Are you looking for ways to teach yourself violin?
Maybe you’re an experienced hobbyist, but you’re unable to make in-person lessons work with your schedule or location.
In-person lessons are, without doubt, the best way to improve your playing. A good private violin teacher can supervise your playing, give you immediate feedback, and enhance your musical awareness much faster than any other method.
However, sometimes it's tricky to make private lessons work because of time constraints, finances, or the lack of teachers in your area.
If this is you, look no further!
Here, we’ll discuss the top 3 most-effective ways to teach yourself violin, with or without formal violin lessons.
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#3 - YouTube
This may be obvious, but it’s not something to overlook.
Youtube has thousands of video lessons from some of the greatest violinists to have ever lived, covering a wide range of violin-related content.
You can find lectures from Juilliard professors, interviews with legends such as Itzhak Perlman and Hilary Hahn, and tutorials on performance, among other videos on popular topics for violinists.
And as a bonus, these are all free!
However, there is one large drawback to the whole YouTube approach:
Structure.
YouTube may have excellent free content, but you’re likely to have trouble navigating the dense search results to find the content you need at your level.
Also, you’re unlikely to find a lot of structured, step-by-step courses on certain pieces or important violin techniques. You’ll have to guide yourself through learning on YouTube without added resources like a private forum or downloadable workbooks.
Still, YouTube videos are a good casual option when looking for a surface-level intro to a piece or a violin practice topic.
#2 - Books!
If you’re all about structure, then maybe going the book route is right for you.
There are lots of technique books from publishers like Alfred Music and Hal Leonard which cover a wide range of playing levels.
Here is a list of 3 books we recommend (in no particular order):
The Dounis Collection holds up as one of the most important books of technical studies for the violin. Dounis hones in on ergonomics, the role of the brain in practice, and many more important subjects in his expansive technique guide.
Carl Flesch provides an extensive collection of violin etudes in each major and minor key, making for a great technical guide for the violin.
Former Juilliard professor Ivan Galamian takes you through his philosophy of practice and teaching methods, offering guidance for violinists of all levels.
These are great options for those who want tailored instruction at a much lower cost.
However, the range of content in these books can be very limited, and often not at all engaging.
And, if you teach yourself violin through books, you won’t have the benefit of seeing a violinist show you exactly how to execute important skills.
For this reason, we’ve decided to put course books in the number 2 spot.
#1 - Online masterclasses and courses
As we’ve seen, some of the biggest drawbacks of books and YouTube videos are lack of structure and just generally unengaging content.
For that reason, it can be hard to teach yourself violin using those methods alone, not to mention staying motivated along the way.
That’s especially true if you’re not taking real-world lessons!
However, online masterclasses and courses can give you the benefits of both books and online videos.
That’s because you can see and hear a professional violinist demonstrate pieces you want to learn and important techniques, step-by-step.
The #1 online course platform to teach yourself violin online? tonebase!
With 500+ tutorials and structured courses, tonebase is the go-to learning platform for thousands of violinists around the world. In it, you’ll find all the inspiration and enrichment a developing violinist needs, as GRAMMY-winning artists and renowned teachers show you how to play classical masterworks.
Besides learning from top violinists, you’ll be able to participate in live forums, download scores and workbooks, and track your progress.
For those reasons, tonebase is so much more than a book you'll have to flip through, or a series of un-organized YouTube videos. It's like a virtual school of music, taking you to the next level as a violinist — with or without a private teacher!
To top that off, it costs only a small fraction of one lesson per month.
(That’s hundreds of hours of high-quality, curated content at very little cost.)
Ready to try it for free?
Click below to start your 14-day FREE trial and unlock everything inside tonebase. You’ll get complete access to 100s of premium violin lessons and courses, along with
- LIVE workshops with top artists and pedagogues every week
- The active tonebase Community where you can give and get feedback, and participate in skill-building Challenges and Two-Week Intensives
- Hundreds of enriched workbooks, annotated scores and other digital resources to aid you in your learning
We hope to see you in the forums!
