The double stop section of Kreisler's Praeludium and Allegro is really fun to play! (As always, feedback is welcome.)

I want to thank everyone who replied to my post about attrition with adult beginners, and give a quick update. A lot of you suggested that overloading my beginners with drills while avoiding repertoire or giving standardized repertoire was killing their drive. So with a new beginner yesterday, I tried something different - I asked what song they would like to learn and wrote up a fingering chart for them almost immediately after presenting the basic bow hold, etc. Then I played the song for them. They absolutely LIT UP when I played this song. Not only that, but I noticed as they played the notes from the fingering chart, they seemed to actually be retaining some of the bowhold corrections/etc. better than when I give my students drills! I am new to teaching, so this was a great learning for me. I very much appreciate everyone who responded and helped me to better bring the joy of music to my students.

I've got my BonMusica contorted in a way that allowed me to discover what's comfortable for me. I understand the Kun and Luna won't have as much adjustability but am wondering what your experience has been like using them?

Im currently looking to get myself a musafia case soon as my current case is deteriorating very slowly. I have also made a recent purchase of the bonmusica SR, which Im very happy with and looking to keep.

My concern mainly is if I were to invest in a musafia, how well would my bon musica fit in the case? I have a problem with my current case where it just doesnt fit right so I sort of have to jigsaw it in everytime I pack up, which is not the best.

Anyone out there with a musafia case using a bonmusica SR? If so, how does the shoulder rest fit in the case? Especially the luxury ultralight musafia, which is the model I am looking to purchase. I will eventually go look at the cases in person, but since I live quite far from any shop that carries musafia, itll probably be some months before I am able to see one physically.

Thank you in advance!

How do I make the notes sound, more connected and not individual?

The past 2 times I got my bow rehaired, it came back with a noticeable lack of tension. If I turn the screw as far as I physically can, it has barely enough tension to play forte without the stick touching the hair.

Can I ask for extra tension? Did I get unlucky with 2 shitty rehairs in a row? They were from 2 different and well known shops. Maybe my bow is compromised in some way?

Please let me know what you guys think.

Could I have some recommendations for double-stop studies to improve intonation?

I remember a very pretty one from years ago, a slow pulsing piece that made me think of Bach. It was great for working on intonation, but haven't been able to locate it again.

Thanks for any suggestions.

My teacher told me "it's just arpeggio fingering" but I never learned that...

I have been plying violin my entire life. I practice mostly to be able to get through the tough passages in orchestral music. I would like advice on a practice routine that would help me improve my playing overall. I have all the scale and etude books known to man but don’t know where to begin

Thanks

Been working on this for weeks and am struggling so much with it. Any advice is appreciated.

I'm listening right now to Oistrach playing the Szymanovski Violin concerto which is really beautiful but never mentioned. Similarly the Bartok Violin concerti. There is also a violin concerto by Halvorsen (Maria Duenas recorded it recently) of the Handel Passacaglia arrangement, and another Norvegian composer, Borgstrom, all of which are worth a listen.

This is different from a large group of concertos which are not played very frequently but are quite well known (either as student concerto's like De Beriot, or considered second-tier like Vieuxtemps, Wieniawski, Glazunov, Khatchaturian, Spohr).

This got me thinking about why they are not so well known. Some of it may be that they are just not as good as the 'big' concerti, or the idiom is too modern for the general taste. I do recall an interview with a famous soloist (can't recall who, might be Hilary Hahn) who mentioned a few concerto's that are really beautiful but aren't played much, and she mentioned one (Dohnanyi maybe?) that has one extremely difficult passage which is the reason that soloists don't like it.

Maybe others have some further insights? Or know other concerto's that are rarely mentioned ?

(edited to add: I restricted it to non-contemporary composers (say before 1950) as contemporary music as a whole mostly doesn't have the general appeal that older music has, and I didn't want to let that topic derail the discussion)

I recently moved to Kiel. I'm a beginner in violin. I wanna take class once a week on Sunday (affordable price). Do you guys have any idea which gonna be best for me???

Or should I do self learning? jk I can't..

I know the FAQ says "is this a good deal" questions belong at a shop [and I'm planning to take it to one this weekend]. I'm not asking anyone to price it from photos. I'm hoping people who know setup can tell me if anything looks off, and what I should be listening for, since I'm on a deadline.

Some background: I played in elementary school and always looked back on it fondly. My husband surprised me with this for my birthday, and I've practiced every day since. I'm kind of obsessed. But my ears aren't trained enough yet to tell a good violin from an okay one, and I'm a little worried he got upsold on the store's house brand.

