Back to the Violin/Suzuki vs Rubank

Hey everyone. I'm back to work on my violin. It's been a year and a half since my last post for the violin and it's been just as long since I played it. My teacher went on maternity leave around the time of my last post and I didn't really have time to practice on my own until now.

So, I've been practicing for the last month and since I don't have lessons right now I've been trying the Rubank method on my own instead of the Suzuki. Which is better? That's up to personal preference. For me, I like Rubank a lot better than Suzuki.

So what's the difference? Simply put, it's how they go about teaching (the "method" they use).

Suzuki likes to drop you into the music and start you off with 4 very short exercises where you'll start off by needing to play sixteenth notes , eighth notes, and half notes immediately. Then they move you straight into learning a song, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to be exact. If you've played instruments before and you know what the notes are and how they work then maybe Suzuki is okay for you. Personally, even though I have played a number of percussion instruments all through school starting in elementary, I still found this to be difficult and aggravating for me. As my wife put it "It seems like Suzuki put's you in the middle of a battle before teaching you how to fight." An interesting analogy and I tend to agree. It's way too much too fast with little help or warming up.

Rubank, on the other hand, is a lot slower and far more methodical. It starts off with 14 exercises teaching the basic quarter note and rest first. Then it goes to half and whole notes next. I'm only on lesson 8 and I still haven't seen an eighth note anywhere let alone a sixteenth note. It might seem dull that you don't play a song right away, but don't be fooled. The exercises do have melodies to them and they ease the player into the more complicated tunes. Rubank takes a lot more time having the player develop the skills to move their fingers along the fingerboard even going so far as to have the player learn to use the 4th finger by lesson 8 and only having actual songs to play by lesson 10. So you get a lot more time to practice and get your fingers moving into the right positions before you're thrown to the proverbial wolves.

Now, I'm a methodical and rather logical person. For me Rubank gives me a method I can relate to by getting good at playing the notes before I play the songs.

Suzuki is more for those who like to jump in with both feet and sink or swim right away. For me it's just plain frustrating but there are a lot of people who like doing things this way.

If you're uncertain which method you should try, why not pick up the Rubank Elementary method for violin and the Suzuki Volume 1 Violin Part and give them both a try. See which one you like better and then go ahead and get the rest of the books for your chosen method when you're ready. Rubank is about $6 USD and Suzuki is about $9.

No matter which book you choose there is one very important thing to remember: don't skip the exercises. If you go straight into the songs in either book you'll be in over your head. As boring as it may seem, start with the beginning exercises. They will help you greatly. Get good at playing the exercises and then move on to the songs. You don't need to be perfect but you need to be able to get your fingers in the right position and your bow moving at the right speed and direction.

I hope this was helpful. Enjoy playing your violin.

Types of Rosin

Hey everyone. I'm back to writing on here and now I'm going to finish up on what you need for the violin to play and that's the rosin. With the rosin you'll be able to make the bow stick to the strings and get the sound out of them. If you try to play without rosin then the bow will slide across the strings and you'll get nothing.

So, what rosin do you choose?

There are three different rosin types: light, dark, and jade. The differences between them are rather straight forward.

Light Rosin: This is a harder type of rosin primarily for violins and violas. It's also a better fit for playing in warmer temperatures.

Dark Rosin: This is a softer type of rosin and works better in cooler climates. It's usually used on cello bows and not recommended for violins or violas. If used in a very warm weather it could get extremely sticky and cause a lot of problems while playing.

Jade Rosin: This is more of a "catch all" rosin. It can be used with violins, violas, and cellos alike. So, if you play the cello and the violin or viola you might want to get this one just to save yourself some money.

Now, I've used both light and jade rosing for my violin and I personally prefer the light rosin. It seems to let the bow grip the strings better than the jade does but it's still a good rosin none the less.

I like to use Pirastro Goldflex Rosin:

For me, it just seems to give a better sound than the jade rosin I used. Of course it's all up to personal preference.

When you apply the rosin you might (key word there: might) need to scratch the top of the rosin a bit to get it to stick to the bow hairs better. If you put the rosin on a brand new bow you'll need to go across the hairs slowly and a number of times. Once your bow has had rosin on it for several sessions then you'll only need to go over the hairs three times for the following session.

Next time I'll give you a heads up on the Suzuki and Rubank methods. All of my teachers have had me use the Suzuki method but the Rubank seems a bit more methodical. I'll get into that next time. Have fun making some noise with your newly rosined violin bow.

