Are you just starting out on the violin and looking for a book to guide you through what to practice and play?
Fortunately, there are many amazing violin books on the market today that are also suitable for all kinds of ages. So if you’re looking for the best violin book for a beginner, check out our reviews of our top 12 favorites below.
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quick answer: the best violin books for beginners
best violin books for beginners reviews
As a beginner, there are many pieces of music you can learn to play which will in turn help you improve your violin playing.
While you can go out and find individual pieces of music to learn, violin books simplify the learning process for you by collecting numerous pieces of music together. These are some of our favorites.
If you’re also looking to buy a violin, check out our guide to choosing a violin for beginners here.
1. string essentials – book 1: hal leonard violin
the essentials for strings book series are some of the most used books by string musicians. published by hal leonard, String Essentials – Book 1: Violin makes learning the violin easy by incorporating multiple elements of violin playing into a variety of lessons, allowing violinists to learn different techniques at once.
When you open String Essentials – Book 1: Violin, you’ll find numerous violin scales and exercises that will familiarize you with your violin and violin music in general. the book also gives you access to additional resources and repertoire on the essentials website. therefore, you won’t be limited to just the string essentials – book 1: violin has to offer.
2. Suzuki Violin School: Violin Part, Vol. 1 by shinichi suzuki
Suzuki Violin School is one of the most acclaimed and respected violin schools in the world. developed by dr. shinichi suzuki, through observing how children learn languages, the suzuki method teaches young violinists to play their instruments through parental involvement, playful repetition, early formal training, and several other elements that are vital to the musical growth of young violinists. Today, many of Shinichi Suzuki’s teachings are available to the world through the Suzuki Violin School series of books.
Suzuki Violin School: Violin Part, Vol. 1 is the beginning of a great series of books that will teach you the basics of violin playing and help you further your career as a violinist. It includes a multitude of musical pieces and explanations so that you can understand what you are playing and the proper methods to play.
3. learning to play the violin book one by cassia harvey
learning to play the violin, the first book is a great book on violin that was written for use by young violinists. however, adults can also use this book by cassia harvey to progress as a violinist. the images and labels used in the book make the information easy for violinists to process and understand.
Learning the Violin, Book One is a violin book that will teach you the basics of the violin, from its notes to musical scales. The book consists of a repertoire that children know well, such as “Old Macdonald” and “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. therefore learning to play the violin book one is a book that will also teach you how to play simple songs on your violin.
4. how to play the violin by cynthia reiss and jason randall
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how to play the violin is a short book on the violin that provides violinists with history and theory of music, giving them a better understanding of their instruments. The theory that is taught on how to play the violin teaches violinists both musical notes and musical rhythms. however, the lessons taught throughout the book go far beyond music.
how to play the violin will teach you how to read violin music and play a range of new songs on your violin, rapidly expanding your personal repertoire. If you want to learn how to hold your violin and tune it, you can also learn how to read how to play the violin. you’ll also learn and develop proper performance habits from how to play the violin, which makes the book valuable in more ways than one.
5. play the violin today! level 1 by hal leonard
from the same publisher as the popular essentials books, play the violin today! level 1. play the violin today! Level 1 covers a variety of information, such as how to clean a violin and how to play a variety of rhythms. The book also comes with a helpful DVD that aids visual learner violinists.
play the violin today! level 1 will be an exceptionally good violin book for you if you are a visual learner. with playing the violin today! level 1, you can see what the violinists are doing as they play and the way violin techniques are supposed to be used. The book will also give you a series of lessons that extend beyond the notes on a sheet of music. Plus, as part of the book and DVD, you’ll also be able to access a variety of helpful Hal Leonard online resources.
6. The Funny Violin Book: For Young Learners by Mr. larry e. new man
The Violin Fun Book: For Young Learners makes learning to play the violin fun and enjoyable, rather than tedious and complicated. Written primarily for children, The Fun Book of Violin: For Young Learners provides a gradual progression for young violinists, beginning with violins on two strings and then slowly guiding them through the remaining two strings of their violins. The Violin Fun Book: For Young Learners also offers music that violinists can play along to.
