Introduction                                       1  (6)
      Why This Book Is for You                     1  (1)
      Foolish Assumptions                          2  (1)
      How This Book Is Organized                   2  (2)
        Part I So You Want to Play the Violin      3  (1)
        Part II Getting Started: The Basics        3  (1)
        Part III Reading Music for the Violin      3  (1)
        Part IV Musicianship and Harmony           3  (1)
        Part V Taking It Up a Notch: Techniques    3  (1)
        and Styles
        Part VI Getting into Gear, Staying in      4  (1)
        Gear
        Part VII The Part of Tens                  4  (1)
        The Audio and Video Tracks                 4  (1)
      Icons Used in This Book                      4  (1)
      Where to Go from Here                        5  (2)
  Part I So You Want to Play the Violin            7  (46)
    Chapter 1 Introducing the Violin               9  (8)
      Meeting the String Family                    9  (2)
        Tuning up                                  10 (1)
        Holding on                                 10 (1)
      Bowing Out Some Sounds                       11 (1)
        Looking closely at the bow                 11 (1)
        Using both your hands                      11 (1)
      Reading between the Lines                    12 (1)
        Knowing the notes                          12 (1)
        Getting rhythm                             13 (1)
      Digging Deeper into Music                    13 (1)
        Scales and key signatures                  13 (1)
        Harmony                                    13 (1)
      Getting Stylish                              14 (1)
        Dazzling technique                         14 (1)
        Multicultural music                        14 (1)
      Having Your Own Violin                       15 (2)
    Chapter 2 Getting Started with the Violin      17 (22)
      Examining the Violin                         18 (3)
      How Violins Work                             21 (2)
        String vibration and string length         21 (1)
        Using both hands to make a sound           21 (1)
        How the bow helps                          22 (1)
      Using the Violin Case                        23 (2)
        Taking the violin out of its case          23 (1)
        Putting the violin away                    24 (1)
        Protecting your violin                     25 (1)
      Tuning the Violin                            25 (9)
        Working the pegs and fine tuners           26 (3)
        Tuning with the piano                      29 (1)
        Using an electronic tuner                  30 (2)
        Using a pitch pipe                         32 (1)
        Using a tuning fork                        33 (1)
      Troubleshooting Guide to Dealing with        34 (5)
      Pegs and Fine Tuners
        Peg problems                               34 (2)
        Fine tuner problems                        36 (3)
    Chapter 3 Holding Up Well                      39 (14)
      Understanding the Importance of a Good       39 (4)
      Violin Hold
        When standing                              40 (2)
        When sitting                               42 (1)
      Reading from a Music Stand                   43 (1)
      Finding a Good Fit: Chinrests and            44 (5)
      Shoulder Rests
        Chinrests                                  45 (2)
        Shoulder rests                             47 (2)
      Fixing Common Problems with the Violin       49 (4)
      Hold
        Keeping the scroll afloat                  49 (1)
        Watching the horizontal angle              50 (1)
        Keeping your elbow under                   51 (1)
        Gripping too much with the shoulder        52 (1)
  Part II Getting Started: The Basics              53 (54)
    Chapter 4 Taking a Bow                         55 (18)
      Saying Hello to the Bow                      56 (1)
      Preparing the Bow                            57 (4)
        Tightening and loosening the horsehair     58 (1)
        Using rosin on the bow                     59 (2)
      Getting a Grip on Your Bow Hold              61 (4)
        The famous diva method                     61 (1)
        The hidden treasures method                62 (2)
        Conquering common problems with the bow    64 (1)
        hold
      Setting the Bow on the Strings               65 (2)
        Bowing on different strings                66 (1)
        Understanding bowing signs                 67 (1)
      Playing Your First Concert!                  67 (3)
      Mr. Smooth and Mr. Clean: Two Bowing         70 (3)
      Styles
    Chapter 5 Getting the Left Hand Right          73 (18)
      Shaping Up Your Arm and Fingers              73 (5)
        Getting your arm in shape                  74 (1)
        Taking your fingers to tap dancing class   75 (1)
        Making a hand frame that works             75 (2)
        Keeping your thumb loose on the            77 (1)
        violin's neck
      Putting Your Fingers on the Strings          78 (3)
        Getting groovy fingertips                  78 (1)
        Counting your fingers                      79 (1)
        Knowing which finger to use for what       80 (1)
        note
        Lifting and placing your fingers           80 (1)
      Getting It Taped                             81 (3)
      Preparing Your Pizzicato                     84 (3)
        Exploring the fingerboard guidesthrough    85 (2)
        pizzicato
      Three's Company: Putting Finger 2 to Work    87 (4)
    Chapter 6 All Together Now                     91 (16)
      Using Your Hands Together                    91 (4)
        Starting to use both hands                 91 (1)
        Developing fitness for hands together      92 (3)
      Crossing Over to a Different String          95 (7)
        Crossing strings with the bow              95 (3)
        Crossing strings with the fingers          98 (4)
      Playing Music with Both Hands                102(3)
        Warming up to the task                     102(1)
        Topping the charts: Three simple songs     103(2)
      Expanding Your Bow Strokes                   105(2)
        Using more bow, gradually                  105(1)
        Preparing to play Pachelbel                105(2)
  Part III Reading Music for the Violin            107(56)
    Chapter 7 Translating Five Lines onto Four     109(18)
    Strings
      Lining Up the Music                          109(4)
        Keeping up with the clef                   110(2)
        Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge (and so      112(1)
        do girls!)