Gone for a while.

Hey everyone. Sorry I was gone for the last two months. I don't like posting personal stuff, so sorry I can't explain why I was gone. But I'm back now and ready to go. Hopefully I won't be away for so long again but you can never tell what the future holds.

Speaking of what the future holds:

For those who play DCS World, Eagle Dynamics has just put the F/A-18C module up for pre-order. I already bought my copy the moment I saw the news letter. If you're interested in this highly recognizable aircraft in the US Navy I'd recommend you get it before pre-orders are over. This module is expensive ($79.99 for the normal price) but while they are doing pre-orders it's down to a more reasonable $59.99, which is normally what we see for jet fighters. 

For those who like my violin section I will be continuing with that even though my lessons won't pick back up until after September. There's still a lot of information I can give you and I will as soon as I take care of a few loose ends.

As far as the Unity tutorials go... I'm honestly not sure if I should continue on with that. I've been taking looks at the Unity tutorials and I'm finding that the later videos are very very difficult to follow since Unity's interface and C# language has changed quite a bit since those videos were made. I'm not sure there's much of a point in continuing that thread. Perhaps if I can find better tutorials that use the latest Unity version I'll start it up again. Until then, I'm just not sure it'll be helpful for all of you.

I'm going to go for today. But, I'll be back with the newest violin post first and then the DCS Basic Flight Maneuver videos after that.

Violin String Types

Today I'll be going over the different string types and letting you know which I have been using. Keep in mind that the quality of the string is very important. A more expensive steel string will likely give a better sound than cheaper gut strings. But, it would not sound as good as an expensive gut string.

The first type of string has been used for centuries. That would be the Gut string. As the name suggests, the strings core is made out of animal (specifically sheep not cat) intestine. Now that doesn't mean that the string is one giant line of intestine. Instead it has silver or copper lines entwined along the length so when you pick up the string you're handling silver or copper, so no need to be grossed out if someone recommends that you use that kind. Gut strings don't stretch very easily so you'll spend a lot of time retuning your violin until they finally do stretch.

Gut strings have 2 different types, thin and thick. The thin strings will have a brighter sound but won't be heard very well in a large area. The thick strings won't be as bright as thin strings but will carry the sound through larger areas. I have not used gut strings personally but many people who play classical music prefer using them.

The second string type is Steel. This is the string type you'll likely have on your violin the moment you buy it. With these strings you have a core of steel instead of animal gut. The ones you have on a newly bought violin are likely cheaper ones which, in my personal opinion, have a very "tinny" sound. Better quality steel strings do  have a good bright sound but I only like using them for my E string.

The final string type is Synthetic. These use nylons and composites instead of gut for the core and are still wrapped in silver or copper. These ones produce the best sound to my ears and you save poor little Lamb Chop from becoming a musical instrument.

Doesn't she look happy?

These are the types of strings I prefer for the G, D, and A strings on my violin. They just have a nicer sound compared to the steel strings and they stretch a lot easier compared to the gut strings. I was originally very unsure about using synthetic strings because the term "synthetic" often brings up bad images of shoddy work and easily breaking items. But in this case it works very well.

I've tried a number of different strings made by different companies and here's the ones I personally like:

Fiddlerman Synthetic Strings:

Pirastro gold Steel E-String:

Next time I talk about the violin I'll give you a quick rundown on the different rosin types. Until then, pick up some strings and see what you prefer. Each person likes a different sound after all. 😊

Violin Bow Types

As promised I'll be going over the different violin bows I've come across. You might not realize or even think about it but there are 2 different types of bow sticks and 2 different types of hair used for the bows.

If you buy a brand new violin you'll have a bow that comes with it. But it might not make a good sound on the strings. That's because the bow that comes supplied with the violin is often cheaply made or even warped. Of course all bows have a bend that goes tip to screw but it should only bend down. What I mean when I say warped is that the stick bends to the side. I've had 2 bows that were like that and when used it made awful sounds because the hair wasn't moving straight down the strings. With that you'll need to buy a new one from a music store. So here's the different types.

