Free Violin Lessons for Beginner Violinists
Learn to Play Online from Scratch to your First Concerto
Hi, I’m Zlata!
Classical Violinist & your Online Violin Teacher
Free Violin Lessons for Beginner Violinists
Learn to Play Online from Scratch to your First Concerto
Hi, I’m Zlata!
Classical Violinist & your Online Violin Teacher
You’re NOT too old and it’s NOT too late!
You can learn to play the violin beautifully as an adult beginner
I’ll help you every step along the way. On this page you’ll learn to buy your first violin, tune your violin, hold the violin and bow properly, play scales and beginner songs. You can learn all online by yourself at your own pace.
What to look for when buying your first violin
What do you need to start playing the violin?
You need a violin (duh) with a chinrest and shoulder rest, violin bow, rosin, violin case and music stand.
Best cheap beginner violins to buy online
Most violins you buy online come with a chinrest, case, bow and rosin. You need to buy the shoulder rest and music stand separately (or play without).
As an adult beginner, look for a 4/4 size violin
From my experience working in a violin shop for over 12 years and teaching the violin for over 15 years, I’ve selected the best beginner violins:
- Here’s how I play the Bruch concerto on a $ 29 violin showing you can get a violin within any budget
- Can YOU hear the difference between this cheap, but awesome $ 67 violin and my antique violin?
- Here’s a good quality $ 200 violin that sounds great and you can play for years
- For $ 500 this is absolutely the best beginner violin I’ve found online
Oh no, my new violin doesn’t sound!
No worries! First tighten your violin bow, rosin it and tune your violin:
How to tune your violin as a beginner
As a beginner violinist tuning might seem a bit intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be.
With my free online violin tuner you can learn to tune your violin easily. As it has a microphone, it recognizes the string and tells you if it’s too high or too low. You can tune small increments with the fine tuners and if your violin is very out of tune you can use the pegs.
On this page I explain exactly how to do it. Also you can read all about other ways of tuning like with tuning notes or with a tuning fork and what the pros and cons are of each.
How to hold the violin
At first the violin might feel a little uncomfortable, but it shouldn’t hurt. The violin hold is different for every body. However there are some general points:
- The endpin of the violin should point to your throat
- The violin should rest on your collar bone
- The violin shouldn’t point too much to the the middle, but also not too much to the left
- Hold the violin with the strings parallel to the floor, not with the scroll pointing to the ceiling or to the floor. It will be easier to bow straight
- Pick a chinrest and shoulder rest that fit your body and adjust them accordingly
How to hold the bow
Holding the violin bow properly has a great impact on the sound you make. If you have a scratchy squeaky sound as a beginner violinist, this might just be because your bow hold is too tense.
The bow hold is very personal and there are different ways to hold the bow, like the Franco Belgian bow hold and the Russian bow hold.
For every bow hold it’s important that you keep your fingers a bit curved and very flexible and relaxed. The wrist and fingers should be able to move along with the bow strokes. In that way it’s easy to bow straight, bow smoothly and get a good sound out of your violin.
How to bow smoothly on the violin
Bowing smoothly on the violin will give you a great resonant sound. Without bowing smoothly you’ll get screeching and scratching sounds: the typical beginner sound. You want to get rid of that as soon as possible to be able to enjoy making music.
Train the movements of bowing on the violin separately with a pencil or a stick: keep your fingers nicely curved and relaxed. On the up-bow (the bow stroke from tip to frog) you curve your fingers and bend your thumb. On the down-bow (the bow stroke from frog to tip) your stretch your fingers again. Never overstretch your fingers, because this will give a jerky sound.
Play your first scales, pieces and songs on the violin!
I’ve made a complete beginner violin course that teaches you step by step from scratch to your first concerto including video lessons, sheet music and violin tabs.
You’ll learn Mary has a little lamb, Father Jacob, Twinkle twinkle, Old MacDonald, Lightly row and the Ode to Joy theme by Beethoven. Also I teach you scale exercises, so you can play them all beautifully in tune.
Tips for self learning the violin
Yes, you can learn yourself to play the violin
Not everybody has access to a private teacher. Sure, a teacher gives you faster progress and can prevent you from learning bad habits. As a private teacher myself I want the violin to be accessible for everyone, so I do my best to teach you with my free online violin lessons.
#1 Spend plenty of time on proper violin hold and bow hold
This will save you a lot of struggles and time in the future. The hold of your violin and bow determine if you can make progress.
#2 Practice on open strings
Don’t move to placing your fingers on the strings too early. First make sure that you can get a good sound from the violin on open strings. This is hard to correct if your attention is divided. Lots of self learning violin beginners get stuck, because they move on too quickly. Hold your horses!