        Climbing the ledger lines                  112(1)
      Naming Your Notes, String by String          113(6)
        Knowing 17 notes                           114(1)
        A string                                   114(1)
        E string                                   115(2)
        D string                                   117(1)
        G string                                   118(1)
      Meeting the Sharps, Flats, and Naturals      119(1)
        Looking at sharps, flats, and naturals     119(1)
        Playing sharps and flats                   120(1)
      Playing Music by Reading the Notes           120(1)
      Playing Loud and Soft --- Dynamite           121(6)
      Dynamics!
        Making loud sounds                         123(1)
        Making soft sounds                         123(1)
        Adding crescendo and diminuendo            124(3)
    Chapter 8 Making Rhythm Count                  127(14)
      Dissecting a Musical Note                    127(1)
      Adding Up the Value of Notes                 128(7)
        Whole notes                                129(1)
        Half notes                                 130(1)
        Quarter notes                              131(1)
        Eighth notes                               132(1)
        Sixteenth notes                            133(1)
        Triplets                                   134(1)
      Adding Dots                                  135(1)
        Dotted half notes                          135(1)
        Dotted quarter notes                       136(1)
      Taking a Rest                                136(1)
      You've Got Rhythm: Pieces to Play!           137(4)
    Chapter 9 Measuring Up: A Guide to Meter       141(22)
      Measure for Measure                          141(2)
      Keeping Time: Time Signatures                143(4)
        Tapping into the beat                      143(2)
        Counting rests                             145(1)
        Emphasizing the right beat                 145(2)
      Using Metronomes                             147(4)
        Mechanical metronomes                      147(1)
        Electronic metronomes                      148(2)
        Making friends with your metronome         150(1)
      Making Music in 4/4 Meter                    151(2)
      Counting and Playing in Threes               153(1)
      Doing (Just About) Everything Else from      154(3)
      Fours and Threes
        4/4 time                                   155(1)
        6/8 time                                   156(1)
      Getting Up to Speed: What Those Tempo        157(1)
      Markings Mean
      Time for Some Songs                          158(5)
  Part IV Musicianship and Harmony                 163(44)
    Chapter 10 Weighing In on Scales               165(24)
      Climbing Up and Down                         165(1)
      Marching through the Major Scales            166(13)
        Building major scales                      167(1)
        Major scales you need to know              168(1)
        A major scale                              168(3)
        G major scale, upper octave                171(2)
        G major scale, two octaves                 173(1)
        E major scale                              174(2)
        A major scale, two octaves                 176(2)
        F major scale                              178(1)
      Casting Light on Those Minors                179(3)
        Building a minor scale                     179(1)
        Playing A melodic minor scale              179(2)
        Playing A harmonic minor scale             181(1)
      Meeting Other Scales in Brief                182(2)
        Natural minor scales                       182(1)
        Pentatonic scales                          183(1)
        Chromatic scales                           183(1)
      Harping On about Arpeggios                   184(2)
        A major arpeggio                           185(1)
        A minor arpeggio                           186(1)
      Major (and Minor) Achievements               186(3)
    Chapter 11 Cracking Key Signatures             189(8)
      The Keys to Reading Music                    189(4)
        Getting keyed up about key signatures      189(1)
        Reading the key signatures for major       190(2)
        keys
        Keeping order                              192(1)
      Unlocking the Music with the Right Key       193(1)
      Figuring Out Minor Keys                      193(2)
        Forming the relative minor                 194(1)
        Recognizing minor keys when reading        194(1)
        music
      Having the Last Dance                        195(2)
    Chapter 12 Making Sweet Music Together:        197(10)
    Harmony
      Making Sense of Chords and Harmony           197(1)
      In the Big Leagues: Major Chords             198(3)
        Finding the primary triads                 199(1)
        Breaking out in chords                     200(1)
