I’ve slowly been losing motivation because of how slow I’ve been progressing, but now I’ve realized it’s because I don’t know how to practice. This video was extremely helpful. I can’t believe this information is free. Thank you :)
Opening exercises and all of the warm-up things are so important!! I am a teenager, whose dream is to become a violinist. Just sometimes life gets too busy and I feel like I don't have time for such basics, but to be honest, they're the most important. This was kind of a reminder, so thanks!
Thanks Sophie - I'm an adult beginner (been playing for about a year now) and it is so inspiring to know that even someone as experienced as you still starts with open string exercises. Just listening to the polished final performances of various people can make learning the violin to those standards feel like an insurmountable task but videos such as yours really shows the hard work and attention to detail that is required. Like I say, its great to know that people as good as you start their practice with open strings and scales just like I do (yours sound much better of course!). Thanks again for this great video - much appreciated.
thank you so much for watching- i am so glad you enjoyed! you also bring up a great point: no matter how experienced one is, the basics are always the most important to maintain and keep a solid foundation! i can't wait to release more foundational violin technique videos, as I believe they are crucial to any level of violin playing :)
Today, you can find such information on blogs or youtube, but I had 10 years of violin lessons in a community music school (where everyone any age can start at any time) and these things were NEVER discussed. The teacher never told me how to practice or asked how I practiced, for the longest time I believed "practice" meant "playing through the piece of the week as best and fast as you can and hope you can perform it in front of the teacher the following week".
Wow! That's crazy. Thank you for sharing, I had no idea. Honestly, I did not develop a conscious practice routine until maybe 10 years into playing as well... mindless repetition is unfortunately how most people start. Hopefully we can change that by discussing the topic more!
This is so cool! I quit the violin as a teenager and recently took it up again. Because my teachers never really focused on the technical side (and I was lazy as heck), I never really learned how to structure my practice and to always to scales etc., so I kind of want to start learning that now. The open string exercises also are a great idea and so is the warm up. I probably won't do as much as you do as I slowly want to ease myself back into playing regularly without wanting too much too fast. But those are great building blocks to incorporate into my beginner practice :)
That makes me so happy to hear! I honestly never focused on the technical side until I switched teachers (about 2 years ago) either, so that's why I especially value it now. yes of course- slowly ease your way up! Take your time, everyone is different, and enjoy the process :) best of luck to you!
I found this video incredible insightful regarding how to practice. I am an amateur cellist taking lessons, and have occasionally studied violin. I am just realizing how critical it is to play repetitions with highest quality to avoid training mistakes. Thank you for making this video and sharing it. ❤
Wow! That’s quite a warm up routine. I play whatever scale in the key as my piece. Then I work on my piece. I’m going to build up to your entire warm up. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Thank you so much!! As an amateur I do find practicing scales takes tons of time... as well as different bow technicals. Wishing to see how you practice etude and repertoire in more details
thanks so much for you terrific video! I am 80 years old and play for fun in two community groups! Was not a professional violinist but had a career as a PhD nurse researcher! Now I research how to play better!
This is so helpful I’m majoring on violin in the fall and I’ve always struggled with formatting my practice time thank you for creating a video to show how to warm up properly. I struggle with relaxing and I never really warm up so seeing exercises I can use is sooo helpful! Thank you!
Ohh boiii watching you as a beginner got me thinking, 'I have a long way to go' I feel I ve been jumping over some things and need to go back. Just started learning second position and i feel it's impossible. Will just take one at a time. Great warm ups by the way. You got a new subscriber here.
Awww I totally feel you! Props to you for starting on second position (it’s hard!), and yes, one little bit of practice all adds up in the long run :). You got this, and thank you so much! ❤️
Thank you so mutch for your inspiriering video. I havend played the violin for seven years and start now again. Your Video is helping me to get a rotine again.
So glad I found your channel today! When I saw that you're at Peabody I freaked out cos I'm right down the street at Hopkins hospital haha. I started learning the violin as a covid hobby but i love it so much and decided to dedicate time each day to practice and see how good I get. You inspire me Sophie! My hands are so small just like yours! But you give me so much hope. I'm just learning how to use my pinky and got frustrated this morning but then I saw your hands...i've got no excuses anymore :D Keep practicing and stay safe!
no way!! what a small world! that's amazing that you've picked up violin-- and your daily dedication will pay off FOR SURE. also, small hands are such a struggle haha glad to know i'm not alone as well 😂 thank you so much for your kind comment; i look forward to more interactions! stay safe and best wishes to you as well :)
At the moment I am working on my 3 octave C major scale and arpeggios for my exams. Also from the Carl Flesh book. I will also be playing no 6 and no 8 from the kruetzer etude book. I will be playing the accolay concerto.
Listen to u now I defiantly want me to go more I have violin thing at my school I started playing guitar but it couldn’t do it after they siad this at my school I was wondering and today I actually have it so thanks
Really nice and useful video, thanks. It would be very interesting if you were kind enough (☺️) to make some mini videos dedicated to each scale illustrating the various fingerings and exercises for the various keys and positions, it would stimulate beginners (and not) to learn and practice with the scales, so important for good intonation.
Thank you so much! I appreciate your support :). I have made a vibrato video, I will link it here! I hope it helps, and let me know if you have any questions :) ua-cam.com/video/3vcsIStyW80/v-deo.html
Hi! though I had watched this video before, today I rewatched it because I am struggling with structuring my practice sessions (I am cellist), just wanted to tell you that this helped me a lot and that I will steal some parts your technique routine. Thank you :)
Thank you for this great video! I learned much from you demonstration which I think will help me guide my children in their practice and help myself get better as well.
