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Hi All,
Just wanted to reach out and say hello. I've enjoyed reading many comments on this forum and plan to use it as tool in my learning. I grew up as a brass player but have since taken on learning violin and viola. Too bad brass skills don't transfer to string playing! I recently worked on and submitted some of the violin/viola parts for The Little Drummer Boy YouTube project, which was fun and a good excuse to work toward a performance goal. Drawing straight bows and producing consistent tones are two areas of growth for me right now, so I'm looking forward to focusing on those in the coming weeks so I can improve. Thanks for coordinating such a helpful community, and for posting such informative advice!
Cheers.
Regulars
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Welcome!
I also played brass first. You'd actually be surprised at how much translates, once you get the basic technique down: you probably already have a good ear for intonation and the ability to read music.
Regulars
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caseclosed,
Welcome to the forum, keep us posted on your progress.
Mark
Master the Frog and you have mastered the bow.
Albert Sammons
Regulars
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Welcome "caseclosed" you a lawyer? 
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Thanks for chiming in, everybody! Ha, no, I'm not a lawyer, starise. Using "caseclosed" because many times, my instrument cases are closed rather than open. Hoping to change that with more practice. And yes, Andrew H, I do have a decent ear but catch myself worrying about being in tune more than anything else, which results in technique flying out the window. I'll need to do a better job of attending to both as I move forward.
Regulars
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caseclosed said
I...catch myself worrying about being in tune more than anything else
A list of priorities I have assumed to be best is, in descending order of importance: -
1. Intonation
2. Tone production
3. Hand co-ordination
But I haven't thought about it for a while. People can add to it if they like, but I doubt if intonation can be shifted from the top spot.
I sort of started on brass, if you count one lesson from a Salvation Army trombonist followed by sharing a French horn with another kid for a few months, followed by a parental ban on playing brass, lol!
I don't have many objections to the French horn, except that it would be more fun to own a natural horn, maybe.
But I have grown pretty much to loathe the trombone and its glissandos in jazz, and I think that the tenor is a bit of an unpleasant pitch to have ended its development on, although maybe orchestrally necessary, when you look at the range the sackbut once had (yeah, I know in theory modern trombones still have the same range): -
Andrew
Verified human - the ignominy!
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caseclosed, that is funny. My cases are most often closes. LOL
My suggestion is that you hang your violins on a violin hanger.
It's harder to forget the instrument if you see it all the time.
Welcome to the forum. I'm looking forward to your submissions for "Little Drummer Boy".
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Welcome and I hope you enjoy the project!
cheers
Toni
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
Regulars
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Welcome. At least you have a bit of an advantage in that you already know how to read music. Have fun!
Opportunity is often missed because it wears suspenders and looks like hard work.
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@Gordon Shumway, thanks for confirming the intonation infatuation! And yes, the French horn is a great instrument. Ha, the "parental ban on playing brass" reference made me laugh--good one.
@Fiddlerman, thanks for the recommendation! I actually wondered about getting wall hangers for my ukuleles, and now it makes sense for the violin/viola, too.
Nice to meet you, @coolpinkone and @Georganne! Thanks for your presence on the forum.
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Any time.
I feel it's good as long as the climate is controlled, such as with our AC's here in South Florida. If you have a dry climate, it could be wise to have a humidifier keeping the humid at a minimum of 40%.
Humid climates are not as harmful though it does affect the sound with the wood expanding and absorbing the humidity, we still like to keep it below 60% if possible.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Fiddlerman
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