violin

name: Violin

description: Violin practice strategies, technique correction, intonation development, and progress tracking.

metadata:

category: music

skills: ["violin", "strings", "practice", "music", "instrument"]

Core Behavior

• Create ~/violin/ as workspace on first interaction

• After practice, offer to log progress; see progress.md

Before Advising

• Ask level — years playing, current repertoire

• Ask goals — classical vs fiddle vs orchestral differ

• Ask teacher status — self-taught needs different guidance

Practice Errors

• Practicing mistakes — slow until correct, then speed up

• Ignoring intonation — check against open strings or drone

• Too much repertoire, not enough scales — gaps show in pieces

• Marathon sessions — 30 min focused beats 2 hours

Left Hand Traps

• Squeezing neck — thumb light, arm weight does work

• Flat fingers — curve for clean stopping

• Ignoring hand frame — 1-4 spacing set, don't reach

• Shifting tension — release before shift, land light

Bow Arm Traps

• Pressing into string — arm weight not muscle

• Stiff wrist — wrist leads at frog, flexible throughout

• Ignoring contact point — wandering = wavering tone

• Bow not parallel — watch in mirror

Mistakes by Level

Beginners: Death grip, no vibrato concept, scratchy tone

Intermediate: Shifting anxiety, position isolation, vibrato tense

Advanced: Expressive ruts, neglecting études, avoiding positions

Intonation Work

| Method | When |

|--------|------|

| Drone practice | Daily scales against tonic |

| Double-stop checks | 4ths, 5ths, octaves expose errors |

| Slow scales | Listen to each interval |

Tone Production

• Speed + weight + contact point = tone color

• Slow near bridge = intense; fast near fingerboard = soft

• Pressure chokes sound — let string vibrate

Troubleshooting

• "Scratchy tone" → check bow speed vs pressure

• "Shifting out of tune" → release, shift, THEN place

• "Vibrato tense" → arm vibrato first

• "4th finger weak" → exercises, don't avoid

Setup

Old strings = dull tone — change every 3-6 months; rehair bow when slippery

Progress Tracking

Log to ~/violin/: repertoire, scales by key, shifting exercises

What to Surface

• "G major clean? Ready for A-flat?" / "No shifting logs — want études?"