Mel Bay First Lessons Violin Book/CD Set [Paperback]

Craig Duncan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 23, 2002

This text presents beginning violin technique and basic music-reading fundamentals, with an emphasis on the use of melodies and classical pieces to teach each new concept. The 28 lessons include basic technique and reading skills, scales in the keys of A, D, G, and C as well as bowing techniques such as dynamic contrast, slurs, accents, and staccato bowing. There are 47 melodies presented including works by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Handel, Mozart and other classical composers. The companion CD features all of the exercises and pieces recorded with solo violin and piano accompaniment.

Product Details

• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Mel Bay Publications, Inc. (January 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786618051
• ISBN-13: 978-0786618057
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 8.8 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #350,659 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

137 of 140 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars First lessons, it shows you how!, June 24, 2003

By 

Jason Carpenter (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mel Bay First Lessons Violin Book/CD Set (Paperback)

I'm 36 and recieved a Violin for my 5th wedding anniversary. (5th = wood traditionaly) I've wanted to play for a long long time, however I know nothing about music. Before this book, I had absolute ZERO music knowledge. This book showed the finger positions before each lesson. This was key for me, because when I was reading through "Step one: Teach yourself Violin", which I got at the same time and looked into first, I didn't understand how you can make a B note on G, D, A, & E strings. It just didn't click. This book has a diagram showing for example on the E string it's Open string = E, then first finger position = F#, then G# and then A. Each lesson is laid out with a note diagram of the strings involved and which position on the fingerboard makes which note. This is what got me started, as I said I was somewhat lost with the other book. There is not much on holding the violin or bow, but enough to get started. It also has a brief description on music notation. Through the progression of lessons the music is a bit more complicated in that new things like dynamics are introduced. for $... this is a must if you are like me and starting from scratch. I also like "Step one: Teach yourself Violin", because it has a video cassette, but I suggest First Lessons first!

55 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I've seen better!, December 21, 2004

By 

jody violin (Bangor ME) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mel Bay First Lessons Violin Book/CD Set (Paperback)

Whenever anyone criticizes the Suzuki method, I always raise a red flag (review previous to this one). It's been around forever and has done a world of good!! The Suzuki method books include very mature pieces.

As a teacher, First Lessons, just doesn't have enough warm-ups. The ABCs of Violin is better--it's a longer book and includes more material--great selections of pieces, excellent warm-ups. The Suzuki books have minimal warm-ups, mainly pieces, but excellent selection of pieces.

First Lessons is an ok book as a supplement just in the beginning, but the Suzuki books and the ABCs of Violin have books you can move on to. Suzuki, Books 1 through 10 and the ABCs of Violin, Books 1 through 5.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good for adults!, November 25, 2006

By 

Z. Carter (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mel Bay First Lessons Violin Book/CD Set (Paperback)

I'm 32 years old, and decided to learn the violin as my son has been playing a few months now. I've been working through this book for almost three weeks without a teacher and I'm in the middle of lesson 8 right now. As other reviewers have mentioned, there is no instruction on how to read music or how to tune the violin.

I played a string instrument (bass violin) many years ago and did not find this a problem, you simply remember Every Good Boy Does Finely to name the lines and F A C E to name the spaces and work from there. This will not slow you down, the bass plays in a different clef and learning to "read" the music in the treble (G) clef that the violin uses took less than a week. As for tuning, buy a chromatic tuner when you purchase your instrument and ask for tuning instructions then.

This book takes an approach much better suited to adults or musicians who play other instruments in that it emphasises melodies to learn to play. You are done with open strings after lesson one and learn the notes and fingering of the A major scale in lesson two. This is a much more satisfying approach than traditional method books. Slurs are introduced in lesson 11. You'll have learned most of the notes in first position by lesson 13 and the rest by lesson 17. Lesson 22 will introduce the 4th finger.

My only complaints about the books are: 1.) the heavy emphasis on the A and E strings. This was dramatic enough to make me search through the book to find any songs that use the G string (I found a couple at lesson 13), and to make me wonder if I should write out the songs an octave or fifth lower just to practice using the D and G strings as well. (The D string is included a little more often that G)

And 2.) the lack of difficult songs. Always one to run before I can walk, I'd have liked to see a "challenge" piece every couple of lessons or so. The pieces included in the lessons here can be conquered somewhere within 1 to 3 hours of practice and, of course, become easier with repetition.

All in all, an interesting book to work through and the CD is a nice bonus.