This article is the second of four articles on violin methods, the first being dedicated exclusively to violin methods for children.
In this case, we’re going to review violin methods for beginners who are just beginning to take their first steps with the instrument.
How do I know if these violin methods are for me?
These methods are for those who already have minimal knowledge of the violin; even some of the methods described above for children can help you gain that knowledge, or watch one of our violin course videos.
You must know the basic elements such as the parts of the violin, the notes of the violin, tuning, holding the bow, and knowing how to place the 4 fingers on the handle of the instrument.
The question is, what’s the next step?
Types of violin methods for beginners
With this knowledge base, you can begin a path with different methods that we can separate into two types: Melodic and Technical.
The more “melodic” methods are works arranged by difficulty, and in the more “technical” methods, we learn the mechanics behind the main difficulties of this instrument through violin exercises.
The latter are characterized by separating a difficulty from the rest of the difficulties that arise when learning the violin, until we master it perfectly, such as:
- finger speed
- coordination of bow and fingers
- position changes
- independence between fingers
- double ropes
- triple strings
- vibrato
- tuning, etc.
They are not harmonically “pretty” exercises, but they save us a lot of time repeating works and music to resolve these difficulties.
We mentioned this in the previous article, but it’s worth mentioning again here. We’re not trying to promote piracy of violin books by offering them for free, but we understand that no one should deprive themselves of learning an instrument like the violin for financial reasons.
Below each violin study method analysis, you’ll find links to download the book in free PDF format and to compare it on Amazon.
The goal is to make violin learning accessible to everyone.
The Best Methods and Books to Learn the Violin
Let’s start with the more melodic violin learning methods. Most of these methods include short pieces that will allow you to play songs right from the start. Beyond being designed for children, they are a great motivator to continue learning the instrument.
Suzuki Violin Method (Books 1 and 2)
Yes, the Suzuki method again, for a reason it’s famous in the violin world. As we mentioned earlier about the Suzuki method, the first pieces are somewhat childish, but as we finish volume 1, we begin to explore works by Bach, among other composers.
In volume 2, we have works by Handel, Bach, Brahms, Beethoven, Paganini, Boccherini, etc. That is to say, we are now fully immersed in the most interesting violin music, or classical works adapted for the violin, but classical nonetheless.
Only pieces, no technical exercises
There is no technical complement that we can follow with this book; we only have a list of works, which are sometimes listed in the order of “difficulty” in which they appear throughout the books.
But as a starting point for those who know how to read sheet music and know basic violin techniques, this is a good method for practicing pieces and staying motivated as they progress in difficulty.
Here are the links to download or purchase the Suzuki Violin Method Book 1:
Suzuki Method for Violin Book 1 in PDF format for free
Suzuki Violin Method Book 1 on Amazon USA
Here are the links to download or purchase the Suzuki Violin Method Book 2:
Suzuki Method for Violin Book 2 in free PDF
Suzuki Method for Violin Book 2 on Amazon USA
Nicolas Laoureux’s Violin Method (Part 1)
The Laoureux method is a good option for adults who want to gradually begin learning the violin, but aren’t as interested in the musicality of what they play, and who understand that with the proper technique, they’ll later be able to play whatever they want.
Unfortunately, there are few of us adults who think this way.
If you belong to this group, congratulations. I assure you that musicality will come later, and starting with technique is the best way to exponentially learn this instrument.
This is why the Laoureux is an excellent progressive method that gradually addresses difficulties, beginning with exercises with only the open strings, that is, without resting any fingers on the neck and having to deal with tuning notes.
Then you add the first, second, third, and fourth fingers, and combine what you’ve already learned with the bow, so that you begin to have almost basic control of all the movements found in 80% of violin works.
Laoureux also has pieces to play in duo
Halfway through this first book, we begin to find some interesting works for violin, with the possibility of doing a duet, either with a teacher or a violinist friend in another part of the world 🙂
Then, towards the end of the book, we find slightly more advanced bow techniques, but always based on the same notes learned in the first part, using all four fingers in first position.
That is, if you are interested in having complete mastery of the main bow techniques for the first position, Laoureux Part 1 is the ideal method for you.
