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SOooo here is where I am so far > been about 2 1/2 months > Anything you all can comment on to help me become a better player will be much appreciated. I don't care if you have been playing for a week or like 50 years > All comments can only help this current stage of the Viddle that I am in. SOooo >>> BRING IT.
Hi StoneDog
First let me say that anybody who gets offended at the term 'fiddle' deserves to be offended 
I'll preface this with a disclaimer by saying that I've only been playing for 3 weeks, so I'm no expert. I think you've got some very nice bowing going on there, very smooth and long strokes, and smooth crossovers.
I can't help you with the E string, but It seems that your left wrist is a bit more bent that it should be at times, it almost looks as if it's resting on the body of the violin. It should be more straight - from what I understand. Maybe this will help you hold notes better on the E string as well.
Well done SD! And thanks for the vid!
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Hi Rick,
Good job! I'd say you're doing very well for the couple months you've been learning the fiddle. Straight bowing, mostly good intonation for the short time you've been at it, good bow control. As Xenabi noted, work on that left wrist which tended to fold under. Make sure your shoulder pad is secure enough for you so you don't feel like you need to hold the fiddle with the left hand. Thanks for posting your first video, and nice to be able to put a face with the name now!
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Well done Rick! Thanks for sharing your video. I don't think you suck and you shouldn't think so either. You're learning and there's a big difference. Your level is above mine by quite a bit and I honestly believe you are at the 'practice to hone it in stage.'
More advanced players may see certain things that will help you, but for me, it just looks like practice will perfect your playing. Have fun with it, don't get frustrated, and remember that your better than some!
The most beautiful things in life cannot be touched or seen. They must be felt with the heart. ~Helen Keller~
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It's so nice to see your first video as I've been reading so many of your post.
Thanks for posting the video as you're doing great for just that short time into it.
May I suggest a few things that I notice, not much since I'm also just a beginner as you are.
As other mentioned, try to keep your left wrist straight a bit more as you don't have to support your violin. That will ease the tension and help further motion developments. Your right shoulder look perfect as you did not use it for bowing, but too much forearm in use. What I see is that you bow hold need to be adjusted. Your thumb, middle and ring finger should be holding it steady while your index would be a pressure adding and your pinky is subtracting the pressure bowing high string along with faster speed to counter streaking. The initial bow direction changing is done with your fingers follow with your wrist then your forearm so you can do short bow very fast while your wrist almost looks stationary.
Just some suggestions.
You're doing well and thanks for the post.
Robert
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Hi mate
You are doing great. The fiddle is a hard beast to tame.
My input would be to, when you are bowing, stay a little further south of the bridge. This is some advise that FM gave me a few months back and it was 'good' advise. It can get a bit scratchy when you get too close to it and it requires more bow pressure to sound OK.
There is sooooo much to think about when you play the violin 
Never give up. And never surrender
Seen it all. Done it all. Can't remember most of 
..... What was I saying???? 
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Thanks all who have commented > I am reviewing all that has been said > The comments that have been posted have brought to my attention a whole lot of stuff I need to review > Whats really SWEET is as I am reading the comments I then go back to the vid of me playing and look at what you all have said about all the things that I am doing >> HUGE help and MUCH appreciated > I gots a lot of stuff to work on.
Xenabi > Yep, you are right I need to not grasp the neck so much. Bring it forward so my fingers can have more freedom.
Steve > Yeah > I am working on the shoulder holding the instrument more so my left hand has the freedom to move up and down the neck. As I watch myself I see what you are saying about my left hand folding under > I need to get it up so my fingers can dance on the neck.
ratvn > Yep, my bowing needs much attention as I review what you posted >and that left hand has gots to come more forward so my fingers can have the freedom to dance on the neck. I watched your vid you posted and I was watching your bowing and how your fingers were just having a good time doing their dance > it was SWEET!!! > I am paying a whole lot more attention to that now > I want them to dance like yours were in your vid.
Ferret > I tried going more SOUTH and you are correct. I tried it tonight and it made a HUGE difference > much smoother > not so squally > thank you for pointing that out. It is sounding much better, and I am going to stay a bit south of the bridge from now on.
scotty > Thanks for checking it out. you saying it sounds ok for 2 months playing means in another 2 months it should sound even better if I keep at it > Thanks again for the encouragement.
pfish > What can I say??? > the PM vid you sent to help me ROCKed!!! > Thank you .
