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Hello everyone!
I am new to fiddlerman.com but not so new to the violin. I played as a child but didn't enjoy it so much and took a 15 year break after I graduated high school. My partner finally got me to admit that I missed playing andwent on a mission to get me a silent violin i would love.
Many online reviews and YouTube videos (where she learned about fiddlerman.com) later I am a happy new owner of a yamaha SV250. I like it much more than i thought I would. And maybe it's because I'm finally at a place in my life where i am playing and practicing for myself and on my terms, I feel more joy and satisfaction with playing the violin than ever before. I am so glad for all the good things the internet had brought to the violin and fiddle communities, and wish i had access to the kind of resources and community that exists now vs 15 years ago.
I've only been playing for about two weeks and my intonation isn't what it was before ( which is pretty horrible since i inherited an out- of-tune pitch pipe as a child and used it for WAY too long ...but now i have my brand new super snark chromatic tuner to help me- miraculous thing that it is!) but i am working on submitting a video for the "House of the Rising Sun" project!
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FirstPancake said
...but now i have my brand new super snark chromatic tuner to help me- miraculous thing that it is!) but i am working on submitting a video for the "House of the Rising Sun" project!
WELCOME ABOARD, and welcome back to the violin !
I like the Snark tuner, it is a super little thing, clips on nicely over the scroll and can be observed while playing for intonation practice. Quite neat. I'm relatively new to violin following 40 or more years playing other instruments (no formal musical training, just self taught), and I wish I had picked the instrument up MANY years ago.....
I'm sure you have made a decision that will bring you endless pleasure over the years, and great news on the project - good stuff !
Bill
I seriously recommend not copying my mistakes. D'oh - 
Please make your own, different mistakes, and help us all learn :-)
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Welcome @firstpancake! Your story sounds very similar to mine, although I didn't play for as long as you. What a wonderful partner you have to find you a violin - beautiful story. Enjoy!
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Glad to see so many new comers and introductions lately. We've had this discussion before but I am super curious about your nick. What I know about first pancakes is that you usually throw that first one away... Hopefully that isn't your thinking here. 
I'm glad to hear that the tuner is helping you with intonation. I'm especially happy to hear that you will be joining us on our next project. I have no idea at this point when our deadline will be for this one. I kind of got out of control when I arranged it. The parts are more difficult than I had planned.
How much of playing the violin do you remember from before you graduated? Some people think it's like riding a bike and others feel it's like starting all over from scratch.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Welcome to the family 1st Pancake! Now that you have an EV, we're going to have to hi-jack you and get you to come to our streetjelly shows so you can have a reason to play that thing! 
This is a great place to learn and hopefully you'll post so vids of your progress. We've all been there before, and there's lots of helpful people here in our family of fiddlers.
I play a 5 string electric myself, so I can relate to many questions you might have. 
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
Fiddlerman said
Glad to see so many new comers and introductions lately. We've had this discussion before but I am super curious about your nick. What I know about first pancakes is that you usually throw that first one away... Hopefully that isn't your thinking here.
I'm glad to hear that the tuner is helping you with intonation. I'm especially happy to hear that you will be joining us on our next project. I have no idea at this point when our deadline will be for this one. I kind of got out of control when I arranged it. The parts are more difficult than I had planned.
How much of playing the violin do you remember from before you graduated? Some people think it's like riding a bike and others feel it's like starting all over from scratch.
Thanks Pierre!
There must be something in the air
You're very on-track with my handle, though I don't throw the first one away. It's just a little more odd-looking than the others -but you can't make the others without that first one 
I'm really loving the tuner, as I've never been a very confident player because I sort knew something was off. When I was a kid I couldn't figure out what it was, and my parent's (who don't play violin) couldn't figure it out either, and even if we all knew what the problem was we couldn't have done much about it besides chuck out the crappy pitch pipe because a good chromatic tuner would have been totally unaffordable at the time.
I thought I would be a total train-wreck coming back to the violin, but I have found much of it has survived through muscle memory just like riding a bike. Bowing and hand position has remained, and just needs some strength building through practice. The hardest part has been intonation, as that was never really drilled properly. I've lost some dexterity and I certainly can't rip out the Bach Double the way I was able to do before. But it will not be as long as I had thought before I can again, and when I do, it will be in much better tune and much more confident than I could have played it for you two decades ago 
cdennyb said
Welcome to the family 1st Pancake! Now that you have an EV, we're going to have to hi-jack you and get you to come to our streetjelly shows so you can have a reason to play that thing!This is a great place to learn and hopefully you'll post so vids of your progress. We've all been there before, and there's lots of helpful people here in our family of fiddlers.
I play a 5 string electric myself, so I can relate to many questions you might have.
Thanks @cdennyb!
I'm still figuring out the best way to make and record videos so I can really enjoy being part of the online community
I saw "Streetjelly" in the forums but I haven't had time to read up on what this is. I can be in a Streetjelly?
I tried out a 5-stringer at the shop where I got my SV250, and it was tons of fun! Having that C string on an amplified violin is such a game changer. I was tempted to get it instead of the regular 4 stringer, but I was having a hard enough time wrapping my head around just having a violin again. I was afraid it would confuse me to the point where I wouldn't want to play it. Of course now I see that maybe that wouldn't have been too much of an issue. Outside of playing viola pieces, what sorts of fun are you getting into with that C string?
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The C string just allows a few real low notes, kinda like a cello!, but for the most part it's just a glorified violin.
Anyone can go sign up for free there and if you have a web cam and a microphone or a more elaborate setup you can play on camera for your many fans that will show up. You get to see what they see in your video and watch as they type and chat with you.
It's really cool.
Go check it out. http://www.streetjelly.com
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
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firstpancake,
Welcome to the forum and back the the fiddle
Mark
Master the Frog and you have mastered the bow.
Albert Sammons
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