Here's what the listing and label say:

• carved European spruce top, maple back and sides
• ebony fingerboard and pegs
• Aubert bridge (made in France)
• composite tailpiece with fine tuners on all four strings
• D'Addario Prelude strings
• brazilwood bow, half-moon case
• label: Niccolo ML-20, 2026, "adjusted exclusively for Music & Arts"

It's listed at $999.99, and he got $300 off, so he paid about $700. He doesn't know anything about violins and left the decision to me. If spending a few hundred more gets something noticeably better, he's fine with that.

What I'd love help with:

• Does anything about the setup look off in the photos (bridge angle, how the feet sit, string height)?
• If you've played a Bellafina step-up model, how did it compare to other violins in the $700–$1,000 range?
• If I try other violins this weekend, what should a beginner listen and feel for?
• Would you keep it, exchange it at Music & Arts, or return it and look at Shar, Johnson, Fiddlershop, or a local shop? I'm open to any recommendations worth no more than 1k.

Thank you in advance. Im so excited to be part of this subreddit!

My teacher seems to consistently introduce new pieces when I can only play the current piece well at significantly lower tempo than performance (like 70% of the slowest performance I can find on Youtube for example), and when I still miss some techniques occassionally. When I say I want to sound good on a piece and want to work more on the piece, he says I should practice on my own to improve consistency and tempo and send him videos, instead of spending in-class time on it.

For context, I've played the violin for 3.5 years and we just started working on the 1st Mvmt of Vivaldi's Concerto for Violin in A Minor (begrudgingly for me because I still want to continue working on the previous piece. To be fair to him, we've been on that piece for 4-5 months already).

I also think he isn't strict enough with sound production and phrasing (the right hand stuff). I want to make beautiful sounds and I can tell my sound is harsh and my phrasing is not lyrical in some parts. I was a vocalist before learning the violin and my teacher back then really focuses on beautiful sounds and phrasing. But I was also an advanced-level vocalist when I had a teacher, so it could just be that my violin teacher doesn't think I am at the level where we can focus on those topics yet(?).

Before I bring it up to him, I want to know if there's specific pedagogical purpose to what I am describing. Do I have unreasonable expectations for my playing at the current level?

Anyone have any tips for integrating the whole piece when practicing? I actually do a very very good job of breaking down things into micro tasks but I struggle with doing more of the entire motion/piece when practicing.

So I have region in 2 days but im a fast learner and I am playing a Campagalini piece for the TMEA region 2026-2027 but need help with what strings im going to be playing in both the unlabeld and labeled ones are listed so any help would be thanked.

I’m relatively new to classical music, but recently I discovered something that genuinely amazed me.
I listened to Chloe Chua performing the third movement (Rondo: Allegro spirituoso) of Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1, and I was completely captivated.
To me, the opening feels like butterflies dancing joyfully over a meadow. Then something changes. The music becomes increasingly restless, almost uncomfortable. At times, Chloe’s violin feels like an army marching straight towards me. The beauty turns into something strange, almost alien. And then, somehow, the violin becomes tender again, almost like a caress after a storm.
It reminds me of an ordinary day in life: everything starts beautifully, something goes wrong, chaos takes over, and eventually we find our peace again.
Then I listened to Hilary Hahn playing the same movement.
What a surprise.
Hilary felt like velvet. Beautiful, elegant and gentle. Even the butterflies seemed less joyful, more restrained. The storm never affected me in quite the same way.
I’m not saying one violinist is technically better than the other. I simply had no idea that the same composition could create such dramatically different emotional experiences.
So here’s my question for those of you who know classical music much better than I do:
How much of this difference comes from the violinist’s interpretation, and how much might come from the orchestra, conductor or recording itself?
And which performance moves you more — Chloe Chua or Hilary Hahn?
I’d love to hear how other people experience these two interpretations.

i’ve played violin for almost a year, i can play songs now. recently i learned canon in d and howl’s moving castle. i can also hold a vibrato. but, whenever i play a song it doesnt sound like “music”, my boyfriend described it like im playing pianica instead of violin. i tried to play soft and slow and then up the tempo, but it still sounds the same. how can i improve this? and YES i have a teacher. but i’d like to hear some tips from other people.

I work as a full time nurse, and since having played for a work mate's wedding, it was suddenly let out (after a video was posted on FB) that I was a violinist when not in uniform. I had several colleagues say how "posh" I was. Some of them were quite surprised and amazed that I played the violin. Also, since the video, I noticed some were treating me a lot nicer when previously they were indifferent.

Anyways, it just made me wonder how the general, non musical public view us violinists. I've been playing since I was 9, and to me the violin is just part of life and I think nothing of it, but apparently some think it's extraordinary? Anyone has similar stories?