Hi! I really enjoyed your routine of right hand exercises on empty strings, finger stretchings, also scales - you are great on the distribution of the bow space (hope you'll understand what I meant 😏) Keep going and thank you for sharing! All the blessings in New Year! 🙏
Thanks for sharing Sophie! I'd like to ask you how do you distribute the practice of your scales,how many do you practice per day,and how do you cover all of them in a week,thank you and a hug from Honduras!
thank you for watching! i usually practice one per day (ideally)-- so i definitely am not able to cover all 24 keys in a week haha. I've heard some people use random scale generators to decide what they're practicing for the day, but I typically choose a key that has to do with the piece I'm currently playing. hope this answered your question!
Thank you. So generous. As a beginner I struggle with the transition when the wrist is flexed on the finish of the upbow back to the down now. I understand the need for flexibility in the wrist but struggle initiating the subsequent down bow. In words or in a UA-cam video could you demo your bowing mechanics. My instructor told me to kiss my wrist on the up bow. Do you create a graduated or incremental rotation of the wrist to accomplish the transition to the down bow with a flattening of the wrist that leads to more rotation about the bow itself with protonation with the right hand index finger? Plus the instructor says let gravity of a sinking elbow start the process. How does one Get the paint brush motion of the wrist without the bow bouncing. Would you mind articulating this? Hope I'm not asking for too much? Thanks. David.
I am glad you enjoyed! and, that's a great video idea! I will try to articulate in words for now but stay tuned for a video in the future about this topic. Listen to your teacher, but one more piece of advice I can give is to focus on the transfer of the weight between your fingers on the bow hand. at the frog, there is more weight on your pinky. at the tip, there is more weight on your index finger. As you pull the bow from frog to tip and vice versa, focus on transferring the weight of the bow from the pinky to the index (and vice versa). This will give you a more even tone and smooth out the bow changes. it should also help with the bow bouncing unintentionally. hope this helps!
Hi, how are you. I loved your video. I recently started playing violin since 0. about a month ago. and I couldn't find a way to practice in an orderly manner. this helps me a lot. Notice that the strings on your violin look soft. Are they metallic or synthetic? My violin is one of the cheapest but I have thought about changing the strings to improve its sound a little. Thanks for your video and greetings from Chile.
@@SophieCViolin Thank you very much for answering me. Maybe the sound of my violin must be because it was the cheapest one I found. Besides, obviously my technique doesn't even reach the basic level since I started very recently hehe. Thank you very much for clarifying my doubt. I wish you the best.
Hi Sophie! Thank you for a very good and informative video. I’m an adult beginner who is trying to study the violin on my own and your video is very helpful because you’ve broken down your practice routine to different sections. If I may ask, how often and how many hours per day do you usually practice? How do you divide your practice time to the individual routine that you mentioned? More power to your channel. Stay safe!
Hi! I am so glad you enjoyed and found it helpful :). My practice time varies between 3-5 hours while I am at school, and I do practice every day since I am a music student! I know that sounds like a lot, but I definitely did not start this way. As a beginner, even 10-20 minutes a day goes a long way. Consistency is key when practicing! I usually like to divide up my practice time into chunks of 10-20 minutes because that helps me focus more. For example, 10 minutes on section A of this etude, and then 10 minutes on this concerto, etc. Otherwise, I find it very overwhelming and hard to focus if it's something like "practice 1 hour." The ratios of what to practice vary by day and what needs more work. Hope this helps!
Great video ! I was wondering how do you pick and choose what scales to practice. Do you go for all of the scales in one practice seating or do you pick a certain amount a day ? Much thanks
I usually spend anywhere from 15-45 minutes (haha i know, big range! but it's true) practicing each piece of repertoire. If it's a new piece, I might spend more time. Thank you for watching!
This is quite similar to my own practice routine too! I love the start with open bows. I usually go very slow, even to minute bows, but faster tempos might be nice! Also your scales are very good, how do you practice scales in your routine to keep improving them and separate that from playing them to acclimate your muscles to in-tune pitches? Also, we use the same scale system even though I’m a violist! On days where you don’t have 2-3+ hours to practice and run through this whole routine, do you instead condense your routine and laser focus on the rep you need to improve?
That's awesome!! I think practicing scales is perhaps less about training your muscles, and more about training your ears and how your fingers would respond to/achieve what you hear in your head first. Yes, on days where I don't have as much time to practice, I would condense my practice and focus on what's eminent. However, that is far from ideal, and usually with good time management can be avoided! Hope this helps :)
ahh hi! there is so much I could say on trills, but I think my biggest piece of advice is to make sure you release with every note. the left hand fingers should feel elastic coming off the finger board-- imagine the fingerboard is super hot and you have to avoid touching it. I hope this helps!
I learned violin for 2 months in the past and stopped as i'm not interested, two years ago I'm interested and picked it up again, but stopped after 4 months due to college projects and stuff and I'm lazy to go to the practice room as I don't like playing in front of others. And now I have time and going to continue my zigzag journey. I plan to practice in my room, I bought a violin practice mute to not disturb others. But I don't know where to start now and just trying hard stuff like bach sonatas and partita (hard for me ofc) and I know I shouldn't be doing that, thanks for your video that motivated me to practice my basics more. If I may ask, do you have recommendation of repertoire I should practice now (etudes, etc)? how long should I practice it? thanks so much !