YOU ALL ROCK!!!! > Thank you for your help > SWEET!!!!!!!!!!
ratvn said
Your thumb, middle and ring finger should be holding it steady while your index would be a pressure adding and your pinky is subtracting the pressure bowing high string along with faster speed to counter streaking.
I've never heard or seen it explained this way, this might be the single best tip I've seen! Thank-you!
In my first lesson, I even commented about how I was trying to figure out what the benefit of curving my pinky and keeping it on the back of the bow was. It seemed a bit counter-intuitive and awkward. My teacher didn't really have an answer.
Gradually I found a way where my pinky felt a bit more natural, but I don't think I'm using this way instinctively as I am with the index finger.
Hahaha! YOU DON'T SUCK, StoneDog!!! 
Everything goes nice and You made all the good job! I like your twinkle improvisation! =)
All the great advices above! And work on relaxing your right hand and fingers! When You take the ring finger off the bow - other fingers become more tensed. And even these pinky and ring finger are tensed being off the bow. Still it's kinda amazing, how You control the bow on long strokes with 2 fingers =)
You could maybe try this exercise:
1) Put the bow on a string at the middle point (of the bow).
2) Close your eyes and feel how ligt it is. Try to relax the right hand as much as You can (well at that part i droped the bow several times, haha, so be careful) =)
3) When You realized that You don't have to put any efforts to hold it - make some waving motions up and down (don't draw across the strings) - when You go up with the frog, the bow will go to the lower strings automatically, frog down - on higher strings. On those motions You don't have to do anything special with your fingers. Keep in mind that fingers are relaxed at any-string-bow-position.
4) Now go to the full bow strokes. Try to use the pinky when getting near to the strings with the frog.
Well that's what i still do, don't know if it's helpful to anybody else
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Mad_Wed said:
3) When You realized that You don't have to put any efforts to hold it - make some waving motions up and down (don't draw across the strings) - when You go up with the frog, the bow will go to the lower strings automatically, frog down - on higher strings. On those motions You don't have to do anything special with your fingers. Keep in mind that fingers are relaxed at any-string-bow-position.
Naska, I've never seen this before and it helped me. Thanks!
The most beautiful things in life cannot be touched or seen. They must be felt with the heart. ~Helen Keller~
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Very nice, Rick. Great to see and hear you. I enjoyed watching your practice routine. You had nice long bow strokes, which I struggle with myself.
BTW, I like that you call it a viddle. I alternate between calling it a violin and a fiddle, so that's a good compromise and sounds better than calling it a fiolin.
When the work's all done and the sun's settin' low,
I pull out my fiddle and I rosin up the bow.
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Hey Rick,
Nice start. I like the term Viddle. LOL
I like to give one comment at a time and this time I would like to encourage you to straighten you left wrist and not rest the palm against the neck. This will slow you down in the future and can also create unnecessary tension in you hand. Try to keep our wrist as straight as possible.
Thanks for the post.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
LindaK said
Mad_Wed said:3) When You realized that You don't have to put any efforts to hold it - make some waving motions up and down (don't draw across the strings) - when You go up with the frog, the bow will go to the lower strings automatically, frog down - on higher strings. On those motions You don't have to do anything special with your fingers. Keep in mind that fingers are relaxed at any-string-bow-position.
Naska, I've never seen this before and it helped me. Thanks!
Hahaha! I've never seen this before either. Maybe someone came to this theory too, but this one was a result of long-time analysing of question: "why the heck i can't do it?". And i simplified some observations of my techer's hand, which made me to do this exercise - i could do it with my own hands. It looks stupid and too easy, but it helped me =) Glad that it helped You too.
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Mad_Wed observation > I have been implementing it > it is helping me a lot.
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Nice job ... you're a born entertainer. I just love the way Twinkle morphed smoothly into a jazz improv ... beautiful!
I for one can't wait for your next video.
Use a mirror to see what your left wrist is doing ... it should be a straight line from the elbow to the main knuckles. A mirror also helps with bowing, so you can watch where it starts to wander and 'feel' the correct movement.
Rock on!
If you think you can, or you think you can't, you're probably right.
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