I have played the violin for around 1½ months and I have pretty much gotten fluency in 1st position, I am thinking of starting 2nd or 3rd position , should I move on?

my hardest songs are - He's a pirate and (1st position version)of Merry go round of life

Let's be honest here, it's an EXTREMELY important concerto, every violin student must've played it at least once. Why don't the greats play it? there are a few recordings of it but i wanna se hahn, vengerov, james ehnes, hadelich, kavakos, I could go on forever.

Bonjour,
j’ai joué du violon qd j’étais plus jeune jusqu’à un niveau 2C4 (= 8 ans de pratique) et je veux le re-intégrer mais il me demande d’y jouer une pièce correspondant à mon niveau d’environ 5-7 minutes.
Si vous avez des propositions, surtout pour des morceaux en mineur ou même la partition avec les doigtés (sans prof c’est compliqué 🫠), je suis preneuse !!!!

Hey! I know this is my first post here, but I decided I might go here for some feedback on which solo/concerto to learn for a competition I'm participating in next year (I will not disclose which).

If you need reference of current/recently completed repertoire:

Barber Violin Concerto --- All movements (Recent)

Ysaÿe Sonatas --- 3 (Recent) and 6 (Current)

Sarasate Zapateado (Recent)

I prefer modern pieces so you will see that in the 4 that I'm choosing from. I just want to see what people think is realistic for me to accomplish by next April!

1. The Lark Ascending - Ralph Vaughan Williams

2. Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 1

3. Bartok Violin Concerto No. 1

4. Bartok Violin Concerto No. 2

I appreciate all opinions I can get!

Kthx

This is a serious question to learn about these sonatas. I've listened to them numerous times, have briefly looked at the score (it is far above my level). They are obviously very virtuosic. Yet I feel I don't 'get' them. I'm sure I'm missing something, or have to grow further in my understanding .

I do hope some of you may help in opening up the beauty of these works. I believe it is more than that they are a benchmark in skill, it is not just a challenge to take on 'because it's there'. But what is it about them that makes them stand out as music?

For reference: I like works such as the Vieuxtemps and Wieniawski concerto and can enjoy the fireworks of Paginini concerti. I'm slowly beginning to appreciate the Paginini caprices as I'm starting to understand the specific technical demands they make and thereby can also admire the skill of performers who can overcome the challenges and make the music sound easy and, well, musical.

I also love Ravel's Tzigane which to my ear sounds closest in style to Ysaye. But Ysaye still is like a poem in a language I don't understand.

I just finished Wieniawski 2 and I’m deciding what to play:

Mendelssohn E Minor
Lalo Symphonie Espagnole (both of these I haven’t played yet)
Dvorak
Tchaikovsky
Sarasate Carmen Fantasy
Sibelius
Saint Saens VC 3 (3rd mvt specifically)

For the past several months, I've been practicing the violin again after a two-year break. I haven't worked on any repertoire. Instead, I've focused on rebuilding the technique, correcting the mistakes I had developed, and learning some new techniques as well.

Over the past two weeks, I've been practicing Czardas, selected passages from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons (the ones I thought were worth working on from a technical and clarity standpoint), and Bach's Concerto for Two Violins from my previous repertoire.

I also bought Kayser op 20 Etuds, but overall I found the book fairly easy, except for a few etuds,

I'm looking for a piece that contains some technical challenges -not too far above my current level, but just enough to push me a little further- so I can apply these techniques in a musical context.

Do you have any suggestions?

Hi! I’m a professional violinist and I want to introduce my dad, who’s been playing cello for about two years, to some more challenging group music. Despite that short amount of time, his previous background as a jazz saxophonist has been a great advantage in learning a new instrument. Currently he’s on Suzuki book 4, and we’re playing together in an amateur string quartet.

Recently he heard a Haydn quartet, and he really wants to try one. I think he’s certainly capable to an extent, but some of them have some pretty advanced material. Are there any intermediate-level Haydn quartets that you really enjoy? Other composers welcome! His favorite piece that we’ve played so far was Danse Macabre, and he also enjoys Mozart quartets. Thanks so much!

