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@MrYikes sometimes certain strings don't work with certain violins either. could be that the cecillio strings (steel core I'm assuming) are just not working. if you can spend a little more like the d'adario prelude for steel string, around $13 bucks or upgrade to a synthetic string like pro Arte for $22 off of fiddlershop, they might work a lot better for you and should last a good bit. sometimes you have to mix and match string brands to get the best sound out of your violin. best of luck!
Lead me, Follow me, or get out of my way!
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@MrYikes ^ What she said.
I have the EE books and I think they are excellent beginners books. For practice once the material has been learned, there are much better books (particularly for shifting). The main thing that I found very helpful about them is that playing along with the very nicely done background CD REALLY helps with intonation. The CD makes playing some rather dull scale patterns, actually enjoyable -- and musical.
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. ~Herm Albright
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OK, I feel silly asking, but I've tried to find the answer online and am not certain. How is the EE2000 book different from the current EE book (aside from, of course, the current EE being newer)? Is there any advantage to go with one over another?
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@Tardis Girl I only own EE2000 so i'm slightly guessing on the old EE books, but from what i've heard the old books don't quite flow together as nicely. The new EE books have a better lay out for learning with better bits of helpful information in them.also i'm not sure if the old books came with a play along cd. again I'm going off of what i've heard but i don't think there would be anything wrong with using the old EE books if thats what you can afford to get going but i definably recommend the new one 
Lead me, Follow me, or get out of my way!
~General George S. Patton
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As I am really tense when practicing, I like that the exercises are short,,,because I forget to breathe while playing so that after the last bar, I'm gasping. I try to calm down but it will just take time, I guess.
One of the things I'm trying now is playing the exercise backwards, I think it's fun and as sight reading is one of the things we are working toward, it's helpful. But I do get mad at myself when I cannot quickly determine an f sharp from the e.
Is it okay to think of the notes in relation to a piano? That's how I do it and I'm wondering if I'm creating a problem. What I mean is that if a key signature is 4 sharps, I know it's an e and work out the sharps by visualizing a piano black keys. This came up today as I switched from single to double octave scales and needed to know the sharps and flat. It was just easier to think of the piano. What do you think?
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rockinglr33 said
@Tardis Girl I only own EE2000 so i'm slightly guessing on the old EE books, but from what i've heard the old books don't quite flow together as nicely. The new EE books have a better lay out for learning with better bits of helpful information in them.also i'm not sure if the old books came with a play along cd. again I'm going off of what i've heard but i don't think there would be anything wrong with using the old EE books if thats what you can afford to get going but i definably recommend the new one
@RockingLR33 -- thanks for your comment. It looks like there is actually a *newer* one that is not called EE2000 (maybe because labeling something "2000" now is getting a bit out of date??). It's still EE, but it doesn't have a number on it -- EEi, I think, with the "i" for "interactive"? Both have a CD that come with it though. So maybe the "2000" version is good enough?
A local store had it and I just picked it up before I heard good things about it here, but didn't get around to opening the CD or even the book because we were using a different book first, so I was wondering if I should return it and get the "newer" version instead? But maybe that just doesn't matter, or not enough to warrant the trouble since people seem to be so happy with the EE2000 version.
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@Tardis Girl your very welcome! Overall i wouldn't worry about returning it or purchasing the newer version. all the fundamentals should be the same! their songs and such might be different. I'm not overly worried, though i wouldn't be at all surprised if they came out with a new one. gotta keep the products rolling out to continue to make money right? i'd use what you have! again the fundamentals would be pretty much the same. unless your practicing with a group of people that are hell bent and determined to use the latest and greatest. then its totally up to you 
Edit: i looked up EEI. Essential elements interactive seems to be a part of a teacher student program that allows the teacher and student to interact online with teaching plans, due dates and the such. i also looks like they have some interesting programs that go alone with EEI. but as far as i understand the website you would enter as a student. not sure how it works from there. could be an interesting and useful tool.
Lead me, Follow me, or get out of my way!
~General George S. Patton
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MrYikes said
This came up today as I switched from single to double octave scales and needed to know the sharps and flat. It was just easier to think of the piano. What do you think?
I do that sometimes too. Music is a language and like learning any language one starts off by mentally translating from one's native tongue into the foreign language and vice versa. Once one has sufficiently mastered the language, however, the translation becomes unnecessary, because one understands it without the need to translate.
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. ~Herm Albright
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rockinglr33 said
Edit: i looked up EEI. Essential elements interactive seems to be a part of a teacher student program that allows the teacher and student to interact online with teaching plans, due dates and the such. i also looks like they have some interesting programs that go alone with EEI. but as far as i understand the website you would enter as a student. not sure how it works from there. could be an interesting and useful tool.
@RockingLR33 -- ok so this is interesting. You are right about EEi, but as I have a hard time leaving a question in my mind unanswered, I decided after my earlier post to contact the publisher (Hal Leonard). Turns out the EE2000 book and the newer EEi book are *identical* for content. Here is the reply I got from the publisher:
"The contents of the books are identical. We simply removed the '2000' from the cover. The CD-Rom is the same as well. The newer books do have information regarding EEi on the back cover and they have an EEi Student Activation Code on the title page. Students can use this code to enroll in your free online EEi classroom. Students that do not have a code can still enroll. The code just makes the process a little easier."
So...ya! Pretty cool! You just have to email them and ask to set up an account for you as an individual student. You can click on "overview" here to see what the site offers for free. I haven't used SmartMusic and was planning to look into that -- I don't think EEi offers feedback on what you do, but you can record yourself, choose the save the best one, play with various kinds of accompaniment, control the speed of the accompaniment, etc.
Anyway, maybe this will help someone find a new, helpful free resource. We have only just started the book (today!) so I haven't made use of it yet myself.
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@Tardis Girl Oh thats really cool! thanks 
Lead me, Follow me, or get out of my way!
~General George S. Patton
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Hey, I just wanted to jump in real quick on the EE books. I think they're great! Especially for anyone that is trying to learn on their own. I've been using them and they're great. I was overwhelmed the first time I opened the Suzuki books. The EE really breaks everything down nice and slowly, and allows you to progress at your own pace.
I second the notion of using SmartMusic along with it though. It really is a great tool if you use it. It helped me a lot to understand what the different etudes were "supposed to sound like."
Now that I'm through that, I'm working on Suzuki book 1, which is actually a lot more "fun" than EE. They're also a lot more help on YouTube for the suzuki books than there is for the EE books (may be a future project (if I ever get any good)).
Have fun, good luck. There's a thread inhere somewhere called the "Method Book Party," that has several members playing tunes from the EE books in it. Check it out. Enjoy and good luck!
There is no failure, only results.
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