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It’s hard to imagine that just a few decades ago, violinists and other classical musicians could only connect in person with each other to find out information about their craft, such as the best teachers, where to buy an instrument, what music to play, how to do a certain technique, and get encouragement and support.
There were and still are some classical music magazines that published information about teachers, jobs, auditions and other options.
Most networking was done at gatherings such as Summer Music Festivals, where there were large numbers of professionals and students studying and performing together and one couldn’t help but connect with the larger classical music world and find out about opportunities.
Today, all it takes is a computer and a little time to get connected with a worldwide audience of violinists and violin music fans.
Basically everything one needs to be able to play the violin can now be found online, including online violin lessons!
In fact, there is so much information available for violinists online now; we thought we’d summarize some of the best ones we’ve found up to this point.
Out favorites
Violinist.com
Violinist.com ranks at the top of the list for all things violin. This website is a literal musical buffet for teachers, students and anyone interested in just about anything to do with the violin.
The “teacher tab” provides useful tips from actual teachers on teaching different techniques, what music is appropriate for what level of playing, and much more.
Another popular feature on this website is its discussion board, where people can post questions and start discussions on any topic related to violin and receive expert advice from the website’s members. Read this discussion about bow pressure on different violins.
The Violin Site
The Violin Site is a huge site offering a vast supply of resources on learning the violin, violin makers and shops, practice tips and exercises, biographies of famous violinists and composers, as well as a good selection of free sheet music.
Learn about improving your intonation or buff up your musical vocabulary.
They also feature a comprehensive list of famous violinists, extensive list of books about violin as well as an in depth guide about caring for your violin. There’s even a page of fun facts about the violin such as; you burn up to 170 calories per hour while playing the violin!
The Violin Lab
The Violin Lab is a one stop site offering educational tutorials in a variety of formats for violinists of every stage of learning.
They have well over 100 different videos on how to play the violin; including beginning to advanced technique, Suzuki Books 1-4 instruction, different bowing styles, vibrato, and even what literature to play at each level of advancement.
Their community forum page allows users to upload videos, start your own topic or discussion, share experiences and questions, and just about anything else you have to discuss.
The Violin Channel
The Violin Channel has been providing violin fans with exciting and relevant content since 2009. Included in the website is a distinctive collection of interviews with noted artists young and old, with a special section for up-and-coming musicians.
A favorite tool for professional violinists is the audition section which posts updated information about open auditions all across the world.
The video section of this website is large and one unique feature is their “New to YouTube” videos, such as this one of 23 year old VC Young Artist’ Fedor Rudin, from France/Russia performing Bartok’s Solo Violin Sonata.
8notes.com
8notes.com is a popular website for those that are seeking violin music, music theory activities lessons, and would like to use an interactive metronome and have access to online music theory tests and games.
Some of their sheet music is free, and the rest can be accessed through a nominal yearly subscription fee of $20.00 per year.
Membership gives access to pdf downloads of music, play along tracks, separate instrumental parts, and even free transcription of pieces.
They also have a forum page for musicians of all instruments, and categorized sections for different genres of music, such as this one for classical musicians.
Violinonline.com
Violinonline.com is a wonderful site for either starting with or getting back to the basics of violin playing.
This one page alone offers detailed information covering topics such as holding the violin, fingering charts and exercises, bowing technique, practice tips, instrument care, and a history of the violin.
Exercises offered include scales, etudes and technique builders from different method books and composers.
There is a limited but good selection of free music to download with a whole page dedicated to free Holiday music.
Violinmasterclass.com
Violinmasterclass.com is a nonprofit website that focuses on providing videos featuring lessons from world renowned violinist Kurt Sassmannshaus, who founded the website in 2004.
There are many video lessons to watch that cover every technical aspect of the left and right hands in violin playing.
A great resource for students is the Plan Your Practice page where you can actually download a practice chart to take to your lessons and fill out each week.
There is another page of almost 30 different performances of well-known violin pieces, as well as a page of recital videos that are great for students to watch who are working on the same pieces being played on the videos.
CMUSE
CMUSE is a fun and unique site that takes a lighter look at the classical music world.
This website posts a lot of current music entertainment news that includes interviews, videos, quizzes, and much more.
While the website covers a wide range of musical genres, there is a whole page dedicated to classical music, and there is a good range of violin related material.
They even help us stay connected to digital musical events, such as this one of the L.A. Philharmonic playing free virtual reality performances of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony.
The Strad
The Strad magazine has been around for 120 years and is a favorite read for professional string players and their website is just as impressive, offering an incredible amount of resources for violinists of all levels and enthusiasm.
A unique aspect of this website is the “Health” section. Strad’s editors recognize that musicians are constantly dealing with some type of physical issues related to playing, and this is one of the best resources for musicians to be able to find help and discuss playing related injuries. There are articles dealing with the psychological aspects of playing as well as the physical demands.
Another great feature is the “Strad Degree Online Hub” where violinists can find resources about music education. Sources for degree programs include international schools and programs as well.
Allthingsstrings.com
Allthingsstrings.com is the website for Strings Magazine. There is a good deal of free content on their website, such as their newsletter and some articles and reviews.
One of the unique pages on this site is their Directory page, which features information on violin makers, books, performers, and teachers and workshop schedules.
If you’re searching for a summer music camp or festival to attend anywhere in the world, make sure you top by this page to find a comprehensive list of events, including contact information for each festival.
As you can see, it might take a little time to get through each of these sites and pick your own favorite aspects of each one. It’s worth it though!
You can find a teacher, music, advice, watch video lessons, buy an instrument, connect with other violinists, find out about auditions and summer music camps, perform online, and just about anything else you can think of that is related to violin playing, right at the click of your mouse. You can even compose music online, but we’ll save that for a future blog!
Have fun exploring, but don’t forget to practice!