Enjoying free educational content and want to learn more? Join the practice community on Tonic: tonicmusic.app/join-in to receive feedback and motivation from others! 🎵

I don't know if you guys realize how lucky we all are to live in a universe where one of the best soloist in the world is also a KZfaqr. It's like having Mozart streaming weekly stuff like 10 best tricks to write a catchy masterpiece. This is truly the best time to start learning the violin! Thanks so much Ray, also, Tonic is awesome.

Me, a non-musician : I'm gonna need this for my next life

3:16 The greatest violinist at all time😂 15 “notes” per second

Including the World’s Fastest Violinist in the “eyes open” lineup cracked me up! Thanks for the valuable tips!!!

I’m so glad KZfaq exist cause I’m working on getting a violin so I can start playing and practicing again and I’m just watching video after video so get a deeper understanding of the instrument so when I get it I won’t be diving in mindlessly and trying to figure out everything at once

I love how Ray has such a coherent, organized and precise way of conveying his thoughts and advices. This is so easy to follow and a lot to learn for a video this short! Thorough efforts on Ray, the camera and also the editing work

3:16 "the greatest violinists of our time"...shows the 15 notes/second guy haha

Thanks Ray, 64 and my first lesson is this Sunday.

Please please please Ray we need more educational videos!!!

Gotta love these educational videos, as a beginner I really appreciate them, thanks Ray ❤

Why am I watching this? I don't even play violin. But now I kind of want to...

thanks for mentions us violas in the video

I've played violin for 24 years and I never knew about violin placement! Teachers would sometimes remind me to hold up my violin, but that was it. Knowing WHERE to place your violin is vital for streamlining your playing and preventing injury. And yeah, one of my teachers (the best one, of course) had me spend quite a bit of time dropping my right shoulder in order to play string crossings cleanly and effectively. Thanks for such nuggets of wisdom!

Ray, my kids (8 & 11) love you! We saw you on your birthday when you played with the BSO. They’ve been playing violin for 4 years and these are all key techniques that they practice constantly. Even if they ‘beat’ a bad habit, it can sneak back in a year later. We’re constantly tweaking our practice to address whatever we need to. We love practicing the same phrase or song that needs work, and using that to also focus on a given technique. The repetition really helps! 🎻

I feel more confident in my teaching! I teach all these things! ❤

this is an amazing video!!! Thanks Ray!

Thank you!!

Thanks Ray!

so useful! many thanks

Great insight

Thank you!

Ray keep making these kind of videos they are super helpful and inspiring

SO helpful

thank you so much for these tips

Thanks Ray

Thanks for the tips Ray ❤🎻

Great suggestion! Thank you

Oh my gosh, this stuff is gold. Thank you Ray!!

Thanks so much, very helpful.

Great sharing n useful points ❤

Thank you Ray ..these series of videos that you're making are so HELPFUL 💙🙏

Ray, thank u so much for making tonic!

the left shoulder school bag was personal

So true! Been happening to me and still doing my best to rectify. Great tips! Thanks a lot!

Thanks for the video, it very instructive video

Awesome, Awesome video!! 👏🏽Will have all these in mind in my next Tonic practice session! 😃

This is great stuff. Love your online content ...

Thanks professor Chen

Super super super lovely tips

Thanks

I’m proud to say that I’m guilty and still practicing all of these ten mistakes. Because I don’t go to any music school or proper training. I just learned to play Violin through hearing. Thanks for these professionals who share their knowledge and skills here in You tube University.

first tip was a logical but never thought of thanks so much let’s hear the rest now !

Excellent vid, Ray. Most helpful. Crucial to fix bad habits early on. Raised right shoulder is mine!

Thank you so much for these tips! I didn’t know that I was doing these bad habits until you mentioned them! Your a life saver 🙏

This is a really good video. Thanks

It is nice to know these things Those videos really help!!! Thx

Love that you featured your mom 😊 Thanks for the advice! Left shoulder and tension are something I'm often working on and falling back into bad habits when practicing lots.

This is excellent advice. I’m going to watch it every day before I practice!

I started learning violin last year and this video really helps. Thanks Ray!

Thanks you! Greetings from England! I am playing violin since 6 years old:)

Thanks Ray, I'm learning more and more why you play so well💖🎻and you give so much practical advice that everyone, musicians or non-musicians, is eagerly waiting for🫶

Concise, quick, and easy to follow. I like this video. This also makes me happy that I don’t follow a majority of these habits

Thanks. Tips 1 and 7 made an immediate significant difference for me

Oh my thank you, good reminders for my students and myself! ❤🎉

Thanks for these tips! It's been years since I've taken a violin lesson so all of this was a good reminder.

Thank you Ray! I'm from Brazil

Thank you so much, Ray. I am sharing this video with my students. I’ll also highly recommend Tonic to them!

Excellent video! I am guilty of 2 thru 10 and will work on them.

These days Ray keeps making videos that I really need, and it's helped me a lot, keep it up Ray.

