How to structure your violin practice routine

Starting an instrument is always a very exciting endeavor, but in order to be successful you need to have a structured practice routine. Practicing will be more enjoyable because you will notice results a lot faster. Here are some helpful tips on how to become more organized and efficient when practicing violin for your lessons in Los Angeles:

1. Always start with warm-up exercises
Your teacher should give you some warm-ups that are best suited for your development. I usually start my students with open strings and a two octave scale. Open strings should be the first thing you play when you start because you want to start with an exercise that makes you focus on one thing. Gradually, you will add more details to be aware of. You want to start by focusing on sound production before adding notes, because once you add notes you will be concerned with intonation, string crossings, arm levels, and coordination. I like the two octave scale for beginners because it gets you comfortable with your hand position and frame on all strings in first position so you can focus on your intonation.

2. Etudes are helpful
Etudes are the next step up from open strings and scales. They are a great way of learning to be musical in a piece that presents many technical challenges. Once you make an etude sound musical, you are ready for more complex pieces of music which should take the majority of your practice session.

3. Move on to repertoire
You should be warmed up enough that it’s much easier to focus on all the musical details in the pieces you’re performing. Naturally there are certain passages that will require detailed practice, however the majority of your time should be dedicated on making the material as musical as possible.

I hope this gives you a better idea of how to structure your practice sessions. Please give it a try and I would love to hear your suggestions and comments! Good luck on your Los Angeles violin lessons and I wish you much continued success!