#3 Follow a step by step plan with scales, exercises and songs
You can find thousands of violin lessons online on YouTube, but if you don’t know in which order to take them, you’ll only feel overwhelmed and stuck.
In my free online beginner course I give you a step by step plan from a century long European tradition. It teaches you from scratch ALL the way to your first concerto. Click here to join 12,500 students from 50+ countries in my free beginner violin lessons.
More practice tips:
- More self study tips to play the violin fast
- 10 mins or 5 hours? How much should you practice the violin?
- Note reading crash course
- 20 best violin teachers on YouTube
Easy Violin Lessons for Beginners
Play your favorite songs on the violin:
Easy Beginner Concertos
Yes, you can already prepare for big violin concertos by diving these easy student concertos!
Amazing Grace
You just need two fingers and reading notes is not required to play this beautiful melody!
Bowing and Sound Tips for Beginners
Get rid of that beginner sound as quick as possible
Watch more beginner violin lessons right here!
Easy Christmas Songs
Get violin lessons and free sheet music on your favorite Christmas songs, like Silent Night, Jingle bells, Oh holy night and more!
Music of the Night
Learn one of Broadway’s most beautiful melodies!
20 Tips to Stop Sounding Scratchy
Here’s how to stop hitting other strings and sound scratchy on the violin.
Play Ave Verum by Mozart
You can’t start Mozart too early 🙂
Unknown Easy Violin Concertos
Tired playing Küchler op 11? Here are 5 beautiful unknown beginner concertos in the first position.
Intermediate Violin Lessons Online
When are you an intermediate violinist?
You can continue with my intermediate lessons when:
- You are comfortable with your violin posture and bow hold
- You are playing with a decent sound and fluent bowing
- You can play in tune in the first position with various finger frames
- You want to learn vibrato, position play and more advanced bowing techniques
Side note: of course I can’t determine your level from here neither should you worry about it. Just see which of my violin lessons speak to you.
Also take a look at my lessons about bowing technique, intonation and vibrato.
As you are now perhaps looking for more specific topics, feel free to use the search bar on the top right of this website to find exactly what you’re looking for. Here are just some highlights for intermediate violinists:
Free Violin Fingering Chart
Explore the whole fingerboard of the violin:
Get my violin fingering chart with the exact spots of ALL notes for FREE!
5 Intermediate Violin Concertos
When you just learned the third position, you can move to intermediate violin concertos.
Downton Abbey theme
Oh man, I’m a sucker for costume dramas!
Advanced Violin Lessons Online
You’re an advanced violinist when you’re comfortable with:
- Vibrato
- Shifting also to higher positions
- Different bow techniques like spiccato and staccato
My online violin lessons sorted by style
Download my violin lesson library:
Click here to download your Violin Lesson Library
In this downloadable PDF you’ll find my online violin lessons sorted by style and level
including free violin sheet music
Classical Music Violin Lessons
- Air from Suite in D by JS Bach
- Ave Maria by Schubert mini lesson and a full tutorial
- Ave Verum Corpus by WA Mozart
- Autumn by Vivaldi 3rd movement ‘the Hunt’ (easy version)
- Autumn by Vivaldi 1st movement (easy version)
- Canon in D by Pachelbel (easy bit)
- Czardas by Vittorio Monti
- Dance of the Flowers from Nutcracker by Tschaikovsky
- Für Elise by Beethoven
- Habanera from Carmen by Bizet
- Küchler op 11 easy violin concertino
- Lacrimosa from Requiem by WA Mozart
- Lullaby by Brahms (Wiegenlied)
- Meditation from Thaïs by Jules Massenet (easy version, mini right here)
- Meditation from Thaïs by Jules Massenet (intermediate version)
- Meditation from Thaïs by Jules Massenet (intro mini lesson)
- Mendelssohn Violin Concerto (easy version)
- Minuet in G Major by JS Bach 120 BPM
- Minuet in G Major by JS Bach 60 BPM slow play along
- Moldou theme from Homeland by Smetana
- New World Symphony Largo by Dvorak
- Ombra Mai Fu from Xerxes (Largo) by Händel
- Ode to Joy from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony
- Pearl Fisher’s duet by Bizet
- Rieding op 35 easy violin concerto
- Swan Lake theme by Tschaikovsky
Film Music, Movie Scores, Series and Musicals Violin Lessons
- Beauty and the Beast theme
- Downton Abbey theme
- Game of Thrones theme play along, tutorial part 1 and part 2
- Game of Thrones (intermediate)
- Godfather love theme mini lesson
- Godfather love theme full tutorial
- He’s a Pirate from Pirates of the Caribbean by Hans Zimmer (part 2)
- Irene Adler violin solo theme from BBC Sherlock
- Let it Go from Frozen (easy version)
- Let it Go from Frozen (intermediate version)
- May It Be by Enya
- Money Heist (Bella Ciao) from La Casa de Papel
- Music of the Night (from Phantom of the opera)
- My Heart Will Go On from Titanic (easy version)
- My Heart Will Go On from Titanic (intermediate version)
- Phantom of the Opera theme