If you want to learn to play the violin through illustrations and would also like to play along with pre-recorded music, then the Fun Violin Book: For Young Learners will be a great violin book for you. The text of the book is large, which allows you to easily read the instructions and lessons provided in the book. With the purchase of the fun book for violin you can access various music and videos: also for young learners.
7. fiddle for dummies by katharine rapoport
Different violin books cater to different age ranges, and Violin for Dummies is written to teach adults how to play the violin. As with most of the books included in the Beginner Series, Violin for Beginners is a comprehensive guide and goes into depth with its lessons. Violinists can learn almost all the basics of the violin, from buying their first violins to properly caring for their violins, by reading Violin for Beginners.
Violin for Beginners is a great option for you if you want to learn more about being a violinist beyond the basics. You’ll have access to a variety of online content when you purchase a copy of Violin for Beginners. the additional content included with the book will help you learn additional lessons that will guide you throughout your career as a violinist.
8. the abc of violin for absolute beginners by janice tucker rhoda
Written for violinists who are absolute beginners, the Absolute Beginners Violin Alphabet starts violinists with the absolute basics and guides them to more complex lessons, such as legato techniques. This book is written for violinists of different ages, making the lessons simple for children but also entertaining enough for adults. violinists can learn, understand and develop a variety of violin techniques with this book.
As a beginning violinist, you will learn many violin techniques from the abc of the violin to the absolute beginner. If you want to play along with other musicians, The Absolute Beginners Violin Alphabet will be an excellent book for you. the book has many duets and backing pieces that allow you to play one part of the piece and have another violinist or pianist play the other part.
9. I can read music, vol. 1: violin by joanne martin
I can read music, vol. 1: Violin teaches new violinists to read and understand sheet music. From Basic Notes to Beats, I Can Read Music, Vol. 1: The violin helps beginners to understand the various aspects of the score. As the violinists progress through the book, they are introduced to more complex rhythms and notes.
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If you’re new to playing the violin or have difficulty reading sheet music, then I Can Read Music, Vol. 1: violin will be a great book to read. Being able to read sheet music is a basic part of being a musician, and being proficient in this skill will go a long way. This book will take you from seeing musical notes as dots on paper to understanding what eight dotted notes are.
10. all for strings book 1: violin by robert frost and gerald anderson
all for strings book 1: violin teaches new violinists a variety of performance techniques, allowing them to quickly expand their skills. In addition to musical notes, the book also provides information on the correct way to play the notes and helps violinists to correctly place their hands on the instruments.
For the alternate hand, All for Strings Book 1: Violin shows violinists how to properly hold and control their violin bows.
11. introduction to violin positions by harvey s. whistler
As you progress with your violin skills and techniques, you will begin to learn about the different violin positions. the introduction of the positions for the violin will help you to get out of the first position playing your violin and guide you to the fifth position.
If you enjoy what the first volume of the book has to offer and would like some help moving up to seventh position, then you will enjoy the second volume which introduces violin positions.
12. my first funny violin book by mr. larry e. new man
my first fun violin book is a book written for young violinists. Aside from violin lessons, My First Violin Fun Book also offers coloring pages and activities for kids to enjoy while they’re away with their violins. Even as an adult, you may appreciate the easy-to-follow lessons and videos in the book.
conclusion: which violin book should you buy?
As you can see, you are spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing a great beginner violin book as there are so many.
But if you’re not sure which to choose, we recommend two string essentials: Book 1: Violin, by Hal Leonard, and Suzuki Violin School: Violin Part, Vol. 1 by shinichi suzuki, are books that you definitely need to have in your library.
These two books effectively break down the basics of violin playing so that you can easily learn to play the violin.
However, with the many books available to you, you should try different books to see which you like best.
Different violinists prefer to play different music and use different learning methods based on their personal tastes and learning styles.
There is no single way to learn to play the violin. instead, you can use a multitude of methods to learn to play your instrument and improve your skills.
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