      Digging for Minor Chords                     201(1)
      Making the Most of Major and Minor Chords    202(1)
      Meet the Bossy Chords: Dominant 7ths         203(2)
      Harmonizing in Thirds and Sixths             205(2)
  Part V Taking It Up a Notch: Techniques and      207(102)
  Styles
    Chapter 13 Becoming Fluent in the Language     209(32)
    of Bowing
      Two Notes (Or More) with One Stroke:         210(13)
      Legato
        Changing bow direction smoothly            211(1)
        Starting to slur two notes                 212(4)
        Slurring across strings                    216(3)
        Playing three notes in a bow stroke        219(3)
        Fitting four notes in a bow stroke         222(1)
      Getting Up to Speed and Figuring Out Bow     223(4)
      Division
        Deciding how much bow to use on a note     224(1)
        or measure
        Doing the math: Dividing the bow by        225(1)
        note values
        Dividing the bow strokes in                226(1)
        anticipation of the next note
        Adjusting the amounts of bow for           226(1)
        dynamics
      Mais Oui, Maestro: Taking On Ze Accents      227(6)
        Accenting the positive                     228(2)
        Hammering it out: Martele                  230(3)
      Meeting the Fanciest Bowings                 233(8)
        Slurred staccato                           233(1)
        Meet the off-the-string family             234(7)
    Chapter 14 Putting Your Finger on It           241(44)
      Two Notes Are Better Than One: Easy          241(9)
      Double Stops
        Preparing your bow for double stops        242(2)
        Going from one string to two and back      244(2)
        again
        Ballet dancing with your fingers on the    246(1)
        lower string
        Playing double stops where both notes      247(2)
        use fingers
        Playing double stops galore                249(1)
      Pulling Out All the Stops: Three- and        250(4)
      Four-Note Chords
        Three-note chords                          250(2)
        Four-note chords                           252(1)
        A grand finale with chords                 253(1)
      Getting into the First Four Positions        254(9)
        Finding first position                     254(1)
        Smoothing out the second position          255(1)
        Putting second position to work            256(2)
        Playing in third position                  258(2)
        Venturing forth in fourth position         260(3)
        Knowing what position you're in            263(1)
      Changing Position                            263(11)
        Easing into shifting positions             264(2)
        Getting to know the four kinds of shifts   266(6)
        Changing position to go to a different     272(1)
        string
        Playing a shifty song                      273(1)
      All Aquiver: Vibrato                         274(5)
        Getting started with vibrato               275(4)
        Good vibrations: Using your vibrato in     279(1)
        a real song
      Tapping into Trills                          279(6)
        Building speed of repetition               280(1)
        Speeding from finger to finger             280(1)
        Trilling techniques                        281(4)
    Chapter 15 Playing with Style                  285(24)
      Fiddling Around with Country Music           285(8)
        Familiarizing yourself with fiddle music   286(2)
        Fiddling in different styles               288(1)
        Sounding like a fiddler                    289(2)
        Fiddling your way to songs                 291(2)
      Grooving to Jazz                             293(7)
        Listening to some jazz violin              293(1)
        Getting the jazz sound                     294(3)
        Jazzing up your violin                     297(3)
      Enchanting with Gypsy Violin                 300(9)
        Listening to some great gypsy violin       300(1)
        Romancing the violin                       301(4)
        Playing in the gypsy style                 305(4)
  Part VI Getting into Gear, Staying in Gear       309(46)
    Chapter 16 Finding the Right Violin and Bow    311(18)
    for You
      Picking a Violin That's Right for You        312(5)
        The price is right                         312(1)
        Tip-top condition                          313(2)
        Old news                                   315(1)
        Sound advice                               315(1)
        All about appearance                       316(1)
      Sizing Up the Violin                         317(2)
      Buying the Best Bow                          319(2)
        What bows are made of                      319(1)
        How the bow feels                          320(1)
      Buying or Renting Your Violin                321(3)
        Buying                                     321(1)
