Violin for Beginners

Students first learning vibrato should attempt to discern which vibrato is easier for them to learn, wrist or arm. Once one is working, attempt to learn the other.

Todd Ehle teaches an interesting trick he learned from Margery Aber, using what can be called Impulse, or "Finger" vibrato to help generate a wrist/hand vibrato.

Note: When in 3rd, check the pitch of your 1st finger with the open string below it.

In this video lesson, Todd Ehle suggests that you should just learn how to find 2nd position. Once you are comfortable with locating 2nd, learn 4th, etc. For 3rd position, see Lecture 28: Finding 3rd Position (Vivaldi A Minor).

Note: Instructor Todd Ehle said in this video that there are three types of tunings - but this is not correct. There are two natural types of tunings: Pythagorean and Just. Instructor Todd Ehle added Equal Temperament as the third type, but a temperament is a bending or adjustment of a natural tuning. There are other temperaments, such as Irregular temperament, common in Bach's day. Today we are mostly comfortable with Equal Temperament, it is how a piano is tuned, and it is also the tuning we get from an electronic tuner. String players don't tune the open strings this way though because the Perfect 5ths will not ring "pure", even when the electronic tuner says it is perfect.

In this video lesson, Instructor Todd Ehle introduces the double-stop known as 3rds. Purchase the Carl Flesch or Ivan Galamian Scale System to learn these.

Note: Instructor Todd Ehle forgot to mention the importance of a very light touch with the 4th finger. It is easy to fail with this technique, all because the pinky may be pressing into the string too firmly. It should not bend the string at all. Also, the finger's contact with the string should be reduced to the smallest point possible.