Product Description

Janice Tucker Rhoda's phenomenally successful series, The ABCs of Strings owes much of its success to the wonderful original material for players of all ages and to the sensitive arrangements of familiar classical selections, folk songs and fiddle tunes. The ABCs of Violin for the Absolute Beginner, Book 1 is the first in a series of five excellent violin instruction books that complement the Suzuki books extremely well. In the ABCs series there are beautiful melodies, short warm-up exercises and study pieces which advance students technically in an easy and enjoyable way. Simple duets, scales, a note-reading worksheet, glossary and practice chart are also included in ABCs of Violin Book 1 along with many graphs to show left-hand finger placement. An ideal violin book for the Absolute Beginner! Complementary materials sold separately are the ABCs of Violin DVD, ABCs of Violin CD, ABCs of Violin Easy Piano Accompaniment and ABCs of Duets.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #57764 in Books
• Published on: 1998-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 48 pages

About the Author
Author Janice Tucker Rhoda, whose biography is included in Marquis Who's Who in the World, has designed her path-breaking instruction series, The ABCs of Strings, to encourage students of all ages to play the Violin, Viola, Cello and Bass. Ms. Rhoda is an alumna of the New England Conservatory of Music Preparatory School and College in Boston, Massachusetts where her teacher was well-known violinist and pedagogue, Eric Rosenblith, protégé of Carl Flesch. She has taught students to play the violin for over 30 years and was a past director of the Suzuki Program at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Presently she gives regular ABCs of Violin Teacher Training seminars worldwide and at the Cambridge Center for Adult Ed in Harvard Square. Hundreds of students have enjoyed her Violin for the Absolute Beginner and ABCs of Duets classes at the Cambridge Center for Adult Ed.

Customer Reviews

Best book by far for adult beginner
I had always wanted to learn how to play the violin and finally decided to take the plunge last year. It seemed like a good idea to buy some starter books that would help me learn how. I picked up three such books that had been recommended to me. By far the best was the "ABCs of Violin for the Absolute Beginner." The notes were easy to read and the tunes were really fun to play. New ideas were introduced at a good pace--not pushy fast, not pokey slow--just right. I could keep up without feeling overwhelmed, but I felt like I was learning something, too. I'm now near the end of Book 2 of the series and having a blast! Can't wait to try out Book 3.

The other two method books I bought just didn't cut it for me. They seemed harder to understand and threw a lot at you all at once. It was the ABCs that really made me want to keep playing--no contest as far as I'm concerned, at least.

The ABCs of Violin for the Absolute Beginner
The ABC's of Violin has played an enormous role in fulfilling my dream of learning to play the violin. I'm overwhelmed by the simplicity of its approach, and it's underlying structure that has so effectively developed my skills. New concepts and techniques are introduced in such a logical manner as to further a student's development while limiting the frustrations and intimidation that frequently accompany a new undertaking such as learning an instrument. I also enjoy the vast repertoire of material presented throughout the book. The material ranges from focused studies to actual songs, encompassing nearly every genre imaginable, from classical to folk. Many of these songs are famous, others are slightly more obscure, but each cleverly selected to introduce a new element or concept at precisely the right time. The variety of music selection has also expanded the future directions that I hope to take my violin playing.

I also highly recommend acquiring the accompanying CD. It contains beautiful renditions of the songs presented in the book. I've found that playing along with the CD greatly improved my reading, timing, intonation, and confidence.

Yes, for the absolute beginner
I started off by using this book when I decided to teach myself the violin, and I'm very happy I did. The finger placement charts really helped me get started right. It's been a lot of fun using the book, because I can play famous melodies I'm familiar with. I also thought the author's original tunes were nice. And after doing the warm-up exercises, it was really easy to play the melodies that came after.

Yes indeed, this is a book for an absolute beginner on the violin--and I ought to know. I was one just a few months ago. Now, I'm in book 2 of the series and enjoying it. And I didn't need a teacher, either.

I'd recommend this book very highly.