Showing posts with label Learning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Learning. Show all posts

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Learning Violin Online - Is it Really As Effective As Learning Violin With a Live Teacher?


There is a common misconception that learning violin online isn't feasible. People will tell you that you need to have private instruction and need to have someone beside you correcting you and giving you feedback. I'd like to propose that learning violin online isn't just feasible but it's actually the finest way to learn to play this amazing musical instrument.

The first reason is simply due to the cost. Private violin instruction can cost you hundreds of dollars an hour and that's if you're lucky enough to find a teacher that is even accepting new students. This compounded with the added stress of having someone breathing down your neck while you're trying to figure out how to make a sound resembling music makes personal instruction somewhat daunting.

Another reason is scheduling. Learning to play violin takes a lot of time. Not just in instruction time but also in practice time. If you have to go to a physical location to sit for an hour and then get sent home with your homework, the amount of time you're going to have to spend to learn to play the violin is going to be huge.

I am far from an accomplished violinist but I can certainly play a few songs and can pass myself off as respectable. I have bitter memories from my childhood of stern-faced piano instructors with zero tolerance for error so I decided that learning violin online was the only way to go for me. I spent weeks researching the best programs available until I found one that changed my relationship with my violin.








I found a site called LearningViolinOnline.com and decided to take a chance on their program. It was easily the single best investment I could have made and I strongly suggest you pay them a visit if you're serious about learning violin online and want to learn without the stress and high cost.


Thursday, November 11, 2010

Online Violin Instruction - Is Learning Violin Online Really As Effective As a Live Teacher?


Is online violin instruction any substitute for having a teacher sat next to you while you learn to play this complex instrument? Traditional music instruction relies heavily on constant feedback and relentless critiquing. The thinking goes that you can't learn how to play violin without having someone commenting on your every draw of the bow.

Personally, I had a problem with this.

I have many bitter memories from my childhood of cold-hearted piano teachers drilling me with scale exercises with nary a mention of playing a song.

There was no FUN in learning to play.

When I decided that I wanted to play the violin, I was determined to find the fun in it so I went looking online for my options.

At first I didn't think of online violin instruction - I was just looking for local teachers. I found a few but they were either way too expensive or weren't accepting new students.

I then turned to books. If there is one thing that seems plainly obvious to me by now, it's that books are the worst possible way to learn how to play the violin (or any musical instrument) for that matter. It is quite plainly an audio/visual endeavour and deserves to be treated as such.

It was with this realization that I decided to take a chance on an online violin program. Despite my skepticism about promises such as being able to play in a matter of hours along with the magic of "playing by ear", I dove headfirst into it with high hopes.








The program I found at LearningViolinOnline.com turned out to be an absolute gem. It was like having violin master Eric Lewis sat next to me giving me private lessons on how to play the violin.

While I am certainly no virtuoso, I can now pick up the violin and actually play music. Not just a few scales and reels, but actual songs.

So is online violin instruction a viable way to learn how to play this beautiful musical instrument? I wouldn't have it any other way.