The ABCs of Violin for the Absolute Beginner, Book 1 (Book & MP3/PDF)

I started playing violin about a year ago and ordered three beginner books (ABC's, Essential Elements for Strings, and Suzuki) to try them out and see which I liked the most for learning violin without a teacher.I thought ABC's had the best learning curve for techniques and was organized really well in teaching violin skills and I really liked the eclectic songs that they used. ABC's also did a good job of picking the right songs to help teach each "lesson", for instance learning how to slur in the end of the book.Suzuki was also a good book, but I could tell going through it that it was geared more towards having a teacher. It also had a steeper learning curve in the beginning.Essential Elements did the best at explaining technique and fingerings but I didn't like the song choices as much as in ABC's or Suzuki. However I did find it to be better for self teaching than Suzuki.P.S. If you get this book, definitely use the CD that it comes with. I can't stress enough how much it helps to hear the song being played to get a sense of the style and pace of the music. Best of luck in your violin endeavors!

Perfect for Beginners.

Obviously great book. I’ve had it for many years and whenever I loose practice I go back to it

My son is 11 and I have been encouraging him to play an instrument for a while. He chose the violin. The only musical experience he has is on the recorder. He does have an instructor, but he only goes once per week for half an hour. She encouraged us to go with the suzuki method. So I have the suzuki book and this one (The ABC's of violin.) I have to say that I prefer this one. I played clarinet in high school band. So I was able to figure out the notes with the suzuki method simply because I have prior knowledge. However, this would be very difficult for a child without that ability. The ABC's of violin approach it in a much more logical way. They introduce a note or two and then give a song or exercise with those same notes. Then, it builds and adds more notes over time. And adds more songs based on what you have learned. The CD makes it easy to make sure you are getting it right. This method (learn the notes and then incorporate and play them slowly and building as you go) is the way that I am used to approaching music. The suzuki method just seems all over the place to me. My son is a logical thinker and this makes more sense to him. Plus, the songs in this book are traditional songs that he recognizes. I'd definitely recommend this book. There isn't a very detailed fingering guide so if you don't have an instructor, I'd recommend one of the fret boards to help with that. But this is a decent starting point. It will get you playing some easy songs and give you a feeling of accomplishment.

Good

First of all, I would have been a little lost had I purchased only this book without the ABCs of Violin for Absolute Beginner DVD - which is not long, but was essential for someone like me who had never held a violin before. I could not have done it without the DVD. Once I had watched the DVD a few times, I was able to progress right into the book and have found it very self-explanatory since. I am enjoying the music selections, and the exercises are helpful. The CD included in the book has tracks with violin that you can play along with or just piano accompaniment that you can practice with. The end of the book also has violin duets that you can play with someone else (two violins together). I purchased this book with the Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing the Fiddle and found that together they fill in more gaps for me than one or the other would have alone. (For example, the Complete Idiot's Guide goes into the history of the instrument, how to care for the violin, etc., much more than the ABCs book, which is more like a traditional lesson book.)

I bought The ABC's of Violin for the Absolute Beginner book for my daughter so she could start learning the violin. The book starts with the assumption that someone has no knowledge of music or the violin. The CD is nice. It gives both a performance of the piece as well as a background track with which the student can practice. For the most part, this book introduces things slowly and simply. However, there are occasional symbols in the music that are neither explained nor put into the glossary such as the repeat sign given in Lesson 2, the first lesson in which the student plays. There are other things that are explained insufficiently. For instance, when the bowing symbols are introduced, the book says that one symbol means the up bow and the other means the down bow, but it does not explain what an up bow or a down bow are. The organization is logical and it takes the learner through an easy progression of the violin skills. The gaps in information could easily be filled in by an instructor. This book would be useful as a method to learn to play with an instructor, but I would not recommend it for self-study.

Its awesome it's really helping me out its just like it was described it's breaking everything down to make it simple to follow and It helps out to remember each different note in each string and the songs are simple and the CD help to follow the rhythm and beat of the song and it helps on getting the timing right I am very satisfied with the purchase I recommend it to whoever its just starting with the violin it will help you a lot I have really advanced a lot with the help of this book and I am teaching myself and I really learned a lot I'm playing songs already pretty good I'm looking forward to buying the next book after I finish this one