber music to gifted string players. There, he lives with his wife, Toby, and his children: Noah, Navah, Leora, Ariella and Rami.