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Anyone else learning an instrument?

Mation

Mation

real life adventure worth more than pieces of gold
Just started learning the cello, and am absolutely loving it!

I was lucky enough to have been able to try a few instruments as a child at school - violin, clarinet, steelpan - but none of them took. ADHD probably a factor. And who knows if this will take, but I seem to have much more patience with this, now.

Dead pleased that I'm managing to follow the online course I've found, and am making some lovely sounds (on two notes :D). Cello sounds are utterly luscious :cool:

Struggling to hold the bow properly, but am not worrying too much. I'll just have to get used to it.

Are you learning to play anything, or want to? Tips, tricks, joys and frustrations welcome :)
 
Not to the same skill level as that to which you're aspiring, but I've started playing castanets. Until very recently I didn't even know they were "tuned" differently, nor that there is more than one technique to them.
 
dessiato said:
Not to the same skill level as that to which you're aspiring, but I've started playing castanets. Until very recently I didn't even know they were "tuned" differently, nor that there is more than one technique to them.
Click to expand...
Not sure what skill level I'm aspiring to :hmm: have to see how it goes :oldthumbsup:

I'd have thought playing castanets well must require a good deal of skill, and sounds like a really fun thing to do :cool:

Are you dong it at home/online?
 
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I inherited my dad's violin last year and I've made half arsed attempts to learn it again (played as a child). I can play guitar already but violin is a different thing altogether. I really keep intending to out some proper time into doing it
 
Mumbles274 said:
I inherited my dad's violin last year and I've made half arsed attempts to learn it again (played as a child). I can play guitar already but violin is a different thing altogether. I really keep intending to out some proper time into doing it
Click to expand...

Violin just sounds horrible for ages, it's quite a difficult instrument to hold and get the bow action right to actually get a nice sound from it. Takes a lot of practice, I do have a violin but always found it really difficult due to joint issues as my shoulders and neck are affected.
 
Mumbles274 said:
I inherited my dad's violin last year and I've made half arsed attempts to learn it again (played as a child). I can play guitar already but violin is a different thing altogether. I really keep intending to out some proper time into doing it
Click to expand...
How much time could you realistically put in?

I'm trying to do half an hour a day, for now, which ends up being anything from 10 mins to an hour or so, but at least is regular.
 
Epona said:
Violin just sounds horrible for ages, it's quite a difficult instrument to hold and get the bow action right to actually get a nice sound from it. Takes a lot of practice, I do have a violin but always found it really difficult due to joint issues as my shoulders and neck are affected.
Click to expand...
Yes, I think I'd be a lot less motivated if it weren't for the lovely sounds already. I'm sure this will be a case of going on to make completely horrid sounds as I have more and more things to think about and try to get right at once, but at least I know from the outset that it might go well.
 
I've just had a look at my violin and the chinrest has come off, it needs new strings, and the bow seriously needs restringing, it looks like it's got mange and there's hairs hanging off it. :oops:

I intend to give it to my niece and nephew anyway but it does need a bit of tlc - will make sure my brother knows that it isn't currently in great nick (the body of the thing is fine however).
 
Mation said:
How much time could you realistically put in?

I'm trying to do half an hour a day, for now, which ends up being anything from 10 mins to an hour or so, but at least is regular.
Click to expand...
Realistically I could put quite a bit of time in, what I need to do is just start putting some time in!
 
Mation said:
Just started learning the cello, and am absolutely loving it!

I was lucky enough to have been able to try a few instruments as a child at school - violin, clarinet, steelpan - but none of them took. ADHD probably a factor. And who knows if this will take, but I seem to have much more patience with this, now.

Dead pleased that I'm managing to follow the online course I've found, and am making some lovely sounds (on two notes :D). Cello sounds are utterly luscious :cool:

Struggling to hold the bow properly, but am not worrying too much. I'll just have to get used to it.

Are you learning to play anything, or want to? Tips, tricks, joys and frustrations welcome :)
Click to expand...
The bow hold is one of the trickier things to get right, but don't sweat it - if you're holding it well enough to get a decent sound, that'll do you for now. You'll want to refine it as you develop, so as to be able to get the most out of playing your instrument.
 
Epona said:
I've just had a look at my violin and the chinrest has come off, it needs new strings, and the bow seriously needs restringing, it looks like it's got mange and there's hairs hanging off it. :oops:

I intend to give it to my niece and nephew anyway but it does need a bit of tlc - will make sure my brother knows that it isn't currently in great nick (the body of the thing is fine however).
Click to expand...
There is a place in Bristol existentialist put me onto for bow restringing. Cost about 60 per bow I think. Mine could do with it but it still plays for now
 
Mumbles274 said:
There is a place in Bristol existentialist put me onto for bow restringing. Cost about 60 per bow I think. Mine could do with it but it still plays for now
Click to expand...
John@johnstaggbows.co.uk

As for the violin...if it doesn't have any strings on it, you need to handle it very carefully, as the soundpost inside is held in place by the pressure of the strings on the bridge, and any knocks or nudges will dislodge it, which will require a quick bit of professional attention. I take it you still have the bridge? Looks like this:

1659465394081.png

Be warned - violin strings are eyewateringly expensive if you're using to buying, say, guitar strings. A full set of reasonable ones is going to set you back getting on for £30. If you buy very cheap (eg Astrea), they're probably going to put any learners off, as it will be much harder to get a decent sound out of them. These are reasonable, at ~£26:

D'Addario Ascenté Violin Strings, Set

Ascenté synthetic core strings produce a warm, wide tonal range, highly stable, perfect for beginners upward. Ascenté is a new set of strings designed for shor
www.thestringzone.co.uk

(for comparison purposes, the last set of strings I bought for using in the studio were about £90, and the set of 5 I have for the electric violin-from-heaven were £130).