Incredible video - I'm still extremely impressed of your videos and duets with Karolina, hoping you will repeat playing together. Great 'job', 'Cocker Spaniel' from Germany. 👍😉🙋‍♀️

I’m loving these tip videos. I’m an adult learner and have been playing violin for two years. I definitely have a bad habit of holding my violin too low, when I adjusted it to where you said, it was so much easier to keep my bow where I want it. My daughter has been learning for almost a year now on a 1/8th violin, she is also benefiting from your tips. Also, she says, if she keeps practicing and practicing she’ll get better and better and when she’s older she can play as good as you and even Hillary Hahn.

Thanks for the tips Ray. I have learned a lot from this video and I will do my best to improve on them God helping 🙏

Thank you this was very helpful!! I just started learning violin and im super excited to practice and learn more about the instrument! (Im going from double bass to violin so its a little strange but still very fun)

thaaank you 😁

Foe more videos like this🎉🎉 Thanks ray❤

I’m a long time violinist and I’m guilty of a few of these. I am aware of course and I’m working on fixing the problems. Thanks for the tips.

Love this guy. Like seriously, how can you not?

I've been practicing the violin for about 20 years, and I still find that type of video super interesting ! Tried Tonic too and I love it !

This is a valuable video, thank you 😊 How about a series on bowing techniques?

This was great, thanks so much! I’m an orchestra teacher and will be sharing this with my students 😊❤

What a sweet and silly shout-out to your mom! Love it ❤

Enjoyed the subtle shout out to your teacher Aaron Rosand.

Hello, I had the issue of where my left shoulder was lower than the other shoulder because of not knowing about these issues when I first learned violin and I needed to go to orthopedic once a week, so this really helps explain now about positioning violin and tension and how affects the left shoulder and can cause pain too. Thank you. That part is important! Still slightly slanted shoulders though at the moment, almost there. It is one of those, I wish I knew that sooner things.

Thanks for this vid, even though I’m a cellist😅 Just downloaded Tonic though and so far I’m loving it!!

Thank you Ray! I am an adult learner and these tips are quite relevant to me.

Great content. Some of these things I need to check that I don't do. Today's practice. I am an adult learner. I started to learn Violin 18 months ago in my 50's. It's not easy but I am enjoying it. It was an instrument I always wanted to learn as a child but never had the opportunity, now as my kids have grown up, it was my time to start.

I’m in hs and a violinist of 6 years and this was still helpful. I might go and see about my shoulder because I have a similar problem.

OMG, THANKS SO MUCH, IT SAVED MY LIFE ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

I have done all of these. Nailed it.

You, sir, are an excellent business man

Let me know what other things you're having trouble with and would like me to create videos!

Best tonic ad in this video with all the mama Chen love ❤

What value there is in this video!

Muito bom Ray

3:14 “greatest violinists of all time” *inserts sacrilegious boi*

This video Is very helpful for my daughter thank you ray chen😊

Insanely high quality video!

Thank you for such a practical video Ray! Funny videos are interesting, but videos like these are most helpful for other violinists like me. BTW all the mistakes you talked about were mentioned by my teacher! 😂 I used to twist my wrist when I was playing some difficult chords and it took me half year to erase it from my habit. It would be great if we could hear more left hand tips from you! Thank you! 🫶🏽

You really helped me on my grade 6 AMEB Air Variation 1. Thank You❤

I started using tonic almost a month ago and I am practicing piano and violin so much more! Also, a fake Ray Chen joined my studio and I thought it was u. Now I am just simply furious at that imposter! Thx so much for creating tonic! Everyone on there is so nice!

ray chen never fails to fill me up with this delicious content!!

thank you ray, your videos are so helpful and interesting!! i just got my first violin today so this just came right on time!! praying that i'll stick to learning it since i tried holding the violin and the bow earlier and it already feels heavy loool

Thanks for the good tips Ray. I can use some of it. What’s a good tip to improve intonation?

Wow. Good to knwo before i start to learn! I wanted to start learning! Im 15, its not too late?! Thank you!

I really love the Tonic idea and found me lovely friends there. I just can't use it on my android these weeks. Currently I get the Bach challenge pop up and the Restart for an update pop every time I open it. I could probably start the app by going offline completely (worked on my kid's phone when she had the issue on another android phone a while ago) but since most pages didn't even load before I lack motivation to waste time. My kid has stopped using it altogether and ceased to be upset for crashing studios. Some Tonic friends stopped using it, too. As lovely as it is to offer it for free it's sad when it doesn't work even enough to join a studio to listen.

Hi Ray, greetings from Singapore 🇸🇬 😊 Thanks learn a lot from this 😅❤

🥺🥹 Thank you Ray 💕

This was really helpful! Thank you ray, I’m very happy you are on KZfaq and can give us amazing informative videos and entertainment. I’ve just started learning violin as a second instrument, and these tips are really good! And the last one almost feels like an accusation XD I do it waaayy too much during piano practice 😭 Have a nic day/night 😊❤

Nice