Hi! Firstly, thank you for sharing your story. That's amazing that you want to start the violin again! If you are looking somewhere to start, I highly recommend the Wohlfarht Studies for violin. They are etudes for violin, and what I started on when I was beginning. I might also recommend the Suzuki books just because it has pretty simple pieces to learn in a progression. I'd recommend about 20-30 minutes a day to begin as well. Whatever you can do consistently, even 10 minutes a day is better than 1 hour a random day every week. I hope this helps! Happy practicing :)
@@SophieCViolin Thanks so much for the reply and books recommendation, wish you the best with your study and music career! (And also youtube ofc), waiting for your next vids!
@@SophieCViolin by the way, do you know when should I touch bach sonatas and partita? I really love them. What is the easiest of them all in your opinion and when should i try them? Thankss
@@dora9103 oooh that is a hard question! the technical difficulty can range so vastly between each movement. I started with Partita no. 2 in D minor personally, since the Allemande wasn't too hard. the Partita no. 1 also has some movements not too hard. Finally, Partita 3 was very fun and the first complete Bach partita I played. I hope this helps! :)
Thanks for watching! I usually spend about 15-45 minutes on each section, depending on which needs more work that day. Newer pieces may be more time than that, but I’d say that’s the average :)
Yes! On an ideal day, I like to spend 30 mins to 1 hour on scales, 1-2 hours on etudes, and 1-2 hours on repertoire. If I have chamber/ensemble music to practice, I will also do that (but the time for that varies a lot more). Not every day is ideal, though, so I adjust accordingly :). Hope this helps!
@@mushroom4713 haha thank you! It definitely took me a long time to work my way up to that 😂. I can assure you the scale practice does pay off and is very worth it, though :)
hi! I totally feel you. I tend to get sidetracked as well, but somethings that help me are to have a concrete plan (include breaks), keep my phone farrr away, and to keep each session shorter. happy practicing!
Hey! So I definitely had to work my way up on the time front, but my biggest advice is to practice painfully slowly. When I practice a scale, I put on the drone (ex. C for C Major) and play the scale ascending and descending to it. While playing that, extremely slowly, I’m listening for intonation and an even tone on the right hand. There should be an extra ring for when the intonation is perfect with the drone, but that’s a really small detail that takes very fine hearing and trained ears. Do the same with arpeggios. With thirds, sixths, and octaves, I practice them as broken chords and then tune them to each other (ex. C, E, CE). I also practice the transitions between 3rds/6ths/8vas because often it’s those shifts or changing the intervals that makes them go out of tune. Key thing is extremely slow practice, listening for the smallest of details. No worries if you can’t reach 1 hour right off the bat; time isn’t everything! Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions :)
You can definitely ask for help and advice on that! Most people end up somewhat creating their own routine to what fits their schedule and needs best, but I’d say your teacher can offer lots of guidance for how to do that :)
Hi, I'm not too sure what abrsm grade 5 means but I'd always recommend the Kruetzer Etude books for any level :). They're good intermediate etudes that I still work on in my regular practice.
Hey, dear Sophie. I wonder if you could share your opinion with me, if its not normal, that a tone sounds lower, when you just slightly touches the string with the finger (like in harmonics) instead of completely pressing it down. I am using this for shifting exercises: stopping a tiny bit before the tone, pressing then down and as the tone gets a bit higher it would be the right one. But my teacher was completely wondering. I am confused. Best regards! :)
Hi! I apologize, I'm not quite sure I understand what you are talking about. Are you asking about if it's okay to shift and be pressing lightly until you reach the desired note? If so, yes we should always be pressing lightly, especially while shifting so that our Left Hand has mobility to move. However, when shifting, you want to make sure you only stop when you reach the right note and don't adjust; that way, your hand will remember the position. If you adjust, it will confuse the memory. If you don't hit the right pitch during the shift, just start from the lower note and try again. Did this help? Please let me know if I wasn't clear/answered the wrong question!
Hey Sophie, I completely forgot to answer you. I am very sorry. It wasnt not my question, but still nice Content. :) i was talking about that a finger that is just pressed lightly on a string, produces a lower note as a finger that presses on the same position, but properly (so the string tension is higher). In connenction to shifting I am listening to this lower note of the finger that touches the string just slightly, instead to the final note, that will be produced after pressing the finger down then properly. So that would mean I will be stopping when hearing a note that is a tiny bit lower then the actual note, pressing down and then I would hear the wanted note. My teacher just said there would be no pitch difference between a finger just slightly (kind of "flageolett" action) pressed and a finger pressed completely down on a string. I found his statement quite confusing. Thats why I am looking for reflection. Could have been a misunderstanding with him also. Thanks a lot! :)
@@momoma533 Hi! No worries at all, thank you for the clarification! I apologize since it doesn't sound like I've learned such an exercise/technique, but if it works for you then I'd say to keep experimenting with it? And, don't be afraid to double check with your teacher to make sure his point was understood. Wishing you the best! :)
@@momoma533 hi! my approach is mostly to shift back and forth, never to adjust the intonation after shifting (only to go back and try again, otherwise your finger won't remember the note and feeling of hitting the right note), and to make sure I'm not pressing while shifting.
Hello! Honestly, my hours vary greatly depending on the day. Recently, it's been about 2 hours of practice time if I'm lucky... I think what you're doing sounds great, and as long as you're truly doing your best and being productive during the time you do practice, the results will come. Quality is greater than quantity :) Best wishes to you!