But if you end up lighting a little talent fire, it'll be worth it...
 
I've got a trombone, it's my favourite brass instrument by miles,, and while I have enough musical nous to wring a facsimile of a tune from it, I'm pretty sure I'm playing it wrong.

The main problem is, I have neighbours who are at home even more than I am, and bad trombone is quite a noise to put up with. At the moment I've got the mouthpiece stuck on my old sea cadets bugle (which I can still play), it makes a great sound, almost like a French horn.

Anyway, I think I'm not trying hard enough and reading this thread makes me want to try harder!
 
Thank you Mumbles274 and existentialist - the violin still has 2 strings on it (the heavier gauge ones), and the bridge and soundpost are in place. Does sound like I ought to get some cheap strings however just to maintain that situation while the instrument is sitting unused.

I'm not going to be able to get the bow restrung however. It isn't the original bow I don't think, the wood doesn't match the violin itself.

It's not a valuable instrument, more sentimental value - it's a late 19 century apprentice violin-maker's piece and is slightly larger scale than regular violins, but not a viola either, it's been in the family for a while though and my grandmother on my dad's side used to play it, she gave it to me. Well she sent it to me through the post, there was a fire at the post office depot and it turned up at ours 2 months later with the case seriously burned and damp (from where the fire brigade had put the fire out with their hoses) but the violin itself was miraculously unscathed.
 
Mumbles274 said:
This is my standard right now.. Ha ha

Click to expand...

You're going to need to loosen that bow grip a fair bit! You'll find it sits on the strings a lot more happily. The trouble is, the ideal bow grip will make you feel (initially) as if you're about to drop the bloody thing! :)

Your middle two fingers and thumb should be holding the bow with just enough pressure not to drop it, while your index finger is there to provide a bit of downward pressure onto the bow, to stop the bow bouncing and skipping and provide even pressure, while your little finger is providing it with some balance.

If you're bending your thumb backwards, you're going to hurt it in the long run, as well as not being in control of the bow (it's a habit I still slip into, dammit :mad:).

I do notice, though, that your bowing arm action is pretty sound - you're keeping the bow perpendicular to the strings, rather than it coming round in a circle as you extend your bowing arm :thumbs:
 
existentialist said:
You're going to need to loosen that bow grip a fair bit! You'll find it sits on the strings a lot more happily. The trouble is, the ideal bow grip will make you feel (initially) as if you're about to drop the bloody thing! :)

Your middle two fingers and thumb should be holding the bow with just enough pressure not to drop it, while your index finger is there to provide a bit of downward pressure onto the bow, to stop the bow bouncing and skipping and provide even pressure, while your little finger is providing it with some balance.

If you're bending your thumb backwards, you're going to hurt it in the long run, as well as not being in control of the bow (it's a habit I still slip into, dammit :mad:).

I do notice, though, that your bowing arm action is pretty sound - you're keeping the bow perpendicular to the strings, rather than it coming round in a circle as you extend your bowing arm :thumbs:
Click to expand...
Thanks, that's really helpful

My beautiful violin, easily my most treasured thingDSC_2915.JPG
 
In the spirit of the thread, I should say that I'm pretty much a beginner on the mandolin. I can play about 3 chords, though I can also pick out a bit of a tune. But it's hard playing a "second string" instrument you're new to when you're already happily playing another instrument reasonably competently :(. I just want to put the mandolin down and play violin instead...
 
Mumbles274 said:
Thanks, that's really helpful

My beautiful violin, easily my most treasured thingView attachment 335716
Click to expand...
That's got a nice patina on it - looks like a tidy instrument, and you're getting a nice sound out of it. The bridge wants to be a bit more vertical, I think, though. It can be a bit alarming when it suddenly topples over 4 inches from your nose. If you're feeling brave, rest it in its case (like is is there), take a finger and thumb of each hand, grip it firmly a little higher than halfway, and tilt it back evenly towards the fingerboard - keeping the feet in place - until it's vertical. If you're feeling nervous, loosen the strings (a bit!) first, then retune afterwards.
 
existentialist said:
That's got a nice patina on it - looks like a tidy instrument, and you're getting a nice sound out of it. The bridge wants to be a bit more vertical, I think, though. It can be a bit alarming when it suddenly topples over 4 inches from your nose. If you're feeling brave, rest it in its case (like is is there), take a finger and thumb of each hand, grip it firmly a little higher than halfway, and tilt it back evenly towards the fingerboard - keeping the feet in place - until it's vertical. If you're feeling nervous, loosen the strings (a bit!) first, then retune afterwards.
Click to expand...
Ah yeah, can see that now I look. Something for When I'm not 4 glasses of wine down!
 
It's late 1800s as far as I can tell, there is a maker's label inside, again,... Something for when not pisses... Trying to see what it says!!
 
mojo pixy said:
A violin bridge is quite a contraption ... looks like a Space Invaders boss :D
Click to expand...
That's the first thing I thought when I saw a Space Invaders boss - "ooh, that looks like a violin bridge" :D

Bass bridges are a thing of wonder...

1659467389229.png

Oh, and for anyone tempted to take up the double bass...a set of Dominant strings (what I use on my acoustic viola) for a double bass comes in at an eyeblistering £260.

Though, TBF, they don't need changing as often as guitar strings do...
 
Mation said:
Not sure what skill level I'm aspiring to :hmm: have to see how it goes :oldthumbsup:

I'd have thought playing castanets well must require a good deal of skill, and sounds like a really fun thing to do :cool:

Are you dong it at home/online?
Click to expand...
A bit of both
 
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