Tatiana is a classically trained violinist and instructor.  Learn to play the correct way!

1. The Violin is Important to Western Classical Music

Some of the largest classical music literature and pieces- such as those composed by Paganini, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and Bach- are written for solo violin, chamber music, or concerto. These are some of the most virtuosic and often recognizable works that many classical musicians know, and many famous musicians such as Itzhak Perlman and Hilary Hahn have interpreted them. All serious violinists will recognize Bach’s Chaconne in D minor or Paganini’s Caprice No.24.

As scientists from the University of Iowa have stated, “Violins did not evolve; rather, the behavior of the violin makers evolved.” The violin seemingly appeared out of nowhere in the mid-1500s in northern Italy. Unlike instruments like the modern piano, which underwent several developments, the first appearances of the violin are virtually the same as the modern-day violin. Variation in the size of sound holes and other physical attributes of the violin changed depending on the maker and their musical motivations.

Today, the violin is a major component of classical music ensembles. The concertmaster, or the leader of the violin section (and by default the rest of the orchestra), is a violinist. The violin is also a major element of chamber music literature: string trios (violin, viola, and cello), string quartets (two violins, viola, and cello), and in piano duets (in the case of sonatas or as an accompaniment). Many composers from Beethoven to Stravinsky wrote huge works for chamber music which are still played and enjoyed today.

2. Learning to Play the Violin is Good for the Ear

Unlike keyboard instruments, the string instruments require an impeccable ear to produce good intonation. This is because the pitch of the sound changes as the musician slides her fingers along the strings. Unlike the guitar, the four major orchestral string instruments do not have frets.

Sometimes when learning the instrument, beginners will place tape on the different positions of the violin to learn the distances. However, many musicians, especially those who are very young, learn to develop their ear simply with practice and learn to coordinate the pitch of the note with the placement of their fingers.

3. Violinists Learn to Coordinate their Entire Body

Playing the violin is a physically demanding feat. While different instruments come with their own challenges, the classical training of the violin requires proper instruction and body position to even produce a sound. There are several factors to keep in mind while learning how to play, including the grip of the hand on the bow, the position of the fingers on the strings, and the placement of the neck.

At least at the beginning, it can be challenging to get used to playing the violin. The hand must understand the different positions and coordinate with the ear to play in tune, producing a wholesome vibrato when needed. The neck must hold the violin firmly so it does not slip away. The bowing hand must hold the bow with proper form and adapt to the force and pressure demanded by the composer’s score. All of these feats occur while the musician maintains proper posture, breathing, and intellectual and emotional understanding of the music.  Tatiana is an excellent teacher to give you the best foundation.

4. The Violin Produces a Great Range of Sounds

The violin has interesting dimensions of sound. The musician can change the  force of the note by the tension and speed of the bow, by plucking the string (pizzicato), and also by using the body of the instrument as percussion in more modern styles.

There are also many dimensions of violin playing, including the technique used on the string. These include namely vibrato, or the wavering of pitch while holding out a long note. The motion of the bow on bowed instruments can also sustain sound for long periods of time, which is something that few other instruments outside of this category can do (the organ being a large exception).

5. The Violin is a Versatile Instrument

The violin is an instrument that can fit anywhere. You can play it in the orchestra, as a solo instrument, or for chamber music. You could also play at an old time jam or on the street. From rock concerts to indie folk to electronic music, the sound of the violin blends easily with various styles and orchestrations.

Even though the violin first arose in the West, the instrument has been welcomed into many cultures around the world including Irish music, Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Balkan. The violin has also been adapted for Indian music ensembles and South American dance music, such as Argentinian tango.

If you are a new student, you may not know how to choose a lesson length.

If you have already taken music lessons, you may want to learn when to change your lesson length.  Shorter lessons but more frequent might mean more progress.

When establishing lessons for yourself or your child, you want to choose the right lesson length to make the most progress possible.  You begin by establishing a good foundation.  If studying Violin – proper posture, holding the violin and how you draw the bow.  If you are studying Piano, you need to learn how to coordinate your left-hand movements with your right-hand movements.  Proper placement of your fingers on the keyboard is important.

Your concentration

Part of a successful music lesson is learning to play music accurately. And that requires good concentration. If your concentration breaks, you won’t be able to play accurately. If you are not playing accurately and making mistakes, then you are forming bad habits.

