Full of insight! "The violin can smell fear..."

I started violin at 51. My teacher was Czech.. everything had to be perfect before I could move on. By the 5th lesson..after traveling again in blistery winter weather...an hour to her house ..she still let me only practice one note. I never went back. I met a Hungarian teacher next..her and I had an aperitif before lessons. She told me to stop being so stiff, move my whole body and just follow along with her playing. From the first lesson I played a song. There was only support..without " no, incorrect!".. and i felt progress with each lesson. Yes! Violin smells fear and happiness. Just ride the wave and relax

The last point is something I really needed to hear. "Play as if you're not going to make a mistake." Sounds so obvious now. Thank you so much!

"The violin can smell fear"... Ha ha ha, so true!

I like the last point: Do not overthink. When I practice shifts and I do care about the pitch I do not hit so often, but I hit all the other tones I do not care about. Its funny. Have you ever noticed for example practicing the shift from first to third position with the first finger, that the first finger in the first position almost always hits automatically? :D

Haha! I’ve definitely noticed that my violin can smell my fear!!!😆. When I’m trying something I’m not familiar with I sound horrendous, then I play something I know and I sound almost good!😜

Tobiah is my teacher. Just started not too long ago with him and I highly recommend him especially if you find yourself wanting to try without a shoulder rest. He has great attention to detail and anatomy as well. This video content is super original compared to others! Only other that I see doing such detail is Eddy Chen's older videos.

I found this channel after reading your blog article about why the average kid should reach Bruch level by age 12. Because I disagree with the points made in that article, I thought I would find the same closed-minded attitude about learning I initially saw through your article. However, your understanding of the “why” behind the violin is absolutely amazing. This video is a compilation of all the issues my teachers have been trying to reiterate to me for my entire 2 years of playing. While you didn’t say anything someone with a good teacher doesn’t already know, you are much better at explaining these concepts because you seem to have a superb understanding of how violin playing works. You manage to have zero “missing links” in your explanations. I can see your enthusiasm about teaching, and it’s actually heartwarming for me. While I absolutely do not believe that learning is linear and that every kid should have certain things at a certain point, perhaps the point of the Bruch article is how potential in kids often goes untapped. I think that most teachers just don’t care enough to tailor their violin teaching to individual learners. Skilled teachers like you who actually are doing it for the right reasons give me hope that every kid can feel what it is like to achieve something on the violin. I hope this channel gets to more people! (you should totally do a video on how to pick a teacher). 😁

How do you only have 7 thousand subs? So underrated, your channel covers such a variety of skills in suach a didactic way. Thank you so much!

You totally described how I psych myself out with playing double stops and chords in tune. I need to stop it-my violin is sensing my fear!

I really like the analogies you make in explaining these techniques. Many times I get how it should look, but explaining how it should feel is a different thing. Also being aware of the "head games" going on is very important. I would always say to my teacher that I enjoy my time playing the violin, why would my body be so tense? Now I'm starting to understand that the tension is a result of "fear" that I'm doing something wrong or the hard part is coming up, or I'm just about "due" for a mistake. The violin does "sense" fear and tension and will not cooperate. You have to learn to control it (and let it think its in charge).

The phrase "strong and wrong" comes to mind I'd rather make a passionate mistake. In my viola playing, I always go for it and usually it turns out better, which continues the chain of self confidence. Always love your videos my friend! It'd be interesting for us to do chamber music now vs how we did it back in 2009!

Thank you. I went from 0 knowledge to being able to make sweet and wild sounds with the violin in 9 months of practice as a 31 year old. I have been learning from many online sources, and I must say thank you over and over. You are kind to share. When finance returns to me I will gladly donate

Your brilliant content speaks to all string instruments. I'm a cellist, and I find all your advice speaks equally as relevant to all the challenges that I am addressing.

You hit on something quite profound in the last part of the video about practicing apprehension. Thanks for that insight. Quite helpful.

Very helpful, again! Good points, especially about the fear, thanks!!

This video is kind of a gold mine of information for students

Great tips! Thanks for sharing especially about muscle memory !

The last one, about over thinking it... Man I need to hear that. I feel like I start practicing and I do well and it's fun, and then I start noticing things that are wrong and trying to fix them, and I fatigue and tension builds, and at some point I realize every attempt is worse and I need to take a break. Then somehow it's better when I come back, and the cycle begins again.