@@SophieCViolin i have started carl flesch sacle system i can play from 1 to 5 but after that i cant understand the double stops.if possible can u pls help🙏🏻🙏🏻
@@springmilton6244 hey I totally totally feel you. It took me years to be able to somewhat play the double stops and I still struggle with it so much. You know, maybe I’ll make a video on how to practice double stops sometime! Thanks for asking. But for now, my best advice is to practice EXTREMELY slowly and focus on tuning the lower note first. Hope this helps :)
I’ve slowly been losing motivation because of how slow I’ve been progressing, but now I’ve realized it’s because I don’t know how to practice. This video was extremely helpful. I can’t believe this information is free. Thank you :)
I am so so happy to hear that you found it helpful!! wishing you the best as you grow as a musician! :)
Keep going! Dont quit!
Learning how to practice is a skill and it’s even a technical skill. And it’s transferable to other areas of life!
Open string exercise: Started with the opening to Berg concerto and ended with the Mendelssohn cadenza
😂so true!
Nice comment haha
Saving this for when you're famous
i love u forever addington
Opening exercises and all of the warm-up things are so important!! I am a teenager, whose dream is to become a violinist. Just sometimes life gets too busy and I feel like I don't have time for such basics, but to be honest, they're the most important. This was kind of a reminder, so thanks!
couldn't agree more!! you just reminded me to focus on the basics again as well! so easy to get carried away hahaha. best wishes to you!! :)
Thanks Sophie - I'm an adult beginner (been playing for about a year now) and it is so inspiring to know that even someone as experienced as you still starts with open string exercises. Just listening to the polished final performances of various people can make learning the violin to those standards feel like an insurmountable task but videos such as yours really shows the hard work and attention to detail that is required. Like I say, its great to know that people as good as you start their practice with open strings and scales just like I do (yours sound much better of course!). Thanks again for this great video - much appreciated.
thank you so much for watching- i am so glad you enjoyed! you also bring up a great point: no matter how experienced one is, the basics are always the most important to maintain and keep a solid foundation! i can't wait to release more foundational violin technique videos, as I believe they are crucial to any level of violin playing :)
you know youre good when your practice sounds musical
@@cristianjuarez1086 ahh what a compliment! Thank you so much haha, working on loving every single note! :)
Today, you can find such information on blogs or youtube, but I had 10 years of violin lessons in a community music school (where everyone any age can start at any time) and these things were NEVER discussed. The teacher never told me how to practice or asked how I practiced, for the longest time I believed "practice" meant "playing through the piece of the week as best and fast as you can and hope you can perform it in front of the teacher the following week".
Wow! That's crazy. Thank you for sharing, I had no idea. Honestly, I did not develop a conscious practice routine until maybe 10 years into playing as well... mindless repetition is unfortunately how most people start. Hopefully we can change that by discussing the topic more!
This is so epic I’m a kid and I just started playing violin like 1 year ago. Hope to play like dis
That’s awesome! glad you enjoyed; keep up the great work and practice! :)
Thanks Sophie for your excellent guidance on warm ups. As an adult beginner it helps me a lot.
I'm so happy to hear!!! Have a blessed day. :)
This is so cool! I quit the violin as a teenager and recently took it up again. Because my teachers never really focused on the technical side (and I was lazy as heck), I never really learned how to structure my practice and to always to scales etc., so I kind of want to start learning that now. The open string exercises also are a great idea and so is the warm up.
I probably won't do as much as you do as I slowly want to ease myself back into playing regularly without wanting too much too fast. But those are great building blocks to incorporate into my beginner practice :)
That makes me so happy to hear! I honestly never focused on the technical side until I switched teachers (about 2 years ago) either, so that's why I especially value it now. yes of course- slowly ease your way up! Take your time, everyone is different, and enjoy the process :) best of luck to you!
I found this video incredible insightful regarding how to practice. I am an amateur cellist taking lessons, and have occasionally studied violin. I am just realizing how critical it is to play repetitions with highest quality to avoid training mistakes. Thank you for making this video and sharing it. ❤
@@xxbstpagexx I’m so so glad you found this helpful!! Thank you so much for watching and for your kind words. Best wishes to you!
Wow! That’s quite a warm up routine. I play whatever scale in the key as my piece. Then I work on my piece. I’m going to build up to your entire warm up. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Haha this is the most thorough version! Glad you found it helpful! :)
Thank you so much!! As an amateur I do find practicing scales takes tons of time... as well as different bow technicals. Wishing to see how you practice etude and repertoire in more details
thank you for watching and for your suggestion! i hope to discuss etudes and repertoire in more detail soon :)
watching a pro violinist practice really helps. THANKS YOU!!!
Awww I’m so glad you find it helpful!! And thank you for the compliment :) not a pro yet, but hopefully one day! ❤️
You are a natural UA-camr. Nice video!!!
thank you so much, Tony !! :)
thanks so much for you terrific video! I am 80 years old and play for fun in two community groups! Was not a professional violinist but had a career as a PhD nurse researcher! Now I research how to play better!
wow!! thank you so much for watching. that's amazing that you are a researcher :) much respect!
This is so helpful I’m majoring on violin in the fall and I’ve always struggled with formatting my practice time thank you for creating a video to show how to warm up properly. I struggle with relaxing and I never really warm up so seeing exercises I can use is sooo helpful! Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear!! congrats on college, and I’m excited for you! :)
Ohh boiii watching you as a beginner got me thinking, 'I have a long way to go' I feel I ve been jumping over some things and need to go back. Just started learning second position and i feel it's impossible. Will just take one at a time. Great warm ups by the way. You got a new subscriber here.
