My Name is Spencer. I picked up my violin just over a year ago. I don't get to practice often but when I do it brings so much peace to my soul. I love this site. I am sooo glad I found Fiddlerman.com! Learning to care for and play the violin is great fun. I picked mine up from craigslist. It was somebodies band instrument when in high school I think. It has some scuffs on it. I have a friend who gives violin lessons. He played it for me and I instantly fell in love with it. Just to hear that it could produce such beautiful music is awesome. My scratchings gave me no indication of what kind of shape it was really in. He told me it's a fine instrument for a beginner. He thinks the neck might be slightly warped making the E string too close to the finger board? It kind of warbles when you play on that string. Otherwise, it works for my needs for now.

Anyway, I am excited to start posting my progress in the future with vids and pics to get some feed back. I know I need a lot of help with my technique. At the moment I can pick out most church hymns and Christmas music by ear. I'm studying the finger charts and playing the Violin Fingering Game every day to help me learn the scales in each major. I'm also very unsure of my strokes. Not understanding when I should bow up or down or slur. Thanks for letting me join Fiddlerman!