Stick Types:

1. Wood: This is the most common stick type for all bows. This is the one you'll have come with your violin and it's the one you'll need to inspect to make sure it's not warped. Just hold it at a down angle and look along the top of the bow. You'll see if it's bending left or right. If it does, pass on that one and go to the next bow. Wooden bows are the favorite of my violin teacher because they are heavier and easier to control. This is especially helpful for new players.
2. Carbon Fiber: Carbon fiber bows are expensive but there's no risk of getting one that is warped. They are also lighter than the wooden bows and, although harder to learn to control, they do make it easier to play for a longer time (in my personal opinion). They also come in a number of colors: I've seen standard black, painted to look like wood, blue, and green. I personally have a black carbon fiber bow. It looks more elegant to me.

If you go into a music store they could have all the violin bows just lumped together and no readable label so if you're looking for a particular stick type there's 2 tricks to tell the difference so you won't get a wood painted carbon fiber bow if you wanted a wooden bow. First, look at the price. If the price is substantially higher you likely have a carbon fiber bow in your hand. Second: look at the width of the bow near the bowgrip. If the bow is thick you have a wooden one. If it's thinner then you are looking at the carbon fiber.

Hair Types:

1. Horse Hair: This is the traditional material used for the bow hair. Horse hair, like all hair, is never perfectly smooth. Although it will feel smooth and slick no real hair ever is. It's this roughness that allows the hair to hold the rosin and grip the strings well. Horse hair bows are best for gripping the strings and making a nice sound. 
2. Synthetic Hair: These bow hairs can be made from various materials. Most of these bows seem to be made from fiberglass. They can hold the rosin but not as well as true horse hair bows can. This makes the sound they produce of lesser quality and also means they need to be rosined more often. 

There are a number of methods to telling if a bow's hair is synthetic or horse hair. Honestly I'd prefer to rely on the label, help from a store clerk, or from the product description on the website. I saw someone tested if there bow was horse hair or synthetic by using a lighter... but I'd prefer not to risk ruining the bow I'm using just to see. I'd rather just ask.

Ok, that's it for this week. Next time I talk about the violin I'll go into the strings. You can't make music if you don't have the strings, right? 😝

Types of Violins

I'll start off with the different types of violins and what makes them different.

First we have the student violin. This violin is the cheapest and therefore the most accessible for those just learning the violin. But price is only one thing that makes this a good violin to start with. The main feature of these violins is the 4 fine tuner pegs located below the bridge but above the chin rest. The fine tuners allow a beginner to make adjustments to the string tightness and get the tune just right without the hassle of making minor adjustments to the main tuning pegs located above the finger board at the top of the violin. The fine tuners are a must on student violins since most student violins use plastic tuning pegs at the top and those tend to slide after tightening them.

That is the big drawback of the student violins. The plastic tuning pegs are very difficult to keep in their tightened position. I found that if you push the pegs inward (not too hard, you don't want to break it) while you are tightening the string the pegs don't slide back to their un-tuned position as easily.

The next violin type is the expert violin. The expert, or concert, violin is more expensive than the student violin but has a better sound to it. The difference here is that the main tuning pegs are almost always wooden. The wooden pegs don't slide like the plastic ones on the student violin do after tightening the strings. This makes it easier to get the strings tuned properly with only the tuning pegs being used. The other difference is that the expert violin has only one fine tuning peg used on the thinest string, the E string. The reason for this is because the thinner the string the harder it is to get the proper tune. The E string is very sensitive to the slightest turn of the tuning peg so the fine tuner peg is used to get the accurate sound.

The only downside I've had with the expert violin is getting the G, D, and A strings properly tuned with just the main tuning pegs. But, with a bit of practice (and patience) it's doable and you'll find that you only need the one fine tuner peg for that sensitive E string.

Finally we come to the last violin type, the electric violin. That's right! You've heard of electric guitars well there's an electric violin as well. I don't know very much about these odd looking instruments since they are very expensive and they're not sold in my area... yet. So all I can really say about them is they look very odd. 😋

Aside from that I'm not really one for electric instruments. I prefer the sound of the acoustic stringed instruments over electric but there is an up side to them. With the electric violin you should be able to turn the volume of the sound it makes down or up. I, personally, like that option so I can turn it DOWN while I'm practicing (I don't like making people listening to me butcher a song I'm just learning 😆). Some of them, as shown in the picture below, actually have colors that glow while you play. I find that very interesting but I think it would be a bit too distracting while trying to read the music. But, to each his own. If you like it, get it. 😉

Next time I'll talk about the different bow types and which ones I prefer and why. 😁