Here are the links to download or purchase Nicolas Laoureux’s violin method Part 1:
Nicolas Laoureux Violin Method Part 1 in free PDF
Nicolas Laoureux Violin Method Part 1 on Amazon USA
Kayser – 50 Violin Exercises Op. 44
Kayser will be a name we’ll look at later in the next article on violin methods for intermediate students because he has another book that I consider essential for these students, who are looking to gradually improve their violin technique to move on to the next level.
But we are still in the section of mainly and it is here where Kayser made these 50 small exercises for violinists that are nothing more and nothing less than an introduction, a trailer, of what will later be Op. 20 with the well-known 36 exercises that I mentioned before.
Short but concise exercises
In these exercises, we will see, for example, different bow techniques, different groupings of figures, accents, dynamics of intensity, speed, etc.
It’s like a free sample of a product, once you start to like it, it’s gone.
But I think this is a success specifically in this book and for beginner violin students, because despite being short, they are musically pleasing and we can work on something specific in each of them, to then develop them in depth in the complete book for intermediate students.
Here are the links to download or purchase the Kayser violin method Op. 44:
50 Violin Exercises, Op. 44 by Kayser, free PDF
We were unable to find this book on Amazon USA.
The Alard Violin School
Alard is a violin method not very different from Laoureux, in the sense that its exercises do not have great musicality.
The difference is perhaps in the way it is learned, starting with a brief introduction to the open strings and then moving on to placing the four fingers in first position to begin playing the pieces proposed by the method.
We can see some Victorian-style illustrations, as if all violinists dressed up as Mozart to play the violin. Well, apparently not all of them do.
Continuing with Alard, the method isn’t entirely progressive. There are some learning leaps, but it’s not a bad method for those who want to practice with a teacher or another more experienced violinist. This means that almost all the works in the book can be played as a duet.
Here are the links to download or purchase Alard’s violin school:
Alard’s Violin School in free PDF format
Alard’s Violin School on Amazon USA
Hans Sitt – Book 1
Sitt has a wide variety of books arranged in a particular way, one for each position.
That is to say, book 1 is for first position violin, book 2 for second, and then it begins to combine the positions to cover all the transitions between 1st and 2nd position, 1st and 3rd position, etc., etc.
This makes it super easy to find the right book to practice the different positions and the changes between them. We go into more detail about this in violin methods for intermediate students.
For beginners, it’s always best to start with the first position, as it has the most contact points with the hand and the handle, giving us more confidence when placing our fingers on it.
Sitt begins with works and a compendium of them one after the other, which is why this book is still for beginners, but you should have some prior knowledge of the placement of the 4 fingers to play the works that Sitt suggests.
The advantage or disadvantage in some sense is that there is no order of difficulty but rather each work is a unique difficulty in itself, it can be in the grouping of notes or in the different bow strokes.
It is an advantage if we want to practice a particular difficulty, always in the first position and using the first 4 fingers.
Here are the links to download or purchase Hans Sitt’s violin method:
Hans Sitt Violin Method Book 1 in free PDF
Hans Sitt Violin Method Book 1 on Amazon USA
Franz Wohlfahrt – Easiest elementary method for beginners Op. 38
This is undoubtedly one of the most notable and recommended methods for beginners, as Wohlfahrt’s method begins with open strings, progressively adding a second accompanying violin, always making everything we play sound at least interesting.
It is a method that can be taken without having that base that we talk so much about for other methods such as Sitt, Kayser or Alard and start playing without problems.
We recommend it to anyone who wants to start with a very progressive method that also teaches them how to read violin sheet music.
This method is so complete that it has 114 small pieces or exercises to play as a duet, and in the latter the master and the disciple have separate scores where there are much more elaborate melodies, but always in the first position.
That’s why working through this entire book is an excellent foundation for all beginning violin students.
Here are the links to download or purchase Franz Wohlfahrt’s violin method:
Franz Wohlfahrt Violin Method Op. 38 in free PDF
Franz Wohlfahrt Violin Method Op. 38 on Amazon USA
Start your violin learning journey
Learning to play the violin can be a difficult path if you don’t know where to go, but with these methods, we want to show you different paths so you can choose the one that best suits you.
You don’t have to follow just one; the beauty of the violin is that all paths are valid, even all at the same time, but always knowing where you’re going.
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