- Sadness and Sorrow Naruto
- Spirited Away – One Summer’s Day by Hisaichi
- Walking in the Air from the Snowman
- Moon River from Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Mancini
- Schindler’s List by Williams
Traditional Tunes Violin Lessons
- Are you Sleeping? (Father Jacob)
- Happy Birthday
- Lightly Row with extra pinky practice and normal Suzuki version
- Old MacDonald had a Farm
- Peter Cottontail (here comes)
- Shenandoah
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Pop Music Violin Lessons
Hymns Violin Lessons
- Amazing Grace mini lesson
- Amazing Grace full tutorial
- Amazing Grace (intermediate version)
- Blessed Assurance
- Holy, Holy, Holy
- Just as I Am
- Nearer my God to Thee
Fiddle Tunes Violin Lessons
- Morisson’s Jig
- Ashokan Farewell by Jay Ungar
- Bandura Waltz Ukrainian fiddle tune
Christmas Songs Violin Lessons
- Angels we have Heard on High (easy version)
- Angels we have Heard on High (intermediate version)
- Away in a Manger
- 12 Days of Christmas
- God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (easy version)
- God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (intermediate version)
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
- I wish you a Merry Christmas
- Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
- Jingle Bells
- Joy to the World
- Let it Snow by Frank Sinatra
- Mary, Did You Know?
- O Christmas Tree
- Oh Holy Night
- Silent Night
- We Three Kings
- What Child is This? (easy version)
- What Child is This? (Intermediate version)
- While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
I’m adding new online violin lessons almost daily, so make sure to SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel:
Watch my latest online violin lessons:
How To Clean Your Violin or Viola Bow
Clean the stick with a dry cloth Tighten your bow, put a clean dry cloth between the wood (or carbon) and hair and wipe the rosin remains of. This is enough to do weekly and keep your bow nice and clean. If you want to clean your bow more thoroughly, you can use a...
How to Breathe while Playing the Violin or Viola
Valyncia asks in a comment on my video '5 exercises to learn vibrato’ (click here to watch)... Little by little I am practicing vibrato - but I notice if I don't breathe I tense up in my back and shoulder... At least when I notice this I can stop and focus and start...
Why Vacuum Clean Your Violin or Viola Case
What is Zlata doing with a vacuum cleaner in this video? A lot of hairs, dust and dirt gather in your violin case when using it. Vermin (wood worms) can get into your violin and eat it alive! If you don’t want your violin to be eaten by wood worms, you might consider...
How To Play Double Stops on the Violin
Double stops can be difficult. Sylviane writes: Hello Zlata, Have you made a movie/video clip about double stop and chords? If not, would you put that on your list for next movie? I am currently playing some songs that require so many double stops, oh my goodness,...
How to Make Your Bow Jump on Purpose (Spiccato)
Valyncia asks: I am learning how to play Irish jigs and there is a funny thing that is done with the bow: it sounds like a skip (I don’t know the tech name for it... sorry). I can do it on accident, but not on purpose... Question: How do I do it on purpose? Making...
How To Clean Your Violin or Viola
Take good care of your little musical friend! In this video I will show you how to clean your violin or viola:This is what you should do daily: Clean your strings with a dry cleaning cloth Clean your violin or viola with a dry cloth This is mainly to remove the rosin...
Do You Get Nervous and Scared when Performing? I Do!
Many musicians get nervous and scared when performing, including me. Sylviane writes: Hello Zlata, I can't wait to see the pictures and movie of your recital with your piano accompanist. It must be great!Is it true that you also get nervous and scared? But you are so...
How to Keep Your Left and Right Pinky Round in Playing Violin or Viola
Keep your pinky round, your teacher might have told you a hundred times. A round left pinky will improve your intonation. A round right pinky will improve your bowing and tone production. It’s easier said than done as your pinky needs strength (muscles!), flexibility...
How (much) To Tighten Your Violin or Viola Bow
In my violin shop I need to throw away violin and viola bows very often. They are not useable anymore and worthless. Why? Because people tighten their bow too much when they play and lots of times forget to loosen it when they don’t play. It’s a waste of bows and of...
I have been playing on my own for three years and need help getting to the next level.
Can you already shift? Maybe my third position challenge is interesting.
Hello,
I used to play the violin as a child and have always wanted to take it back up. I have forgotten how to read music. Do I need to learn how to read music before I can begin again?
Thank you for your assistance!
You don’t need to and can focus on playing first, but if you like to read notes, you might want to start with lesson 11 of my free beginner course and/or read this article.