If you find yourself unable to concentrate for a 45 minute or 60-minute lesson, then you should consider taking a shorter lesson. Simply put, the longer you can concentrate, the longer a lesson you can benefit from.  Your ability to concentrate is affected by two other factors: your experience and ability, and your teacher.

Your goals

In order to choose the right lesson length, you should know what you want to accomplish. You should have a clear idea of what you want to learn.

Your teacher

A good teacher is an important factor in your lessons. A top rate teacher will be able to help you reach your goals no matter the lesson length.

Tatiana’s job is to give you enough information to push you, but not so much information that you are overwhelmed.  The right amount of information for you does not change based on the lesson length. It’s determined by your concentration, experience, and goals. It takes a skilled teacher, such as Tatiana. to get this right.

The main difference between lesson lengths is the amount of supervised practice time that you have. In a shorter lesson, you will have less time to repeat things with the teacher. In a longer lesson, you will have more.  The question to take a longer or shorter lesson thus becomes one of your comforts. (The exception here is for advanced students who are learning a large amount of music during a lesson. In this case, a longer lesson will be required.)  Most students find they are more comfortable with the pacing in a longer lesson.

Your practice

Without practice, you lessons will not be as effective. You can have the best teacher in the world, but if you don’t practice at home, your progress is going to be slow.  Your practice at home is a necessary component to your success.  Learning to play the violin or piano takes time and effort.  We encourage selfie videos so you can look back at the progress you have made.  Be patient, the results will be great!  You can make excellent progress no matter your age, background or ability.

Your budget

Lastly is your budget.  You can only take a lesson that you can afford. Sometimes students are unable to afford a longer lesson length and have to take a shorter lesson. Don’t be discouraged! As long as you have a solid teacher, you’ll get exactly the things you need to make the most progress. And with that information, you’ll then go home to repeat what you’ve learned and form solid habits.

Summary

Tatiana will work with you and help you establish not only a good foundation on which you will build on but help you determine the length of lessons that will help you achieve your musical goals.

 WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO LEARN?

Shape Young Minds with Music

It is said that the sound of the violin is the musical instrument closest to the human voice!  Like most things you learn in life, what you get out of your lessons depends on what you invest in them.  We have students as young as 6 years old and adult students up to and including those who are retired.

Learning music can be compared to learning a language.

Music is not a language, but the learning process is quite similar. Practice and immersion in the language gives you a foundation to build upon.  It is the same in learning the violin. If you know how to read music, you already have a great head start. The first and most basic form of learning any instrument involves knowing how to read music.  If you don’t read music, learning to read music is part of the skills you will learn in your violin lessons. Tatiana will help you learn to read music and show you the proper fingering, bowing, and other mechanics involved in playing the violin. Tatiana teaches in your foundation lessons.

Will it be hard or difficult? Yes, absolutely!

Bowed instruments are difficult to learn. They are very complex and sensitive instruments, so it takes a lot of good quality lessons and good quality practice to be able to play tunes beautifully and achieve the realistic goal you should set for yourself.   This is where a good violin teacher is most important!  Getting a good foundation is essential.  A good foundation, such as posture and holding and drawing the bow properly is necessary for you to achieve eventual success.

Are you committed to doing what it takes? Is your goal realistic?

There are many ways you can take music lessons.  Online, YouTube, Self-taught, as a group in school or private lessons.  Again, like most endeavors in life, you get out of it what you put in.  In my opinion and from what I have observed, private lessons with an experienced violin teacher are the best and fastest way to learn to play the violin.  We have students who become frustrated trying to learn on their own or online and come to Tatiana to learn the right way.  The problem is they already have bad habits that need to be corrected before they can begin to achieve the success they want to achieve.

Learning to play the violin takes a lot of time and energy.

Sorry, I’d like to be honest and I don’t want to make it any prettier than it is. If you like practicing, playing around with your instrument and sorting things out, then it won’t be hard or difficult. You will have fun along the way. That’s the most important thing.  Practicing is what you will do 90% or more of the time you spend with your instrument.  Even if you are a professional, you still need to maintain your skill set and still need to practice and prepare for your performances. Tatiana has taught, played and performed as a violinist for most of her adult life.  Hardly a day goes by that she doesn’t pick up her violin and practice – to keep her skill level at its highest.  Those individuals who take the time, and put in the effort to learn to play the violin can reap rich rewards by possessing this wonderful skill. The satisfaction and joy you achieve and share with others is worth the effort!

