String Builder Violin Book One (Belwin Course for Strings)

I switched over to this book for my students after years of using essential elements.I like how it introduces the bow right away and focuses on tone and steady reading development one note at a time.Highly recommend for students that learn a bit slower and that have the patience to work with their tone. If they need to be able to pluck twinkle twinkle in two weeks, use essential elements.

I have been teaching for over 10 years, and this is now my go-to book for beginnger students age 8+. It has a brilliant method, starting off with long notes rather than just quarters or eighths, allowing the student to learn how to produce good long-bow sound right from the start. The songs are short and easy to learn, many are fun and recognizable tunes, and there are so many great duets that help the student learn listening and chamber music skills when playing with a teacher. I record the teacher line for my students to practice with at home as well, and my students love this book and stay engaged all the way through! It takes them on avg 1-1.5 years to complete the whole book. By the end, they are excellent sight readers, have great rhythm, and can easily play duets with good basic ensemble skill. I then start them on Suzuki Book 1 which they blaze through quickly with all the skills they've learned in this book. HIGHLY recommend!

Was able to play the violin

I got these and Suzuki Violin School: Violin Part, Vol. 1 at the same time. There cheap. So I thumbed through both of them now and I just like the layout of these book a lot more then the other. If your looking to start learn the violin there is a ton of free youtube stuff and free websites but for me nothing beats a hard copy of a book that I can look at.For me I just started learning about the violin about 6 months ago, I currently 31 years old. I've had no formal training or nothing. So I hit up google first, that's where I find a wonderful youtube violin and piano teacher channel. From there I find the fiddlerman.com webside and so other stuff. Long story short I got my violin and pickup Violin for dummys book. Im still reading it and building on what I learned from the web. But these book does have more to teach with practices and song that are easy to play.So a good word of advise is if you really want to learn to play its never to late. Good luck on your adventure.

I feel bad rating this book only two stars when everyone else seems fairly pleased with it, but if you are in the same situation as me (i.e., you are not even a "beginner" yet when it comes to playing the violin, you are something far more basic and unskilled, like in the "never even held a violin" category) then I want you to know that this might not be the book for you."Beginner," in this book, does seem to assume some slight, prior knowledge. It gives you no guidance on how to hold the violin, i.e., what shoulder to rest it on, what hand to hold the neck with, where to place your fingers, etc., etc., and though there is a diagram in the front that vaguely reviews the individual parts of the instrument, I personally found it rather vague and unhelpful. I would also have greatly appreciated something along the lines of a "general overview," something to tell me this is what the violin is, this is what you can expect while playing it, these are some general rules you should follow and things you should know, etc., etc., but in the end, there was no such thing. I left the book feeling no more enlightened than when I'd started reading it.That being said, if you do have some vague familiarity with the instrument--you know how to hold it, you have an idea how its music is written, and you're vaguely aware of how to play it, i.e., where to put your fingers (which the book definitely does offer some guidance on)--then you'll probably be fine and this could very well be the book for you.Long story short: If you are like me and know absolutely nothing about the violin--and I do mean NOTHING--then this probably isn't the book for you. I can't guarantee you that there's a more basic book out there--I'm looking for one myself--but if you're like me, teaching yourself and starting from absolute scratch, I wouldn't recommend this book here until you're at least a little more advanced.Best of luck, my friends, and as always, best wishes.

I use String Builders to teach violin to my students. I feel that the way they have set up the book and used scales as a basis for everything else transforms into a way of teaching that helps the students to understand. The reason is mainly because they all know what a scale is and it helps them in proper placement of their fingers as they learn. I have had students come to me where teachers have placed tape over the proper placement for the fingers, and I remove them right away. I do not want children to have to use this as a crutch. They start right off in the beginning to train their ear to hear what they are playing and this makes for a better learning.All in all I am very happy with this series of books and have used it for the last 10 years that I have taught violin.

Fast shipping and item as described.

Great for a beginner. Easy to learn from.

good buy, i would recommend for sure.

Exactly what I was looking for. Apparently older versions got into things faster (became more advanced quicker), so I'll have to get the second book sooner than I'd anticipated.

I am just learning the violin, this is a great book for starters. Kids and adults can have no problems following. This book is a series. Can't wait for the second book.

Excellent condition.

I am a huge fan of this book which I used myself as a beginner violinist (and then later violist) around 25 years ago. Although it lacks fun pictures that you get in many beginner violin books, it's a fantastic and very detailed book containing around 170 exercises that comprehensively takes the player from complete beginner right through to a standard where my pupils are ABRSM/Trinity Music grade 1 standard. I would recommend using in conjunction with a theory book also to introduce key signatures. Great value for money.