Awww I totally feel you! Props to you for starting on second position (it’s hard!), and yes, one little bit of practice all adds up in the long run :). You got this, and thank you so much! ❤️
Super beginner and having a hard time stretching between 2nd and 3rd fingers, but your finger stretch exercise looks awesome! I want to try tomorrow!
so glad to hear!! :)
I watched Hilary Hahn playing at NJPAC tonight! It was amazing. This is the first time I watch live concert after the pandemic.
That’s awesome!!! I’m jealous haha 😝 but that must’ve been amazing, especially as your first concert back!
Thankyou Sophie! This video was very helpful to me and has really refined my practice routine.
@@AureliaCastaigne hi Rachel! I’m so happy to hear this. Best wishes practicing!!
This lesson was good lesson for my life thank you for this lesson ❤❤❤
I am so happy you enjoyed!! :)
Damn this is so insightful,your intonation is so good.
thank you so much for watching! i am glad you enjoyed! :)
Thank you so mutch for your inspiriering video. I havend played the violin for seven years and start now again. Your Video is helping me to get a rotine again.
I am so happy to hear!! cheering you on! :)
Thank you I have never seen the finger stretching exercises before...very helpful
Thank you so much for watching! I’m very glad it helped :)
Oh wow! You do the exact same stretches I do before practicing. Like seriously. Every stretch you did, I do them too. Lol
that's amazing!! makes me so happy hahaha 😂
11:34 is adorable. And also this is really helpful! Thank you! 😄
aw thank you haha! i'm glad you enjoyed; thank you for watching! :)
So glad I found your channel today! When I saw that you're at Peabody I freaked out cos I'm right down the street at Hopkins hospital haha. I started learning the violin as a covid hobby but i love it so much and decided to dedicate time each day to practice and see how good I get. You inspire me Sophie! My hands are so small just like yours! But you give me so much hope. I'm just learning how to use my pinky and got frustrated this morning but then I saw your hands...i've got no excuses anymore :D Keep practicing and stay safe!
no way!! what a small world! that's amazing that you've picked up violin-- and your daily dedication will pay off FOR SURE. also, small hands are such a struggle haha glad to know i'm not alone as well 😂 thank you so much for your kind comment; i look forward to more interactions! stay safe and best wishes to you as well :)
This is so helpful.
Awesome!
@@donnamarr9538 glad you enjoyed!
Wonderful , i am inspired to do likewise.,ie. Do the same exercises. Thanks.
Awesome! Best wishes to you!:)
Hmmmmm!!! From piano to violin. Let me try. Thank you for sharing your ideas! Love it!
Thank you so much for watching!! :)
At the moment I am working on my 3 octave C major scale and arpeggios for my exams. Also from the Carl Flesh book. I will also be playing no 6 and no 8 from the kruetzer etude book. I will be playing the accolay concerto.
That’s an awesome list! I loveee Kruetzer etudes. Best wishes!
Extremely usefull. ❤ thanks.
Also the format is brilliant. Playing with the explanation overlaid in voice.
I'm so happy to hear! Thank you so much! :)
Thank you for the video. I really like to know how other students around the world practice and deal with technical problem with the violin☺
I am so glad you enjoyed!! It’s fascinating I agree :)
Great Teacher ... Great player
Thank you so much! I am so happy to have helped :)
Just fantastic... I share your video with all my students, keep up the good work...
That is such an honor! Thank you so very much 😊
Fantastic video… 👨🍳. Chefs kiss 💋
thank you! :)
Listen to u now I defiantly want me to go more I have violin thing at my school I started playing guitar but it couldn’t do it after they siad this at my school I was wondering and today I actually have it so thanks
Aww that is awesome! So glad this video was able to help you in that way :)
Really nice and useful video, thanks.
It would be very interesting if you were kind enough (☺️) to make some mini videos dedicated to each scale illustrating the various fingerings and exercises for the various keys and positions, it would stimulate beginners (and not) to learn and practice with the scales, so important for good intonation.
thank you for watching! and i love that suggestion- it is so important for any skill level so i will definitely be thinking about it :)
thanks!
love this video
@@hannahxue4034 I am so happy to hear!! I hope you have a great day. :)
Thank you so much for this video !!! I think is very important to do your exercice to make any progress in my situation . Thank you Sophie !
I’m so glad you enjoyed!! Happy practicing! :)
Thank you so much! You have just gotten a new subscriber ! Can you please make a video about how to do vibrato ?
Thank you so much! I appreciate your support :). I have made a vibrato video, I will link it here! I hope it helps, and let me know if you have any questions :) ua-cam.com/video/3vcsIStyW80/v-deo.html
Hi! though I had watched this video before, today I rewatched it because I am struggling with structuring my practice sessions (I am cellist), just wanted to tell you that this helped me a lot and that I will steal some parts your technique routine. Thank you :)
This made my whole day! Thank you so much 💛so so happy to hear that you enjoyed and that it helps! Happy practicing :)
Thank you for this great video! I learned much from you demonstration which I think will help me guide my children in their practice and help myself get better as well.
Thank you so much for watching! I’m very glad you learned a lot- best of luck implementing the tips!! :)
This is so great! Thank you for sharing this video. Looking forward to more of your videos
thank you!
Félicitations ! Tu es une fille super intelligente. Les conseils sont extraordinairement judicieux et efficaces.je suis sincèrement subjugué.