Brilliant … simply brilliant !

Thank you. You have helped my playing tremendously!

The background music is a pointless distraction. Please get rid of it.

Love your teaching method!

That thing you said at the end was really important to me

This is brilliant. THANK YOU!!

Thanks for all the good points, Tobia! I'm teaching for 55 years while having had nearly the same length of professional playing experience. I've found it useful to apply the Heifetz "target practice" concept for students learning to shift positions, dealing with intonation challenges and other LHand issues. He practiced and perfected his tennis serve this way. Kids like to get themselves organized around a sports-like practice model!

Tip number one, very helpful.

fantastic video! thank you Xx

please do a video about when to use various bow positions. How do I know when to start at the frog, the tip or in the middle etc. Thank you for all the advice you are giving .

I’m hoping this will help with my current shoulder pain

Wow, you're good at this! All of those were helpful.

Excellent!!

Thanks Tobia!

I smell a real guru. ... Brilliant! ***** Much of what you said is the basis of jazz ... the ear and heart.

Tobiah - you are consistently answering the questions I have been asking for a long time as an adult learner. Thank you! Any hope of a week's 'summer school' for those of us prepared to get an Airbnb for a week?! Bsa

I didnt know he is handsome. Hahaha but i learned a lot from this man playing the violin. :)

You are so interesting... good videos

I love your videos! I’m close friends with Micaela and I think I’ve met you before at some point! (Former Preucil student). I’m a violin teacher and I’m so inspired by your channel. Binge-watching your videos now!

Love your vidoes! Can you make one with tips for the fourth finger (pinky), especially for small hands? I know there are professionals with hands as small as mine, but I need help with this and I bet I'm not the only one. Everything I play sounds better if I play it with any finger but the fourth.

Love that last point about over thinking: sounds like you were in Top Gun and borrowed Maverick's teaching about over thinking! Nice!

About violin position. That has been a major issue for me. I am self taught to 90% and i have laborated a great lot with this. I am also a gym instructur so the positioning of violin have had to be adjusted due to muscle growth and loss of weight over the years... For me it took some time before i realised the shoulderrest wasnt the main problem. It was the chinrest position. It was at an angle far out that forced both shoulderrest and body. Changing that moving it towards the middle made a big difference for me.

Thank you for the video :D especially tip #5 I'm a beginner strings player and I play the violin, I am a huge overthinker and very scared of making little mistakes outloud, especially since we have someone in our class who has been play for 3 years and he can be a little critical at times. I've been playing for about 5-6 months now and need the confidence to play and you gave me that so thank you :D

Hi, muchas gracias!!!!!!!!

as a late beginner I have been having lessons, some in a music school, I'm now realizing that i have learned very little. No foundation. I have learned more from your video in a few minutes. Thanks for your time.

Your video is very useful. I am sharing with lot of young players in India !

Nice....

Super

Absolutely inspired me to try again without the shoulder rest. I tried hundreds of times, last time it (my violin) flew in the lap of an old lady in the church while I was down shifting, up shifting ok, my throat stops it. Needless to say, ironically, that’s the performance everyone still remembers, not the good ones with shoulder rest. Sorry for the poor English, I’m writing this with a soft recognition translator software. Adieu!

Hey Murphy, I watched your video about playing violin with out scholderrest, but unfor I still have problem. My violin is not stable without shoulder rest how ever with shoulder rest I also dont viel really comfortable. The problem with out shoulderest is when I put my finger on violin my violin move down and to fixed it i hold violin with my left Thumb. But maximum I am able to play for 2 3 minutes and after that period mucrels under my thumb start to heart and I can play. I dont know what is problem. Would be nice if you make Secound video about how to hold violin without shoulder rest. Best regards.

I read the headline ...5 things....,and I immediately thought,shoulder rest would come up,because you are anti shoulder rest,and sure enough,shoulder rest came up! Are there any other online teachers on youtube etc,that you like?

Hello. Thanks for the great video. Enjoyed it a lot. Could you possibly tell me what chinrest you use please? Thanks

Soft recognition translator voiceware. Voice recognition translator software. Trans recognition voiceware. Whichever is the correct.

Never use a shoulder rest, now never will. Interesting (and now obvious) idea to move the violin to the bow as well as the bow to the violin. Neither are nailed in place.