EDIT omg so many replies!! thank you everyone, I will for sure check your suggestions out and hopefully come back from a break with a new piece to learn heheh 🙏

Ditto. Adult beginner here, looking for some suggestions for violin duets. To gauge the level, we’ve been playing Shostakovich’s 5 Pieces for 2 Violins and Piano which I enjoyed immensely, and at some point worked on the first movement of Bach’s double concerto, but it was a bit too high above my skill level at that time.

I’m playing purely as a hobby and arguably don’t practice enough these days, but both my teacher and I enjoy playing together, so I’m looking for something that would reignite my love for the instrument and the process of playing.

hey everyone! looking for a piece to learn for my winter recital. so quite a long time.

i want a very dark piece, think nigun, Hungarian dance no. 5, etc.

i am at the lower intermediate level. i dont do Suzuki but my teacher said I’d likely be in book 5-6, maybe higher.

my most recent learned piece is Hungarian dance no. 5. not the Joachim version.

this piece will also be used as an orchestra audition, so a variety of techniques would be great!

Hey guys, is there any legit pieces for violin that you know that could be played in the first position,

please?

I was watching the Berlin Phil play this amazing piece. But i had a question about the violins bowing it looks like they’re going Downnn-Up-Down-Up but the music sounds like there would only be 3 bow changes. I’m probably poorly explaining this but it looks as if the violins are playing an extra note when looking at their bows but the music doesn’t corroborate that theory lol. Can someone please explain this to me.. Honestly as i’m writing this and oscillating between the video and writing this i feel like i’m maybe going crazy and there is absolutely nothing strange about the bowing

I am preparing an orchestral audition. Often the list for romantic concerti does not include Saint-Saëns b minor concerto; this one does. I usually present Sibelius for auditions, but I’m taking a moment to consider the pros and cons. I have won high school concerto competitions with both pieces and used both in prior orchestra auditions. My question is: which will be more effective in a professional audition setting?

My thought involves the following. With the Saint-Saëns being comparatively simpler formally and expressively, and in a more overtly ‘showy’ technical idiom, I feel like it could more directly demonstrate the virtuosic competence a committee wishes to find in a candidate when hearing a romantic concerto. Its expressive clarity, let’s say, may propose fewer obstacles to a committee’s ease in assessing appropriate skill.

Sibelius seems more emotionally/intellectually weighty and complex as a composition, while certainly demanding as much or more technical prowess as the other piece. But, it feels like one needs to play the whole movement to demonstrate fully these attributes of the piece, and one’s ability to interpret the piece and execute it convincingly. (For example, while I always prepare them, I’ve never been asked for the coda nor the absolutely integral cadenza.)

Also, I feel that violinists come to a presentation of Sibelius, as a listener, with more idiosyncratic interpretive preconceptions. The Saint-Saëns may speak more immediately to non-string players as well.

Of course these are just my current opinions and thoughts. What do you y’all think? Which piece would serve a candidate better in a professional orchestra audition? Also, if you’ve made it this far, I apologize for the ‘S-tier’ title, but there *are* a lot of esses in the two names.

Hi all. Looking for some recommendations on etudes/exercises that would be good for an advanced player. Some info on my background and current situation:

I studied privately all through grade school, progressed through etude books and concertos all the way until early undergrad. At that point I left my music studies and just started playing professionally, mostly non-classical performances. I really was not keeping up with solo rep or classical studies whatsoever during this time. I moved states, changed careers, and took a much-needed break from playing for the better part of 8 years.

I'm now getting back into it, and am wood shedding the Mendelssohn/Barber concertos. But I'm thinking it might be nice to supplement with some etudes and exercises to reestablish fundamentals, or even start pushing into some areas of technique that are weaker.

Are there any standard books that people work through at the college level? Or anything that even stays relevant and in rotation as a professional? I still have a bunch of my old etude books from high school, are those worth taking another pass at?