Thank you so much!! I’m so glad you liked it. :)
Thank you so very much for your generously, your time and instruction! You are appreciated more than you might realise.
thank you for your comment! I am sooo happy to hear :)
Thank you so much, quite helpful
glad you enjoyed! :)
thank you so much for sharing, that's actually helped a lot :)
Of course!! I’m so glad it helped! thank you for watching :)
Thank's😊
@@stevedivine7290 glad you enjoyed!!
very good video, congratulations you do very well
thank you so much!!:)
Wonderful!
thank you so much! :)
Very Nice . Keep It Up. I spend lot of time in warm up , I liked your way of doing it . Inspiring! I have started doing it your way . Thank You.
Thank you so much!! So glad you found it helpful :)
Loved your video. Thanks!
glad you enjoyed!! :)
Hi! I really enjoyed your routine of right hand exercises on empty strings, finger stretchings, also scales - you are great on the distribution of the bow space (hope you'll understand what I meant 😏)
Keep going and thank you for sharing!
All the blessings in New Year! 🙏
Thank you so much!! I am so happy you enjoyed :). Blessings to you as well!
Very helpful thank you so much!
Glad you enjoyed!! thank you for watching :)
What a great video. Thanks for showing us your routine. Very helpful!
So glad you found it helpful! thank you for watching :))
Im 14 yrs old and play the cello i wanna get better and you really motivate me
Aww that makes me so happy! best wishes to you- you can do it! 💛
Me at work not being able to practice, practicing vicariously through you haha
Awww haha, glad I could be of some virtual help 😛
This is a great video, thanks for sharing your practice routine! 😊
thank you so much for watching!! :)
Muito bom, maravilhoso seu vídeo. 👏👏👏👏🎻🔥
obrigado! :)
Thank you for this Sophie.. This is so helpful for me as I am a beginner
Of course! I’m so glad you found it helpful :)
I love thisss❤️
I’m so glad!! ❤️❤️
Thanks for sharing Sophie! I'd like to ask you how do you distribute the practice of your scales,how many do you practice per day,and how do you cover all of them in a week,thank you and a hug from Honduras!
thank you for watching! i usually practice one per day (ideally)-- so i definitely am not able to cover all 24 keys in a week haha. I've heard some people use random scale generators to decide what they're practicing for the day, but I typically choose a key that has to do with the piece I'm currently playing. hope this answered your question!
Super ❤️
thank you so much! :)
Lit routine from a pro
hehe thanks :)
Awesome
thank you! :)
love it!!!!!!!!!!!! just quick question sorry: who painted the paintings in the background? What artist?
hi! thank you :) I believe it is Joyce Roybal!
Thank you. So generous. As a beginner I struggle with the transition when the wrist is flexed on the finish of the upbow back to the down now. I understand the need for flexibility in the wrist but struggle initiating the subsequent down bow. In words or in a UA-cam video could you demo your bowing mechanics. My instructor told me to kiss my wrist on the up bow. Do you create a graduated or incremental rotation of the wrist to accomplish the transition to the down bow with a flattening of the wrist that leads to more rotation about the bow itself with protonation with the right hand index finger? Plus the instructor says let gravity of a sinking elbow start the process. How does one
Get the paint brush motion of the wrist without the bow bouncing. Would you mind articulating this? Hope I'm not asking for too much? Thanks. David.
I am glad you enjoyed! and, that's a great video idea! I will try to articulate in words for now but stay tuned for a video in the future about this topic. Listen to your teacher, but one more piece of advice I can give is to focus on the transfer of the weight between your fingers on the bow hand. at the frog, there is more weight on your pinky. at the tip, there is more weight on your index finger. As you pull the bow from frog to tip and vice versa, focus on transferring the weight of the bow from the pinky to the index (and vice versa). This will give you a more even tone and smooth out the bow changes. it should also help with the bow bouncing unintentionally. hope this helps!
Hi, how are you. I loved your video. I recently started playing violin since 0. about a month ago. and I couldn't find a way to practice in an orderly manner. this helps me a lot. Notice that the strings on your violin look soft. Are they metallic or synthetic? My violin is one of the cheapest but I have thought about changing the strings to improve its sound a little. Thanks for your video and greetings from Chile.
Hi there! I’m so happy to hear all of this. My strings are metallic :) best wishes to you, and excited for your new violin journey!
@@SophieCViolin Thank you very much for answering me. Maybe the sound of my violin must be because it was the cheapest one I found. Besides, obviously my technique doesn't even reach the basic level since I started very recently hehe. Thank you very much for clarifying my doubt. I wish you the best.
Hi Sophie! Thank you for a very good and informative video. I’m an adult beginner who is trying to study the violin on my own and your video is very helpful because you’ve broken down your practice routine to different sections. If I may ask, how often and how many hours per day do you usually practice? How do you divide your practice time to the individual routine that you mentioned? More power to your channel. Stay safe!
Hi! I am so glad you enjoyed and found it helpful :). My practice time varies between 3-5 hours while I am at school, and I do practice every day since I am a music student! I know that sounds like a lot, but I definitely did not start this way. As a beginner, even 10-20 minutes a day goes a long way. Consistency is key when practicing! I usually like to divide up my practice time into chunks of 10-20 minutes because that helps me focus more. For example, 10 minutes on section A of this etude, and then 10 minutes on this concerto, etc. Otherwise, I find it very overwhelming and hard to focus if it's something like "practice 1 hour." The ratios of what to practice vary by day and what needs more work. Hope this helps!