Just got my first fiddle yesterday I don't know any chords yet what are the basic chords and the finger placements? I mainly play country

I wonder if I could get a trial lesson online hahaha I live in the Philippines though.

Question for another video where you said it's better to vibrate all notes. What do you say of the fast passages with open strings and string crossings? Play them all with 4th?

Practing screwing up actually it's SUPER important to get you to perfection, it's not caring how you play but paying attention to small details that matter. Another thing I would recommend is to play 10 hours per day to the point where you lose logical senses of what you think playing a violin is and start to develop a second nature of your own start

Hello, Tobiah. I'm a beginner violinist, and wanted to ask you or others if I buy a tall, full-length mirror to practice proper violin technique, is it better if the mirror is completely vertical (at no angle), or can it be tilted (e.g., leaning with the top against the wall, or on a flat base but with a swivel)? Thank you for any tips.

What is the best violin under 1000 dollars

Actually the first explanation seems to me that adds more complications to bowing. What ive seen is that people do whatever that works to change from one string to another, but they arent "changing string" they just reach the other string being in the same level of the first one. So every string feels different to bow, so they can whole bow on some and on others they suffer. The first thing that should be teached is what is the only muscle that needs to move to change the string level on a way that the mechanic of every string is exactly the same (weight aside). Otherwise, resonance can't be achieved and without that you just lose tons of feedback and tools to actually enjoy playing

Hilarious! [paraphrase] "...fear...not confident...the violin will do anything it can to make certain of your fear". That's great!

Smell fear 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

Bro , this is for advance players, and you are doing so quick 😅

I recently gave up the bridge and chin strap, so it's more convenient. What to do with my electro Stagg evn if it is heavier in weight (I am Russian, sorry)

man... everything my teacher showed me that helped me progress as a violin player is directly attacked by all the things you are telling people to do here... except the last part about having no fear and to stop overthinking.

Hi Conrad, the android sent by CyberLife.

You are too quick… 😂 are you high 😅😂))) in the good way 😊❤

I would add not having the correct setup. Sometimes the distance between the nut and the bridge is not the right one which makes it difficult to play in tune. Or we have a bridge to high, so we need a lot of force to play the notes risking to sound fuzzy sometimes for the beginner. Or not having the right bow, is hard to play properly when the bow is not the right weight. A right setup can help us improve right away. Among those lines, what weight do you recommend when playing with no shoulder rest? I've noticed that with no shoulder rest we tend to play the violin almost horizontally, so do we need a lighter bow? or do we need a heavier one?

I just watched a video about things you can do to avoid hitting other strings (which I do a lot--hitting them, not avoiding hitting them), and the teacher said that when you're playing on the G string, the elbow should be above the instrument, and when you're on the E string it should be down pretty close to your side. And that you shouldn't do string crossings with the wrist. So you two seem to have opposing views. Is there much disagreement about this point?

I’m having trouble with my fingers....it always lift is there any exercises to improve?

Enough about your childhood lol thanks for the tips!!!

So strange to me how the violin can read through your body language whether you believe you can play what you're about to attempt or not. How did they do that 500 years ago?

14:17

I think I have a ear infection, cause I sound like a muffled fingernail on chalkboard. And feel like

Sorry the annoying background music was a show stopper. Bailed out.

You consume mega quantities of caffeine, don't you? ; )

Too talky

y'all are way tooooo .. what is this he'a thing called a v i o lin .. I got me a fiddle

More you talk less you show the rechnique

Murphy! Made me furious. In a kind way. Typically I click away, and the last thing I do to make bad comments, but in this case I make an exception, and make a constructive criticism. Again, the teaching and the content was excellent, that’s why I stick around. But, you caused me an ample amount of nystagmus, and by the end of the lesson I came away with a tension headache. Teacher induced. So. Stop. Stop right there. Slow down the speech, and stop the jumping around. Calm down. It would’ve been more enjoyable. Correction. As I watched it again. the instruction and the speed of talking is actually not that bothersome, the quick cuts, and the jumping around gave me the headache. I know exactly you want the style to be not boring, engaging, rapid, so we don’t lose interest, it’s okay, just stop the rapid fire jumping from left to right and vice versa. In my opinion.

Bla Bla Bla Bla Bla Et en 15 minutes tu vas apprendre aux gens à jouer du violon, arrête donc de parler, tu soûles