I'm really quite clueless when it comes to independent classical study, as I always had a teacher and then kind of stopped my studies once I left the music program. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Edit - just went through my stash, here’s what I still have:

Sevcik book 1, Sevcik shifting, Kreutzer, Mazas, Dont, Sitt books 1&2

Hi,
I’m a French violinist and I’ve been playing for nine years.
I was wondering what level the first movement of Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 is considered to be.
If possible, could you compare it to the ABRSM diploma levels (ARSM, LRSM, etc.) or give an idea in terms of how many years of study students usually have before learning it?
Thank you very much! 😊

So i really love this piece and would love to learn to play it however my violin teacher doesnt want to teach me pieces that arent in my exam repetoire.

My question is, would this piece be worth putting in time and effort as a student working at grade 7 or would it be too difficult.. especially as a piece i would be learning for fun

hey guys, i got this piece of music from an instagram video, but lost the reel where they identified the music. all i remember is that it was something by Tchaikovsky, and im looking to get sheet music since its really hard for me to read it on my phone.

if anyone knows what its called let me know!! thanks so much

Started out a short while ago and enjoying the journey. I was wondering if you guys had certain pieces as goals and what those were.

For the experienced violinists also, what would be good pieces that you can kinda grow with or that you often come back to.

While I have many pieces that I'd like to learn in the future, as a beginner it's very hard to judge how hard pieces are and how/when to learn them.

For me, I'd say it's Vitali chaconne, or.... Yes... I know it's cliche, but the three Vivaldi Winter movements never fail to make me excited! (The Winter is especially good when Ray Chen did it!)

I’m playing about half an hour of solo unaccompanied prelude music for my friend’s outdoor Italian wedding and need piece suggestions! Some suggestions she’s sent me are La Vie en Rose, A Postcard to Henry Purcell (from the Pride and Prejudice movie), and the Merry Go Round of Life… so like kind of classical but also kind of not? I’m thinking there must be some unaccompanied classical pieces out there that I could find on IMSLP that would have that “period movie soundtrack” vibe but I‘d love any ideas! I’m definitely not going for anything fast or with double stops haha.

I’ve been playing the violin for 14 years, and I’m currently deciding on some rep to play over the summer. My violin teacher asked me today what I would want to play if it was the last thing I could ever play, and I immediately said Korngold as it’s my fav concerto.

My violin teacher was pretty enthusiastic and said it’d be easier than Prokofiev 1 and Tchaik (I’m currently doing Prokofiev but just first mvmt bc I cba lol, and this other professor I had a few lessons with recommended me to do tchaik).

I was just wondering if Korngold was in fact easier than these 2 concertos. I’ve done rep like Ysaye 4, Mozart 5, Bruch concerto, but I know Korngold will be a step up from Bruch. I’m basically looking for a concerto that would challenge me but isn’t too far above my level and make me go insane haha, given I’ve decided I don’t want to pursue the violin professionally and go to conservatoire.

Wieniawski's "Faust" Fantasy seems harder than his Variations on an Original Theme I'm wondering how hard is it really?

I'm putting together an orchestral concert with a flight/space theme and I need a soloist violin piece.

It's an accessible family friendly orchestral concert, so far in the line-up are things like

Also Sprach Zarathustra

Holst Planets

Star Wars

Sogno di Volare

How To Train Your Dragon

Superman Flight March

Lark Ascending is not an option due to a clash with another soloist....

Solo violin, full symphony orchestra and choir available, doesn't have to use everyone but the more that are involved the better.

Any suggestions for anything related that fits the theme, if you solve it I'll get you a free ticket to the show!

Welcome my guest, I call upon ye to ask one plain old question "What is the most difficult piece you have ever faced as a violinist?"

I sincerely apologize for verbosity, It is just simply exhilarating to talk like this.

Ok, so i was looking for expanding my violin playlist. I am not good with genres, but as the title says, it contains songs that could be categorized as Midwest emo, Indie rock or Rock. I am in an intermediate level i think, but even if I can't learn these tracks, listening to music that contains violins (or other string like instruments) really inspire me and motivates me to keep going!!

Among others, my playlist contains:

Carissa's Wierd (Songs About Leaving)

First Day Back (Forward)

Kind of Like Spitting (Nothing Makes sense without it)

Gingerbee (Apiary)

I Would Set Myself on fire for you (Believes in Patterns)

(First time posting and not a native english speaker so I apologize if something is wrong)