Violin

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

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?"