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Question: I may learn how to play the violin!?
it's for my senior project!. i have a friend who has just told me that she will sell me her full size violin, 5 months of use, sounds great with a bow, case and books for $130!. i've always wanted to learn how to play but was not allowed because my mom didn't want to hear me pratice!. i must say i think im going to have to have a bottle of aspirin nearby for myself but i'm really excited about it!. but i have to have a product ready for the judges i believe in april or may!. if anyone here plays the violin and remembers when he or she started, how long did it take you to be able to play a simple song without screeching!. i don't want to torture the judges!. : ) can anyone suggest some simple classical violin songs that i may be able to play well enough for the judges in april or may!? also can anyone suggest a topic i may be able to write my paper on!? it cannot be a how to paper, only a research paper!. i was thinking of going back to the invention of the violin and the first violin players but i need a smaller topic!. i know i sound unprepared, but i only found out i had to change my project topic on saturday because of financial reasons!. please help! i would really appreciate any assistance anyone can give me! Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
You have plenty of time to get the screechiness out of your playing
by april!. the screeching comes from poor bowing technique
so, like anything else, if you practice you should be able to sound
just fine by then!. being confident and pressing hard enough
with the bow REALLY helps!.

are you going to take lessons from someone!?
are you learning by yourself!?
do you already play music or know how to read!?
since you are on a budget i'm going to assume
you aren't going to be taking weekly lessons with a professional teacher!.
in that case, you may try online lessons!.
As far as a song goes, that is going to have to be dependant
on how good you can get by april!. of course
everyone starts with Twinkle Twinkle but i'm sure
that isn't advanced enough for the end project!.

As a research paper you might want to talk about
how the violin is made and what components are responsible
for how it sounds!. You don't have to write it like a "how to
make a violin", just an informative paper about the different
physical components of the instrument!.
good luck and i hope you have fun!.

one tip i have for beginning violin students
is to use small strips of tape on the finger board
to show you were the notes are (sort of like
frets on a guitar)
once you get used to where the notes are
you can remove the tape!.Www@QuestionHome@Com