Help with Violin? Need help from all string players. ?!
Question: I'm a cellist, and I want to go into Music Education. So I decided that if I were to bring string instruments into the lives of children. I'd better pick up the violin again. Now, I played the violin when I was very young, like 4 years old, but had to give it up when we moved. Finally, 6 years later, I started the cello.
I know the clef just fine, I remember the technique, and I have a good quality violin to play on (my sister's old one, she doesn't play any longer), but it seems to be so hard for me to play it again. It's just so high pitched to me-that high pitched sound right in my ear. I love the violin, but I always feel so depressed when I play it, and I just end up playing it like a cello. i'm just so used to embracing the instrument I play, not holding it up.
Can anyone help me to get the same deep feeling I have for playing cello when I play violin? Should I just keep at it?
Thanks :)
Answers: I'm a cellist, and I want to go into Music Education. So I decided that if I were to bring string instruments into the lives of children. I'd better pick up the violin again. Now, I played the violin when I was very young, like 4 years old, but had to give it up when we moved. Finally, 6 years later, I started the cello.
I know the clef just fine, I remember the technique, and I have a good quality violin to play on (my sister's old one, she doesn't play any longer), but it seems to be so hard for me to play it again. It's just so high pitched to me-that high pitched sound right in my ear. I love the violin, but I always feel so depressed when I play it, and I just end up playing it like a cello. i'm just so used to embracing the instrument I play, not holding it up.
Can anyone help me to get the same deep feeling I have for playing cello when I play violin? Should I just keep at it?
Thanks :)
If you're going into music education, you will be taking a methods class for every instrument and every family. You don't have to be an expert at performing the instrument, you just need to know the basics so you can demonstrate proper technique and how to get your students started. I'm graduating next semester with my degree in music education and I'm definitely not an expert in every instrument family (yes, I even had to take strings methods classes), but I know enough to get a student started.
Getting a child going is the main goal of these methods classes, along with knowing enough about the instrument that you can request certain techniques of your students when conducting and rehearsing music.
You don't have to be an expert in the violin, just know the basics!
EDIT:
I must strongly disagree with violin_duchess86.
Not picky about music ed students? Are you insane or is your school just bad? You can't expect to be a quality teacher of music if you're not a quality musician on your main instrument. At my school we have the same performance expectation of performance majors even though we have less time to practice. Only really bad teachers think it's okay for music educators to be poor performers.
Secondly, if this person is just playing the violin in her methods class, it doesn't matter if she has the mute on or off. Sure, she'll have to get used to the high pitch if she's going to teach orchestra, but the professor isn't going to care if she has the mute on during class practice. What matters is that she has a basic grasp of the instrument, which from her description in the question, it seems like she does already. She isn't required to take lessons on violin or play it in orchestra--she'll be playing her cello then. So the mute useage is up to her.
So, Cello_Is_Love, know this: a quality music school is going to have a high level of expectations performance-wise for their music students on their native instrument. It greatly upsets me that people think the teachers don't have to be "good" players. That's an insult to the profession. You keep up what you're doing--you seem to have a genuine desire to be proficient in the strings family outside of your "home" instrument. That's a very respectable desire.
Good luck!
The high pitch of the violin does bother some players; you might try playing with a mute.
I would keep at your practicing. If the high-pitched sound bothers you, there are a few options. I would recomment either practicing with a performance mute, or switching to Viola. Viola techinque can be much different, but you would still learn the basic principles that apply to both Viola and Violin. Although you already own a Violin, starting Viola might be a good idea. Just a thought. =)
Do not play with a mute, that will only dull the vibrations and when you get into college you will not be able to use a mute in lessons or orchestra and you will have to have both classes for a music education degree. EIther get over it, or maybe consider another instrument or voice. Most schools are not picky about the level of playing when it comes to music education students.
Do you have any friends who play violin or viola? You all could start a beginners string group together. That's what my violin teacher did, she worked with the students who wanted to play violin and her friend (a cellist) worked with kids who wanted to play cello.
And when students are starting out, they aren't going to go into position, so it won't be as high. Maybe the longer you play, the more use to it you'll get. Or, you could get some violin concertos from your library and listen to those- I always feel motivated to play violin, cello, etc. when I heard a really fantastic concerto!
I say, if you've been trying for less than 6-5 months, keep at it!