Music And Dance

Archive for January, 2009

Here are the five things, in no particular order, you can’t forget when learning violin.

1. You need a violin! I’ve heard many people, interested in learning violin, ask if they need to buy one. It is possible to rent, but the bottom line is that if you put in part time effort, you’ll get part time results. You’ll learn to play violin, but you won’t learn quickly and you won’t become great at it. You develop muscle memory through regular practice, not intermittent sessions, which brings me to the second thing on my list.

2. Practice violin regularly. When learning violin you must have a commitment of a certain amount of hours you’re going to play per week. Decide how much you want to invest in learning, write it down, and schedule time to learn to play violin.

3. If you’re only going to be practicing violin a few times a week, I’d recommend you set aside one area in your home for violin playing. This will put you in the mindset to be learning violin whenever you go there. If you’re practicing daily, I don’t think it matters as much as you’re more apt to stay in the correct mindset all the time.

4. Relax when playing violin; tense fingers don’t move as smoothly. When you’re tense, odds are you’re going to be focused on something besides learning violin in the first place. Loosen up, stretch, whatever relaxes you before you decide to play. You don’t need to be taking out your hostilities on your violin strings.

5. Take care of your violin. It doesn’t matter if you’re a master or a novice, if your instrument isn’t tuned and taken care of, it will sound terrible or eventually fail on you altogether. Violin care includes things like keeping the bow rosined, keeping the dust off the violin (in time it may grow to bond with the varnish), and not touching or over tightening the hair.

Music has always been known to evoke different feelings in people. But can music go so far as to affect your behavior? That is the ultimate question, I suppose. A lot of people now are really interested in the power of music and how they can reap its benefits and avoid its disadvantages. After all, if you think music can help you improve your performance at work or help your children calm down, then there’s no harm in trying, right?

Music as therapy

So, can music affect your behavior? Scientific studies have revealed no direct relationship between the two. Music has always been a great way to express oneself. Now, with custom silicone wristbands, you can always show your strong support for your favorite musics.

When you’re feeling angry, you listen to loud, angry music and sing along to the lyrics. When you’re sad, you put on angst-filled melodies and cry yourself to sleep. Sometimes, music is just that—a means of letting your emotions run free.

Of course, music also tends to put you in different moods. A nice classic piece might make you feel romantic. Soft, instrumental songs can make you feel more calm. To a certain extent, music can change your mood, but not your behavior.

Other special properties of music

Some kinds of music do have extra special qualities. For example, a lot of parents like to make their children listen to Mozart because studies showed that it improves concentration. What is it about this classical composer that helps people become smarter and more talented?