Thank you so much for keeping these videos up. I an doing the plucking and getting my left hand comfortable before going to the Bow lesson #5. It is taking a lot of restraint but I know you are right so I am staying the course! Thanks again!
It's been about 5 years since I've last touched my viola. And watching your videos and remembering why I wanted to play it in the first place is a truly magical feeling. Thank you!
Music is magic, isn't it? I'm so happy for you that you're back to playing! Please let me know if there are any videos I can make that will help you on your viola journey!
I got my viola today and am binging these 😁 I'm 45, sang my whole life, played trombone as a kid and dabbled in guitar later, but always liked the sound of bow on string and thought about learning violin for a long time. I finally got serious about it recently but decided viola suited me more.. because I have big hands and a penchant for the weird and obscure 😜 These lessons are perfect. Do you take donations online?
So glad you finally have your instrument! No need to donate anything, I think it's important for everyone to have free access to high-quality education! If you'd like to join Patreon there's lots of extras there, and I truly appreciate your support:o) www.patreon.com/drsulbaran
I’m just now getting back to playing my viola that I’ve had for almost a year. I’m working on the Beatles song “Yesterday” but I couldn’t nail a certain run using F natural. I found this video (because I couldn’t find the book) and when you showed F sharp, it clicked. My goal for the new year is to step up from “dying cow” to “annoyed cow”. 🤣🤣🤣Merry Christmas 2023!! 🎁🎄
Great job teaching, plucking is like crawling before you walk and walking before you can run , learning finger placement etc and sounds of strings from finger placement is awesome before picking up the bow, no feral cats left in my neighbour hood after I picked up the bow 😂
Hi i just want to double check if I'm learning this right - when pressing notes with 2nd/3rd/4th finger, notes before my desired note (same string) should be pressed as well? For example, if I want to play G note on the D string, I need to press E & F# too with G? I cannot just press G alone? Am I getting it right? Thank you again for your tutorials!
Hi there! You can definitely use other fingers to help support! If it feels more secure/accurate to leave more fingers depressed, by all means do that. Be careful to not squeeze the neck or push into the fingerboard too much. Leaving more fingers down may lead to too much tension so experiment and see what feels best to you! Hope this helps, keep those questions coming!!
Love your videos!!! I am double-jointed in my pinky fingers and the middle knuckle collapses when I play fourth finger notes. Any suggestions for folks with hyper mobility of the joints? Thank you so much!!
Hi Alisa! This is a really common problem. You need to strengthen the muscles of the finger to keep it from collapsing. There's a cool tool (amzn.to/39MElcA) you can use for strength training. I recommend starting with a lighter weight and then working up to a heavier one. If you're not looking to invest in that, practice lifting and plopping each finger individually on the strings but ensuring you're lifting from the base knuckle (the one where the finger is attached to the palm). I'll try to make a video on this in the coming weeks, I hope this helps!
@@stringswithdrsulbaran thank you so much! I am a pianist and composer so I expected my hands to be more conditioned for this but it is a different way to use the fingers for sure. I look forward to your video!
Hi, thanks for these videos, they're interesting. I know a little piano and the first scale I was taught for it was C Major because the lack of sharps or flats mean its considered easier, is there a reason the first scales for viola are taught with sharps? Just curious.
Great question! We start on D for several reasons. Most students start in a heterogeneous setting, and every string instrument has a D string. The finger pattern for D major is straightforward and simple for beginners to understand, so we begin with that scale. The same finger pattern ( 0 1 H2 3) can be used in the D and A string to create a major scale. If we started on the A string, violists and cellists could not play a full scale without shifting, a complex action for beginners. If we started on the G string, all instruments (not double bass) could play a major scale with the same easy fingering pattern, but D major is also in most beginners vocal range making it very accessible for singing and aural training. Last, many orchestral pieces are in D major because it “lies” well on string instruments. The finger pattern is idiomatic and features 2 open strings, which help the instrument ring. Hope that helps!
When pressing the fourth finger my third finger doesn’t stay where it’s meant to but when I remove my fourth finger I can get the correct note on my third finger is that ok
Hi Mahta, I think what you're asking is, "Is it ok to lift my 3rd finger when playing 4th?". If that's the question then yes that's ok. I like to keep 3 down for added stability and security for my 4th finger but if you don't need it it's ok to life 3 off.
Thank you so much for keeping these videos up. I an doing the plucking and getting my left hand comfortable before going to the Bow lesson #5. It is taking a lot of restraint but I know you are right so I am staying the course! Thanks again!
I'm so glad they help!
