Students who want to play in a professional capacity will learn quickly that being heard on stage in the midst of other instruments requires some specific amplification. In rock, pop, jazz, and country music genres, it’s hard for an acoustic violin to make itself heard over the electric sounds. For that reason, most career musicians are familiar with a violin pickup. Yet, for beginner students who are being classically trained, a pickup can seem odd and incongruous with the instrument.

 

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Taking care of your violin is important. Not only is it a valuable investment, but with the right regular maintenance, your violin will sound better, and you’ll get more mileage out of the strings and other parts that wear out.

 

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String musicians today have instrument options that simply weren’t available 20 or 50 years ago. Because of their history, string instruments have always been made using basically the same materials and methods, and it hasn’t changed for centuries. However, the organic materials used to fashion fine instruments are no longer the only alternative for production.

 

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Out of necessity, students who play string instruments require a number of accessories. Whether you’ve just started learning or you’ve been playing for a while, there is some “must have” equipment that will make your life easier. Knowing what accessories to include for your string instrument can mean the difference between success and failure. Keeping the following items close at hand will limit the natural frustrations that accompany the learning process.

 

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Orchestras are made up of four main sections: strings, woodwind, brass and percussion. Of these four, the string family is typically the largest section, often comprising half the orchestra performers.

 

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Students who choose to learn the viola arrive at that decision for any number of reasons. Whether they like the rich, seductive tone of the instrument or have chosen it because of a personal preference, doesn’t matter. Violists occupy a unique place in the orchestra. By playing alto clef in a perfect middle range, you have the ability to play lower tones than the violin but higher than those of the cello. And although most of your practice music is derived from the classical genre, playing popular tunes on your instrument is a great way to build your skills.

 

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Loving the deep melodies you can get from your cello when you play classical pieces doesn't mean you can't enjoy playing some pop music on it as well. In fact, the cello is the instrument that best mimics the human voice. Pop music is all about the vocals, which makes playing it on the cello a perfect match.

 

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Summer is almost here. The time when many student musicians travel to various venues, camps, and festivals to play their instruments. And with so many exciting prospects to look forward to, it can be easy to overlook mundane concerns like the best way to travel with your string instrument.

 

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One of the most nerve-wracking experiences for a musician is when a string snaps while in the middle of a live performance. Almost inevitably, this can happen if a string is old, defective, or not installed correctly. Strings can also break from playing too vigorously or because they are an off-brand that doesn’t last long. Whatever the case may be, it’s important to have a plan of action for when it happens to you – because it may happen at some point in the future.

 

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A big part of playing a violin or viola well comes down to selecting an instrument and chin rest that fits your physical form. If you’ve ever tried to play a violin that is too big to hold comfortably, you’ve discovered this can quickly become painful and reduce the quality of your music. Finding just the right chin rest can alleviate this problem. A good chin rest places an even weight between your instrument, your head, and your hands as you play. 

 

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