@@SophieCViolin Thanks for the tips! 😊
Great video ! I was wondering how do you pick and choose what scales to practice. Do you go for all of the scales in one practice seating or do you pick a certain amount a day ? Much thanks
Thank you! I usually choose one scale per day :). I will try to do everything for that scale though, including double stops, arpeggios, etc.
How long time do you practice every piece of your reportoire? Especially if you are learning different pieces? Great video!
I usually spend anywhere from 15-45 minutes (haha i know, big range! but it's true) practicing each piece of repertoire. If it's a new piece, I might spend more time. Thank you for watching!
5:00Can u tell name of the scale book ?
hi! I am using the Carl Flesch scale system book, but the scale pattern I'm using is from Galamian (not a book, but his style)
@@SophieCViolin Thank you 😊
This is good most youtubers just skip the basics.
I'm glad you enjoyed! :)
@@SophieCViolin I just started playing in February. So I'm very new.
@@OneLoneMan Got it! That's really exciting :) I hope you're enjoying the violin so far!
This is quite similar to my own practice routine too! I love the start with open bows. I usually go very slow, even to minute bows, but faster tempos might be nice! Also your scales are very good, how do you practice scales in your routine to keep improving them and separate that from playing them to acclimate your muscles to in-tune pitches? Also, we use the same scale system even though I’m a violist! On days where you don’t have 2-3+ hours to practice and run through this whole routine, do you instead condense your routine and laser focus on the rep you need to improve?
That's awesome!! I think practicing scales is perhaps less about training your muscles, and more about training your ears and how your fingers would respond to/achieve what you hear in your head first. Yes, on days where I don't have as much time to practice, I would condense my practice and focus on what's eminent. However, that is far from ideal, and usually with good time management can be avoided! Hope this helps :)
How do you get your trills to be quick and clear? Mine are slow at the moment 😭
ahh hi! there is so much I could say on trills, but I think my biggest piece of advice is to make sure you release with every note. the left hand fingers should feel elastic coming off the finger board-- imagine the fingerboard is super hot and you have to avoid touching it. I hope this helps!
I learned violin for 2 months in the past and stopped as i'm not interested, two years ago I'm interested and picked it up again, but stopped after 4 months due to college projects and stuff and I'm lazy to go to the practice room as I don't like playing in front of others. And now I have time and going to continue my zigzag journey. I plan to practice in my room, I bought a violin practice mute to not disturb others. But I don't know where to start now and just trying hard stuff like bach sonatas and partita (hard for me ofc) and I know I shouldn't be doing that, thanks for your video that motivated me to practice my basics more. If I may ask, do you have recommendation of repertoire I should practice now (etudes, etc)? how long should I practice it? thanks so much !
Hi! Firstly, thank you for sharing your story. That's amazing that you want to start the violin again! If you are looking somewhere to start, I highly recommend the Wohlfarht Studies for violin. They are etudes for violin, and what I started on when I was beginning. I might also recommend the Suzuki books just because it has pretty simple pieces to learn in a progression. I'd recommend about 20-30 minutes a day to begin as well. Whatever you can do consistently, even 10 minutes a day is better than 1 hour a random day every week. I hope this helps! Happy practicing :)
@@SophieCViolin Thanks so much for the reply and books recommendation, wish you the best with your study and music career! (And also youtube ofc), waiting for your next vids!
@@SophieCViolin by the way, do you know when should I touch bach sonatas and partita? I really love them. What is the easiest of them all in your opinion and when should i try them? Thankss
@@dora9103 oooh that is a hard question! the technical difficulty can range so vastly between each movement. I started with Partita no. 2 in D minor personally, since the Allemande wasn't too hard. the Partita no. 1 also has some movements not too hard. Finally, Partita 3 was very fun and the first complete Bach partita I played. I hope this helps! :)
@@dora9103 Thank you so much! Best wishes as well :)
hi, at 2:10, are you playing with alternate direction bow strokes for each note?
Yes, I start by doing slurred bow and then separate bow strokes at that speed :)
Thanks for the video! but you didn't mention how much time to spend on each part. and the overall time. so can you please tell us?
Thanks for watching! I usually spend about 15-45 minutes on each section, depending on which needs more work that day. Newer pieces may be more time than that, but I’d say that’s the average :)
Can you also share how much time you spend on each stage of your practice? I'm just curious about a music uni student's routine :D
Yes! On an ideal day, I like to spend 30 mins to 1 hour on scales, 1-2 hours on etudes, and 1-2 hours on repertoire. If I have chamber/ensemble music to practice, I will also do that (but the time for that varies a lot more). Not every day is ideal, though, so I adjust accordingly :). Hope this helps!
Up to an hour of scales! Such discipline! Awesome!
@@mushroom4713 haha thank you! It definitely took me a long time to work my way up to that 😂. I can assure you the scale practice does pay off and is very worth it, though :)
How many hours you practice per day? I love this training routine, thanks
hi! I am so glad you enjoy :). Right now, it is around 2-3.5 hours of personal practice a day for me!
As an adult learning cello, some of this does seem applicable to cello, where finger stretching is pretty crucial
😬.
Totally! A lot of it is applicable to all string instruments actually haha :)
@@SophieCViolin I believe it, how else would you reach those precious 10ths :P
How do you stay focused the whole time I tend to have trouble and kind of get off track
hi! I totally feel you. I tend to get sidetracked as well, but somethings that help me are to have a concrete plan (include breaks), keep my phone farrr away, and to keep each session shorter. happy practicing!
