3/22

Wesley rankin: I taught a complete beginner today, giving a total crash course on the violin. After going over the anatomy of the violin (strings, neck, fingerboard, pegs, bridge, etc.), I taught her how to support the violin on the shoulder, then demonstrated the proper hand position. Like most beginners, she had a tendency to prop the violin up with her wrist, which should be flat and straight. I emphasized the importance of developing a good foundation to not get held back. Starting from the beginning of essential strings vol 1, we did pizzicato of open strings first, then moved on to first, second, and third fingers. Although she had larger hands, it was still hard for her to do 4th finger, so I just told her it was necessary to keep it curved but did not do too much 4th finger. At the end, I did an introduction to the bow hold, demonstrating a relaxed hold with a curved thumb and fingers. I also reviewed how to read music, since she knew a little about music but didn't remember.