Principles of Violin Playing and Teaching (Dover Books On Music: Violin)

My understanding of certain method books (namely Suzuki and Essential Elements) is that they are basically exercise books. They tell you what to do but not much about how to do it. It is expected that you have a teacher to check your playing for correct vs. incorrect form, to tell you the best way of playing what you see on the page, to spot your mistakes and help you correct them.This book lays out some boundaries of proper form in words and photos. Reading and heeding this book can help you avoid taking on some bad habits.It was written and edited and perfected over many years by Galamian and his assistants.The title is "Principles of Violin Playing and TEACHING". So it is a book for violin teachers. Are you teaching yourself?I suppose it's always or usually better to have a teacher. It's a pretty sure thing that you won't reach the heights of performance going it alone. But I also believe that using this book and some others and free online instructional videos and honesty and discipline, you can make very respectable progress without sitting next to a flesh-and-blood teacher.As an example, after playing and learning on my own for close to two years, this book showed me in no time why I was having a hard time in first position reaching a fifth with my pinky. I was making the pinky do all the stretching, whereas I should have been giving part of that job to the first finger, pulling it back, tight and square, rather than leaving it big and round. Had I read this book a month or two into my playing, I would have taken on better form right away. True, a good teacher would have spotted that error early on and would have pushed me to correct it, but at more than the cost of this book. On the other hand, many a not-so-good teacher would not have done much about it. Or such is my opinion.

Book is delivered on time and as described! Perfect service!!

Ivan Galamian is one of the most important teachers in the history of the violin. His work at the Juilliard School, the Curtis Institute, and Meadowmount School of Music has helped develop some of the greatest players of our time.This book is an amazing resource for violin instruction, and covers a lot of ground in the fundamental mechanics behind playing the instrument. It is certainly not recreational reading, and one needs to have had a significant amount of training in the art of the violin in order to make heads or tails of it. However, for aspiring teachers as well as advanced students, it is a wealth of information that should not be ignored.The former publisher of this work only sold it in $60 hardcover and $30 softcover editions, making it difficult for some to justify the purchase. This Dover reprint makes it truly accessible and recommended reading!

I am a new student to the violin and wanted to know as much as possible about why and how to execute the basic grip of the right and the left hands. I am taking lessons but I am having so much trouble with that right hand! OMG, this is one difficult instrument to learn. If anyone remembers how Jack Benny played - this is how I sound sometime. Hence, in desperation, a book to help my teacher to help me. How wonderful this book is as it is so basic. It breaks down each position of the fingers, forearm and upper arm. It addresses most of the issues learning this instrument involves. The book has photos, although they are small and in black and white, that really helps to see what both your hands should look like. I love it and would recommend it to any serious (and frustrated) student.

This is a must read book as you travel on your violin journey. It puts understanding the are of playing the violin into its perspective.

Title says it all. This book has already served me well over a summer when I was teacher-less, and I still regularly consult it in my practicing. In addition to helping me practice, it has also shaped the way I teach, with very concise descriptions of technique, yet always prioritizing playability over "correctness." The hardcover edition is classy and durable, which is a nice touch.

It is very helpful to my violin playing. It explains in depth how to position the left and right hands on the violin, and includes many helpful photos. When helpful, it also provides exercises you can practice in order to improve technique. The book also offers advice on practicing and how to perform effectively.

For anyone who plays violin, Galamian is well-known for producing the world's best violinists. I was surprised at the accessibility and openness of this book, it looks at violin technique from unique perspectives and delves into the basic skills that underlie even the most difficult violin technique. While I am at the Intermediate level, I found this book extremely interesting and full of masterful theory. It is a great resource, and I look forward to growing into understanding it more deeply as I learn and use some of the more advanced techniques Galamian explains.

Just been delivered and couldn't wait to start reading. From the off it is full of sensible advice.....

Well written extensive review, a bit of an older approach but still fascinating.

Excellent content, but the hardback is useless - the text is scammed in the middle, rest of pages goes empty.

Excellent book for violinists who wish to understand the principles of tone production, etc.Readable and not too long.

A store of good advice by a master-teacher