Let’s Talk About Music Series
Re-Learning the Violin as an Adult
The first musical instrument I learned was the violin.
When I was in elementary school, I joined orchestra and played a few years. Fast forward to about 2 decades later and after watching countless TwoSet Violin YouTube videos in 2020 and 2021, I decided to get a violin online in April 2021.
I created an Instagram account (the_amateur_violinist) and posted at least one video every month to share my progress.
I’ve received 2 direct messages from violin teachers with questions about how long I’ve been playing and my experience as a beginner violinist.
I figured I share my personal experience as an adult beginner violinist here on Medium in case others are interested.
- Are you self-taught?
Since April 2021, I’ve been re-learning the violin on my own.
When I got my violin, I watched YouTube videos on how to assemble and tune a violin and how to rosin a violin bow.
Assembling the Violin
I learned online that I should make sure there is a stick (called the sound post) standing up inside the violin before putting up the bridge and tightening the strings of the violin. If the sound post has fallen, I should take it to a violin shop to have a professional install the sound post.
I watched videos from Olaf the Violinmaker and others to help me learn how to put up the bridge and tune the strings using the tuning pegs and fine tuners.
The sound post supports the top of the violin and allows the violin to have a fuller sound by transmitting the vibrations from the top to the bottom of the violin. Without it, the sound would be…