Hi Sophie!
how long is your warmup routine each day?
do you spend an hour every morning?
Hi! It depends, but can be anywhere from 15-60 mins 🥲. 30 mins is average, though!
Can you explain in detail how you spend an hour on scales? It seems like a really good thing to do, but I have no idea how to get to that time?
Hey! So I definitely had to work my way up on the time front, but my biggest advice is to practice painfully slowly. When I practice a scale, I put on the drone (ex. C for C Major) and play the scale ascending and descending to it. While playing that, extremely slowly, I’m listening for intonation and an even tone on the right hand. There should be an extra ring for when the intonation is perfect with the drone, but that’s a really small detail that takes very fine hearing and trained ears. Do the same with arpeggios. With thirds, sixths, and octaves, I practice them as broken chords and then tune them to each other (ex. C, E, CE). I also practice the transitions between 3rds/6ths/8vas because often it’s those shifts or changing the intervals that makes them go out of tune. Key thing is extremely slow practice, listening for the smallest of details. No worries if you can’t reach 1 hour right off the bat; time isn’t everything! Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions :)
My practice routine is also something that my teacher should help me out with right?
You can definitely ask for help and advice on that! Most people end up somewhat creating their own routine to what fits their schedule and needs best, but I’d say your teacher can offer lots of guidance for how to do that :)
As an adult learner I can clearly see that this is where I'm going wrong: I never really 'warm up' properly! Thanks for the inspiration!
I'm so glad to have been able to help!! Best wishes for practicing! :)
Hi! Great video! How old are you?
hi, thank you! I am currently 21 :) I was 19 when I made the video.
What is the full duration of this routine?
It was about 1-2 hours!
Do you have to take get Des
what books you recommend for daily pratice for abrsm grade 5 student ?
Hi, I'm not too sure what abrsm grade 5 means but I'd always recommend the Kruetzer Etude books for any level :). They're good intermediate etudes that I still work on in my regular practice.
Hey, dear Sophie. I wonder if you could share your opinion with me, if its not normal, that a tone sounds lower, when you just slightly touches the string with the finger (like in harmonics) instead of completely pressing it down.
I am using this for shifting exercises: stopping a tiny bit before the tone, pressing then down and as the tone gets a bit higher it would be the right one.
But my teacher was completely wondering. I am confused.
Best regards! :)
Hi! I apologize, I'm not quite sure I understand what you are talking about. Are you asking about if it's okay to shift and be pressing lightly until you reach the desired note? If so, yes we should always be pressing lightly, especially while shifting so that our Left Hand has mobility to move. However, when shifting, you want to make sure you only stop when you reach the right note and don't adjust; that way, your hand will remember the position. If you adjust, it will confuse the memory. If you don't hit the right pitch during the shift, just start from the lower note and try again.
Did this help? Please let me know if I wasn't clear/answered the wrong question!
Hey Sophie, I completely forgot to answer you. I am very sorry.
It wasnt not my question, but still nice Content. :) i was talking about that a finger that is just pressed lightly on a string, produces a lower note as a finger that presses on the same position, but properly (so the string tension is higher). In connenction to shifting I am listening to this lower note of the finger that touches the string just slightly, instead to the final note, that will be produced after pressing the finger down then properly. So that would mean I will be stopping when hearing a note that is a tiny bit lower then the actual note, pressing down and then I would hear the wanted note.
My teacher just said there would be no pitch difference between a finger just slightly (kind of "flageolett" action) pressed and a finger pressed completely down on a string. I found his statement quite confusing. Thats why I am looking for reflection. Could have been a misunderstanding with him also.
Thanks a lot! :)
@@momoma533 Hi! No worries at all, thank you for the clarification! I apologize since it doesn't sound like I've learned such an exercise/technique, but if it works for you then I'd say to keep experimenting with it? And, don't be afraid to double check with your teacher to make sure his point was understood. Wishing you the best! :)
@@SophieCViolin No worries, too! Yes, its not official, but something I recognized. How is your approach to shifting exersices?
@@momoma533 hi! my approach is mostly to shift back and forth, never to adjust the intonation after shifting (only to go back and try again, otherwise your finger won't remember the note and feeling of hitting the right note), and to make sure I'm not pressing while shifting.
Muito bom
obrigado!
how many hours do you practice? i cant do more than 45 minutes to an hour tops at one time, but i try to do this 3 times a day.
Hello! Honestly, my hours vary greatly depending on the day. Recently, it's been about 2 hours of practice time if I'm lucky... I think what you're doing sounds great, and as long as you're truly doing your best and being productive during the time you do practice, the results will come. Quality is greater than quantity :) Best wishes to you!
Hi what university are you studying violin in?
I study at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University!
Do you practice all 12 scales everyday?
hahaha no. I wish I did :..)
@@SophieCViolin i have started carl flesch sacle system i can play from 1 to 5 but after that i cant understand the double stops.if possible can u pls help🙏🏻🙏🏻
@@springmilton6244 hey I totally totally feel you. It took me years to be able to somewhat play the double stops and I still struggle with it so much. You know, maybe I’ll make a video on how to practice double stops sometime! Thanks for asking. But for now, my best advice is to practice EXTREMELY slowly and focus on tuning the lower note first. Hope this helps :)
4:55
How old is your violin?
It’s actually only about a year old! It was made in 2019 :)
@@SophieCViolin Wow, it's just a baby. I've heard that violins can improve over time if the player plays well and in tune.
@@cooldude5699 it is! i was so surprised when i found out haha. i've heard that as well!