Learn the Violin By Yourself: The Ultimate Guide

The key to learning to play any instrument well, including the violin, is to throw yourself into the deep end. During the time I made the most progress, I practiced every day, almost all my friends were musicians and basically, music was the center of my whole life for a while.\

How to Learn the Violin by Yourself in 6 (Not-so) Simple Steps

1. Spend at least 30 minutes a day practicing scales & basic violin exercises

Wait! Don’t leave the article just yet. I know you probably don’t like practicing scales. Most of my violin students don’t like scales when they first start playing. After all, we started playing the violin to play our favorite songs. Not to practice boring scales, right?

Of course, you will also learn intonation when practicing songs. But when you practice your scales and arpeggios, you will learn it 3 times faster. Scales are the best way to focus on all the basics aspects of your playing: intonation, violin hold, bow hold, tone production… And if you notice how fast you start improving at violin playing, you don’t want to go back.

2. Practice pieces, take the hardest parts out and practice only those

If there would be ONE  secret to learning to play the violin beautifully by yourself, it would be: LISTEN TO YOURSELF!

If you don’t have a teacher, this skill is especially important. If you practice for hours a day but don’t listen well to yourself and analyze your playing for mistakes, you might make no progress at all.

If you practice your pieces, make sure to listen very well to yourself. Do you like the way it sounds? Is it in tune? Do you use the correct bowing technique to make it sound pretty? And if not, how could you improve it? Then, only focus on those areas of your playing that you wish to improve.

3. Listen to violin music as much as possible

One of the things that is so difficult about violin playing, is that you need to have a very good ear in order to have proper intonation. One of the best ways to develop your ear is: LISTENING to music! Especially violin music.

If you want to optimally use your time, make sure to listen to violin music as much as possible, so you will develop your ear and get a better feeling for musicality, rhythm, and intonation.

4. Watch other, more experienced violinists play

And don’t only watch them, but try to analyze them at the same time. What kind of bowing techniques are they using? At which part of the string are they playing to get their tone as a result?

When you watch other violinists play, you will learn a lot, even when not being consciously aware of it. If you have a chance, go to local concerts. If you live in a city, there are often many opportunities to go to smaller violin concerts for a low price. Many music schools will even offer you to watch the concerts of their students for free, so they will have an audience to practice performing with. Immerse yourself in an environment where you constantly see other violinists

5. Make friends with other violin players

Did you ever hear the saying “You are the average of the 5 people closest to you?” Well, it’s true! It is much easier to learn to play the violin in a supportive environment with friends that understand your passion for music and why you are practicing for hours a day to learn an instrument.

Learning the violin is very difficult. If you are going to do it well, you need supportive people around you to help you with it.

6. Find a bigger purpose for your practice mission

Ask yourself why you want to learn the violin….. Do you want to connect more with other people in your life? Would you like to have a creative outlet? Do you want to join the jam session or orchestra in your town? Do you want to learn something amazing to remind yourself of what you are capable of?

Do you want to be a part of long-lasting family traditions of playing an instrument? Is it a long childhood dream that you want to fulfill?If you have cleared for yourself WHY you want to learn the violin, you will find the motivation to keep practicing, even in times when it is very difficult and seems impossible to learn the violin.