Private instruction:

If you are going to learn to play the violin with a personal tutor. The instructor you select for lessons is critical to your success.  Just because someone knows how to play violin does not mean they know how to teach effectively.  Maybe you are in school and in the orchestra. A private teacher is also a wonderful enrichment for a serious student to have in addition to group lessons offered at a school.  All of Tatiana’s students are playing in Honor Orchestra or first or second chair in their respective orchestra.

The main thing to remember: when you employ a personal violin instructor is to practice, practice, and practice! A weekly lesson and no practice will not give you the results you want.  You must take what you learned in the lesson, go home and practice to re-enforce by using your hands and muscles to help remember and retain the information.

You can call Tatiana to discuss lessons

(702) 769-7685

From Jazz, Blues, Country to Classical music, you will find the influences of the violin

The Violin is one of the most beautiful and versatile instruments you can learn to play.  

Violin has it origin in Classical music and great composers like Paganini,Bach and Dvorak, to name just three, composed and performed beautiful  violin music. The violin has been around for over five centuries, and the instrument continues to draw some of the greatest talents from around the world.  Today we have the genius of Itzahk Perlman, Joshua Bell and modern day artists like Vanessa May, David Garrett and popular Lindsey Sterling.

Learning to play violin takes dedication and practice.  A property foundation is essential if you want to be proficient with this instrument.  Lots of practice and you will see the reward of being able to play a variety of music to fit your musical taste and delight your audiences!

Just because someone knows how to play violin, doesn't mean they know how to teach violin!  This is two different skill sets.  Too often we get students who have played violin for two or three years and have developed bad habits and have not advanced as they should.  Once these bad habits are corrected, it is impressive how a dedicated student can move forward.

Tatiana has taught violin and piano for years at Russian University before coming to the United States.  Her teaching skill gives her students a leg up and a faster path to learning to play violin  than most other teachers.  

If you are interested, call Tatiana, make an appointment and be prepared to be impressed! (702) 769-7685

Why does my violin teacher have me play scales all of the time?

 If you hadn’t realized it, scales are the building blocks from which most music is made. Just look at the pieces you are currently learning and you will see scales or parts of scales all over it. Their importance cannot be underestimated, be good at scales and you are likely to be good at your instrument.

 5 more reasons why practicing scales are an
important part of learning to play violin.

1. Timing– to play together with other people you need to have good time, good internal time. One of the best ways to develop this is to practice scales. Slowly at first, until you are placing each and every  note exactly where it needs to be, not too soon or too late – just right.
2. Intonation– for most instruments, like the violin, there is a need to make sure we are playing in tune.. Scales are a great way to check the tuning of each and every note.
3. Co-ordination– during music practice we have lots of things to remember and the really difficult thing is to remember to do them all at the same time (breathe, sit up straight, bend those fingers, etc). Scales give you an opportunity to focus on bringing all of those elements together. Once you have learnt the notes of a scale you can make sure that everything else happens just at the right moment to make the scale sound perfect.
4. Dexterity– one part of learning an instrument involves training parts of the body to do new things, to repeat them and then do them very quickly. Scales are a great training partner. They will help you refine and improve your speed. Slow, careful practice of scales at the outset will have you whizzing up and down in no time.
5. Ears– if you can’t hear what is wrong you can’t correct it. Learn to listen very, very carefully when you practice your scales and you will start to hear areas where you can improve your other playing. Pay attention to tuning, articulation, tone quality, consistency etc. Imagine what a perfect scale would sound like in every way and try to make each of your scales sound like that.

One of the worlds greatest violinist

Advice from, perhaps one of today’s greatest living violinist, Itzahak Perlman.

“Practice slowly” is the most common advice violinist Itzhak Perlman gives students wanting to learn to play violin.  He then elaborates on the practice schedule that made him the violinist he is today:  Young Itzhak would devote one hour per day to scales, another hour to the études.  Making sure you do the scales properly before devoting yourself to the etudes, will save you a lot of time, Perlman explains. Practicing scales does make perfect!

I have spent most of my life not only performing but teaching violin and piano.  It has been my second passion to see my students progress and have confidence in their musical ability. Young or old, it is never too late to start to learn how to play piano or violin.  I learned both instruments because the styles compliment each other so well.

Learning to play an instrument is like mental pushups.  Some of the most talented and brightest people have learned to play violin, like Albert Einstein or Clint Eastwood who  is an accomplished pianist.  I teach from beginners to advanced and would love to help you or your child realize their musical goal!

Never too young to start!