A new twitter account!

I just started a new Twitter account and there I am sharing some inspiring quotes from the masters, the violin practice tips, interesting articles, etc for your everyday inspiration.

Follow @bkviolinlessons
https://twitter.com/bkviolinlessons

Happy playing,

Great practice tips from D. C. Dounis

There was a great violinist and a teacher whose name was Demetrius Constantine Dounis (1886-1954).  He studied violin privately in Vienna with Frantisek Ondricek and also was a medical student at the University of Vienna. He was a touring violinist after the graduation in Europe and Russia, then after World War I, he became a professor of violin at the Salonika Conservatory in Greece. It was then he devoted all his energy to violin pedagogy and the publication of his famous violin studies.

His books are pretty challenging for beginners and it can be overwhelming even for the advanced students. But if you're a serious learner (and not an absolute beginner), I would recommend to pick a few exercise from this book everyday and spend about 15~30 minutes the most.

On his book, "The Artist's Technique of Violin Playing" op. 12, he states his philosophy about practicing as Foreword and I would like to share it here:

 ***

"TO KNOW HOW TO PRACTICE IS AN ART."

This is a well-known fact.

Most violinists believe that the 

solution of the problem of "HOW TO PRACTICE"

lies in repeating, everyday, various finger exercises,

scales, arpeggios, bow exercises, etc.

But this supposition is a fallacy.

No one will ever learn how to practice by

repeating day in, day out, finger exercises, scales, or,

in fact, 

the whole compendium of daily exercises for the violin.

The result of such monotonous and arid study

is usually worthless.

This procedure explains why after years of intensive study, 

there are few violinists, very few indeed,

who acquire an infallible technique.

The oblect of this work is to indicate a method of

solving all the problems of higher technique of both hands,

with the least possible expenditure of time and energy,

and to provide definite suggestions for

mastering all technical difficulties.

In other words,

this book aim to teach

THE TRUE METHOD OF

PRACTICING.

-D. C. Dounis

*If you would like to download his book, "The Artist's Technique of Violin Playing" op. 12, you can download from the link. You can purchase the whole book (like the photo above) online, too.

It is very inspiring to just read his words in between these exercises. I highly recommend it!

Have fun,

How to properly choose the right size violin for kids

This is one of the most frequent questions that I get.

 Which size should I get for my child?

Here is a chart that helps you to find right size violin for your child.
When you measure the arm length, follow these steps.

1. Spread the left arm parallel to the floor with palm facing up to the ceiling

2. Bring the arm very slightly to the front (About or less than 45 degrees, 
    just like the pose of playing violin with arm extended.

3. Measure from the bottom of the neck to the middle of the palm. 

4. Write down the length.

Hope this helps finding the right size for your child. Kids grow so fast, so it's good to check the size once in a while.

Happy playing,

New "SHEET MUSIC" section launched!

Hello, violinists!

I lauched a new section "SHEET MUSIC" in this page (you can find it in the tabs). You can download my edition of sheet music. The music is mostly from the requests I often get from my students and the most famous/popular songs. I will keep on adding more and make bigger collection, so stay tuned!

In the mean time, some feedback/requests are welcome!

Happy playing!

Come join us for group violin lessons in Bedstuy, Brooklyn this month!

This month, I will be teaching for Music For The People at Bailey's Cafe in Bedstuy. We'll begin the first day on July 11th, 3pm.

The group lessons are scheduled on the most Saturdays throughout till August 1st. It'll be in a nice friendly environment and would be a great starter for someone who hasn't played violin before. Please call or e-mail the number listed in the poster above for more details including the schedule.

If you or someone else are interested in a group violin lesson, come join us or spread the words!

Boxing throw movement for smooth bowing

I recently discover the common practice in bowing and the boxing throw. So, I wanted to share it with you today.

Not so interested in boxing? Well, I'm not so much, either and am not going to suggest you to practice boxing..! But I found that very fascinating to see how similar the movements are.
So, keep on reading!


First of all, both the bowing in violin playing and the boxing throw have same goals:
To have fully controlled, powerful and most natural arm movement.


Watch this video and notice how he rotates his right arm.


Yes, the rotation of the right arm. This is the key point!

This method can be applied well in the upper strokes (from the mid to the tip of the bow).



Experiment:
Bend your right arm and extend it in front of your body with or without rotating the arm.

Did you notice the difference?
Rotating the arm makes your arm move much more smoothly and effortlessly, doesn't it? Because your arms are designed to move that way naturally.

Also experiment:
Make a fist and as you squeeze the fist, slowly extend your arm.
Make a fist and loosen up the fist, then slowly extend your arm.

Did you notice that when your fist is tight, you can't really extend your arm smootly?
This can be apply to keep your right hand relaxed when you hold the bow.


Here are common tips for boxing:

• Rotate Your Arm: Another method to increase the power of your jab is to rotate your arm mid-way through throwing it. You should start with your palm facing inwards towards your face and once the jab is thrown, rotate your arm so that your elbow is pointing outside and your fist rotates also, so your palm ends up facing downwards.
• Keep fist relaxed throughout this movement, until just before the point of contact when it is fully clenched.
• Your knees should be bent every time you throw a punch [...] If you stand straight up, you’re more liable to get caught with a punch and you’ll also produce less power.

(Quoted from http://www.mightyfighter.com and http://boxingbeginners.com/how_to_box_punches.php)

That applies to string players as:

• Rotate your right arm for smooth bowing.
• Keep your right hand relaxed
•  Keep your knees bent slightly at all times. 

*As you rotate, you might touch the lower string. Try avoiding it by bending your body slightly backwards. The violin will tilt toward the left slightly.


Hope this method helps you for smooth bowing.

How to enjoy practicing violin when it seems impossible.

 Have you ever been discouraged from practicing violin, thinking that, "Oh jeez..., I have a long way to go. Am I ever gonna be able to play this song?" or even, "I'm just not good at this. I'm not meant to be playing the violin." and etc...? and end up being reluctant to even pick up the violin to start practicing?

Well, don't worry! You're not alone. Especially in this highly competitive, fast paced society, it's very easy to get into this self-defeating mindset. These overwhelming feelings are poison that can kill your motivation and enjoyment. But what's the antidote?

Here's what I would suggest:

1.) Set achievable goals.  

Nobody would be able to play like Heifetz tomorrow,
but you might be able to memorize the song that you're working on by the weekend.

2.) Be patient. Progress is slow and steady.
As slow as a turtle - a happy turtle.

3.) Don't push yourself TOO hard.  

Be kind to yourself.

4. ) Make a little step each time. 

 As little step as possible.

5.) Never compare yourself to your icon or higher level players and judge yourself based on it.

Always focus on YOUR OWN development. 

6.) Be creative, experiment as much as you can. 

There's no single way to play violin.

7.) Make lots of mistakes, noises.

Beware of what you learn from them.

8.)  Rest when you're tired.

You wouldn't progress much  anyway when you're exhausted.

 And here's a good quote:

Enjoyment appears at the boundary between boredom and anxiety, when the challenges are just balanced with the person's capacity to act.

-Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Happy Easter,

Happy practicing!