It's been about 5 years since I've last touched my viola. And watching your videos and remembering why I wanted to play it in the first place is a truly magical feeling. Thank you!
Music is magic, isn't it? I'm so happy for you that you're back to playing! Please let me know if there are any videos I can make that will help you on your viola journey!
Thanks so much for explaining about the fingers.
You’re welcome! I’m so glad it helps!
I got my viola today and am binging these 😁
I'm 45, sang my whole life, played trombone as a kid and dabbled in guitar later, but always liked the sound of bow on string and thought about learning violin for a long time. I finally got serious about it recently but decided viola suited me more.. because I have big hands and a penchant for the weird and obscure 😜
These lessons are perfect. Do you take donations online?
So glad you finally have your instrument! No need to donate anything, I think it's important for everyone to have free access to high-quality education! If you'd like to join Patreon there's lots of extras there, and I truly appreciate your support:o) www.patreon.com/drsulbaran
I’m just now getting back to playing my viola that I’ve had for almost a year. I’m working on the Beatles song “Yesterday” but I couldn’t nail a certain run using F natural. I found this video (because I couldn’t find the book) and when you showed F sharp, it clicked. My goal for the new year is to step up from “dying cow” to “annoyed cow”. 🤣🤣🤣Merry Christmas 2023!! 🎁🎄
Haha that’s a great goal!! I’m so glad the video helped, let me know if there’s another video I could make to help you in your journey!
Great job teaching, plucking is like crawling before you walk and walking before you can run , learning finger placement etc and sounds of strings from finger placement is awesome before picking up the bow, no feral cats left in my neighbour hood after I picked up the bow 😂
Ha I love it, no feral cats! that's #lifegoals for any string player!
Hi i just want to double check if I'm learning this right - when pressing notes with 2nd/3rd/4th finger, notes before my desired note (same string) should be pressed as well?
For example, if I want to play G note on the D string, I need to press E & F# too with G? I cannot just press G alone? Am I getting it right?
Thank you again for your tutorials!
Hi there! You can definitely use other fingers to help support! If it feels more secure/accurate to leave more fingers depressed, by all means do that. Be careful to not squeeze the neck or push into the fingerboard too much. Leaving more fingers down may lead to too much tension so experiment and see what feels best to you! Hope this helps, keep those questions coming!!
Love your videos!!! I am double-jointed in my pinky fingers and the middle knuckle collapses when I play fourth finger notes. Any suggestions for folks with hyper mobility of the joints? Thank you so much!!
Hi Alisa! This is a really common problem. You need to strengthen the muscles of the finger to keep it from collapsing. There's a cool tool (amzn.to/39MElcA) you can use for strength training. I recommend starting with a lighter weight and then working up to a heavier one. If you're not looking to invest in that, practice lifting and plopping each finger individually on the strings but ensuring you're lifting from the base knuckle (the one where the finger is attached to the palm). I'll try to make a video on this in the coming weeks, I hope this helps!
@@stringswithdrsulbaran thank you so much! I am a pianist and composer so I expected my hands to be more conditioned for this but it is a different way to use the fingers for sure. I look forward to your video!
@@arf1996 just posted a video for you, let me know if it helps!
@@stringswithdrsulbaran oh wow!!! Thank you so much!!! ❤️🎼
Hi, thanks for these videos, they're interesting. I know a little piano and the first scale I was taught for it was C Major because the lack of sharps or flats mean its considered easier, is there a reason the first scales for viola are taught with sharps? Just curious.
Great question! We start on D for several reasons. Most students start in a heterogeneous setting, and every string instrument has a D string. The finger pattern for D major is straightforward and simple for beginners to understand, so we begin with that scale. The same finger pattern ( 0 1 H2 3) can be used in the D and A string to create a major scale.
If we started on the A string, violists and cellists could not play a full scale without shifting, a complex action for beginners.
If we started on the G string, all instruments (not double bass) could play a major scale with the same easy fingering pattern, but D major is also in most beginners vocal range making it very accessible for singing and aural training.
Last, many orchestral pieces are in D major because it “lies” well on string instruments. The finger pattern is idiomatic and features 2 open strings, which help the instrument ring.
Hope that helps!
@@stringswithdrsulbaran Thank you for the thorough reply!
When pressing the fourth finger my third finger doesn’t stay where it’s meant to but when I remove my fourth finger I can get the correct note on my third finger is that ok
Hi Mahta, I think what you're asking is, "Is it ok to lift my 3rd finger when playing 4th?". If that's the question then yes that's ok. I like to keep 3 down for added stability and security for my 4th finger but if you don't need it it's ok to life 3 off.