        Renting                                    322(1)
        Renting to buy                             323(1)
      Finding Your Violin                          324(2)
      Getting Plugged into Electric Violins        326(3)
        Acoustic pickups                           326(1)
        Electric violins                           327(2)
    Chapter 17 Protecting Your Assets: Violin      329(26)
    Care and Maintenance
      Cleaning Up                                  329(4)
        Daily dusting                              330(1)
        Cleaning the strings                       330(2)
        Polishing the wood                         332(1)
      Changing Strings                             333(7)
        Taking off the old strings                 333(3)
        Prepping the pegs and string               336(1)
        Putting on strings attached at the         337(1)
        tailpiece
        Putting on strings attached to fine        338(1)
        tuners
        Tightening the strings                     339(1)
      Protecting Your Violin                       340(2)
        Practicing safety at rehearsals            340(1)
        Traveling with your violin                 340(2)
      Upgrading Your Case                          342(4)
        The makings of a good case                 343(2)
        Testing a case                             345(1)
        Looking at extra features                  345(1)
      Changing Chinrests                           346(2)
        Taking off the old chinrest                347(1)
        Attaching the new chinrest                 348(1)
      Rehairing the Bow                            348(1)
      Finding Useful Accessories                   349(6)
        Necessities                                350(1)
        Extras                                     350(5)
  Part VII The Part of Tens                        355(28)
    Chapter 18 Ten Performers---and Their          357(6)
    Recordings
      Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840)                 357(1)
      Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962)                   358(1)
      Jascha Heifetz (1899-1987)                   358(1)
      Stephane Grappelli (1908-1997)               359(1)
      Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999)                   359(1)
      Itzhak Perlman (1945)                        360(1)
      Nigel Kennedy (1956)                         361(1)
      Mark O'Connor (1961)                         361(1)
      Natalie MacMaster (1973)                     361(1)
      Rachel Barton Pine (1974)                    362(1)
    Chapter 19 Ten Ways to Go beyond This Book     363(10)
      Subscribing to a Magazine                    363(1)
      Attending Concerts                           364(1)
      Joining a Community Orchestra                365(1)
      Going to Summer Camps                        365(1)
      Playing in Small Groups                      366(2)
      Participating in Festivals                   368(1)
        Local music festivals (competitive and     368(1)
        noncompetitive)
        International music festivals              368(1)
      Building a Music Collection                  369(1)
      Watching and Collecting Videos and DVDs      369(1)
      Visiting Competitions                        370(1)
      Performing at Hospitals and Seniors' Homes   371(2)
    Chapter 20 Ten (Or So) Tips on Finding a       373(10)
    Teacher
      Networking                                   373(2)
      Calling the Local Orchestra                  375(1)
      Inquiring at Music Schools                   375(1)
      Checking Out Community Colleges              376(1)
      Asking at the University                     377(1)
      Hearing Students Play                        377(1)
      Asking at the Music Store                    378(1)
      Mentioning Your Quest Everywhere             379(1)
      Checking Out Violin Lessons on the           379(1)
      Internet
      Looking for a Good Gut Feeling before You    379(2)
      Start
      Meeting a Teacher for the First Time         381(2)
        Auditioning                                381(1)
        Planning lessons                           382(1)
        Making business arrangements               382(1)
  Appendix: How to Use the Audio and Video         383(12)
  Tracks
      Relating the Text to the Audio and Video     383(1)
      Tracks
        Hearing the audio tracks                   383(1)
        Watching the video tracks                  384(1)
      System Requirements                          384(1)
      Using Microsoft Windows                      384(1)
      What You Find on the Audio and Video         385(8)
      Tracks
        MP3 audio tracks                           385(5)
        Video tracks                               390(3)
      Troubleshooting                              393(2)
Index                                              395