So You Can Make a Sound on the Violin… Now What?
- tomomiura0920
- Apr 18
- 2 min read
Updated: 7 hours ago
When I first picked up the violin, I thought the biggest challenge would be getting any sound out of it at all.
But I was wrong. The real challenge?
Making a sound that doesn’t resemble a dying robot
Why Violin Intonation Feels Like a Never-Ending Game
Sure, I could make the violin produce noise. But a beautiful tone? Not quite.
And just when I thought I was getting the hang of it, my intonation would decide to go sightseeing.
I’d aim for an F, and somehow end up at an F-sharp.
Every note felt less like “emotional expression” and more like a minor traffic accident.
My teacher told me, “Your body will learn it over time.”
However, my body hadn’t downloaded that patch yet.
I knew something was off, but I didn’t know how to fix it. I’d nervously shift my fingers into place - only to change strings and lose my pitch again. Playing violin started to feel like an endless game of tag with intonation.
Testing Online Violin Lessons: My Honest Experience
At some point, I realized: this wasn’t sustainable. I needed help. So, I turned to online lessons. (For context—I do take in-person classical lessons, but I wanted to see how far I could get only with online instruction. Call it a personal experiment.)
The result is that online teachers are incredibly kind and encouraging.
But my intonation is incredibly stubborn.
“Try lowering that finger by just one millimeter,” they’d say. If only I could feel what a millimeter even is on this tiny fingerboard…
In-Person or Online? What Works Best for Beginners
So here’s what I’d say to anyone thinking of starting violin: If you’re a complete beginner still figuring out where your fingers go or how to hold the bow, in-person lessons are your best friend.
But once you’ve got a basic idea of posture and pitch—and can sort of hear when you’re off—online lessons, paired with the right tools, can work surprisingly well.
Violin Gear That Helped Me Practice (Quietly) at Home
For those curious, I’ve listed some of my favorite violin gear—including the silent violin I use—right here:
