The violin is one of the hardest instruments to learn. There are no frets, so you need to rely entirely on ear and feel. A lot to ask when your fingers are far from your eyeballs, way down at the end of the fingerboard trying to navigate an alien landscape on their own. At the same time, your right hand is trying to maneuver the bow into a somewhat straight line as it contacts each string: much like commanding a wild beast to heel In other words, there is a consensus that learning the instrument presents LOTS of challenges. Now add to that a student who has never played ANY instrument – has no idea what whole and half steps are, what makes pitch go up and down, etc., etc., etc. I’ve found that holding a mandolin on the lap for a while to discover how string instruments work can do wonders for the aspiring violinists. The beginner can both see and hear what happens to the pitch when you press down a string in different paces and the frets illustrate the relationship of whole and half steps. There’s so much you can learn BEFORE tackling the business of placing the violin on your shoulder and holding the bow. I’ve found the transition from mandolin on the lap to violin on the lap to violin on the shoulder to be so much more organic and humane that this has become my introduction to violin playing for everyone who wants to learn the instrument.

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