Customer Reviews

Step One Teach Yourself Violin: A Complete Learning System Including 3 Audio Cds and DVD! (Step One Teach Yourself)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(6)

 

 

Though this item boasts a book, 3 CDs and one DVD, I found it to be far from a complete learning system. The book has only 2 pages covering notation, one page describes the violin itself and a mere 3 paragraphs are given to holding the bow and the instrument. If you are a beginner, there simply is not enough introductory material to properly introduce basic technique. On the DVD, an unemotional presenter monotonously delivers little substance. For example, she advises that the bow hair should be neither too tight nor too loose but never tells the viewer how to determine what is too tight and what is too loose.

The accompaniment CDs are unmusical and sound like the piano part is played by a computer.

Your money will be better spent taking just one lesson with a professional teacher near you.

I'm giving this four stars as an overall package. I feel that the quality of the material and the amount of lessons provided in the overall package are well worth Amazon's price for this product.

I agree with the previous reviewer that the video lessons are incomplete. This teacher jumps into playing scales and lessons which are far beyond someone who's picking up a violin for the very first time. The woman in this video doesn't even show where the notes are located on the violin fingerboard, and there is no mention at all about how to properly use the left hand, or even much about how to properly bow the instrument. The real value with this package is not with the video lesson, but with the rest of the material provided.

Two of the CDs contain all of the lessons played both at slow speed and moderate speed. I feel that the difference between these speeds is significant for someone who's trying to play along with them. The third CD contains just background music which is very nice for practicing after a piece is learned.

I would recommend Mel Bay's video "Anyone Can Play Violin" with Coral White as a First Lesson. However, I would definitely recommend this "Step One: Teach Yourself Violin" as a nice continuation to the Mel Bay video. There are many more lessons contained in this package plus many more scales which are important. The quality of the video is excellent, and while the presenter may not instill a party atmosphere she does present the lessons in a very professional manner. However, there isn't a lot of "how-to" information. Most of it is just watching her play scales and pieces to compare your performance with. She doesn't play all the lessons on video either. All the lessons on contained on the DVD but most of them are just music so you may as well just use the CDs for that.

I'm definitely happy with the package overall though, but I do recommend it as a second step rather than a first step. I highly recommend the Mel Bay video as the first step. It's extremely boring, but very informative! Mel Bay's book "First Lessons Violin" with CD is also a good supplement for a beginner. This Step One package is for someone who would like to move along a little faster and further than the Mel Bay lessons go.

With a little more information this package could have been complete. Unfortunately it is lacking in some important details making it a good second lesson after the Mel Bay video instead of being complete in itself.

I still highly recommend this package as a second step for a beginner who has completed something like the Mel Bay video. This Step One is definitely a good quality package overall even if you toss out the DVD lessons which I personally enjoyed watching. I think it's always educational to watch someone else play your lessons on the violin. However, having the lessons on CD played both slow and at moderate speed, as well as having just background music for practicing is really nice I think. There are a lot of interesting pieces in the lessons. So I give it four stars. If they had included just a little bit more info in the video lessons I would have easily given it the full five stars. The quality of the video overall is very good (better quality than the Mel Bay video I think) However, the Mel Bay video covers more technical details that are important so I can't help but point a raw beginner in that direction for a first lesson. This Step One just doesn't cover enough of the gory details, but it's a great practice package.

When possible, I borrow instruction books, CDs, videos, and DVDs for learning a musical instrument from the library to try before I buy. This set was available at my local library.

In the case of "Step One Teach Yourself Violin: A Complete Learning System" I give it two thumbs down.

The instructor on the DVD begins playing scales on her violin then tells you play along. Unfortunately, neither she nor the book tell you where to place your fingers on the strings or what you are supposed to be playing. The instructor, in my opinion, is not very friendly or helpful.

I equate her teaching methods with a child entering the kindergarden, being handed the complete works of Kafka, and being expected to read and undertand it before they've learned the alphabet.

The only thing I learned from this method is not to buy it.

I am very disappointed in this course. I had such a desire to learn to play the violin but could not find an instructor in my town. I decided to purchase a violin and teach myself. I knew absolutely nothing about a violin and thought this course would take me through the steps. When advertising a "teach yourself" course should mean that it will start you from the beginning and explain everything. This course does not. Did not explain what the Letters were on top, where do you put your fingers, and does not let you know what page she is referring to while teaching. Immediately takes you though a scale exercise without teaching how to start or where to put your fingers. I had to go on youtube.com to help me answer some of the many many questions I had. It would also help if the camera was showing the fingering and where to start...none of that. This is not a beginners teach yourself course at all. I am very disappointed.

It is a totally misleading product. A music teaching item should have fundamentals in detail, and then individual practice items carefully produced to help in getting to know the notes on the instrument. This item treats the learner with virtual contempt.

Firt of all, when I ordered this item, it was supposed to arrive two weeks later. It did not. It took it another two weeks to arrive. Anyway, when it did, I was happy to receive it. I enthusiastically opened the package got its contents out, and started skimming through the book. I was extremely dissapointed. If it got to cover important material, it covered it in just a few paragraphs. In no way is this a learning method that will actually help a begginer violinist start playing the violin. I returned the item that same day and instead bought the Picture Yourself Playing Violin, which is by far a better method.

Hope this helps!

For those of us who can't afford to pay big bucks for a privet violin teacher this is the way to go. The lessons are simple and easy to follow. Stay focused and practice, practice, practice.

Having only been playing for just under 2 years, I purchased a "kit" called "Teach Yourself Violin". I figured I could pick up on a thing or two from any course. The outside of the kit said it contained a lesson book, recorded versions of all the lessons and a DVD to demonstrate all of the techniques and theories covered in the other material. The package was packaged very professionally and it was only $29.95 and I had a $5 off coupon so I thought to myself, Why Not? After all, the product was distributed by Hal Leonard and I have never been disappointed by a Hal Leonard product in the past.

When I got the kit, I opened the box and immediately went to the DVD. Boy was I disappointed! The young lady in the video had long jet black hair and was dressed in a black turtle neck. Her eyes were glazed over and her speech was slurred throughout the entire video. I'm not kidding; she looked and sounded like Elvira on Quaaludes! Her intonation was off and her bowing wasn't perpendicular to the strings. The entire lesson on music theory lasted only 43 seconds! From there, she went into bowing exercises on open strings and then went STRAIGHT into the tunes.

I'm sure many might say that since I have only been playing for such a short time, that I have no right to critique but I have purchased enough DVDs on fiddling and other instruments and have attended enough seminars and workshops put on by professional musicians to I know a good instructor from a bad one. I am honestly shocked that any final editor would let something this poorly done make it to final production. Hal Leonard should be ashamed for distributing such a poor product.

The CDs that contain recordings of all of the lessons aren't anything to write home about either.