Violin For Dummies, 2nd Edition Paperback – 25 May 2012

I am a returning violinist, having played as a teenager so I'm not able to say what this is like from a total beginner's perspective but equally I didn't actually get very far with my playing back then so I was never advanced either and I never got to grips with sight reading music. The book itself is great, I've picked up a few good hints and tips and it's certainly got me back up to a workable standard quite fast and I also seem to be picking up sight reading! There have been a couple of times when I thought 'huh?' but then the things I was confused about were explained in later chapters so if you do have one of those moments, check elsewhere in the book for an explanation (e.g. sharp and flat notation appears on the music before they are actually explained). This would actually be quite a nice supplement for someone taking lessons because on lessons you don't necessarily have the time to go into all the theory (the parts of the violin and so on). I was so pleased to be able to order this as a Kindle edition - the only reason I considered knocking it down a star is because the associated media is a bit clunky to access - first you need to download, then there's a simple program that runs, then the song listings come up in numerical order... meaning song 11 is above song 2 and so on... (there may be a way to change this final setting, admittedly I haven't bothered playing around with it yet but even so) this media access system could be polished up a bit. Best of luck to any other returners or new beginners out there!

I wanted a book that was easy to get to grip with, having browsed around, decided on the "Violin"for dummies. I have used the dummies range before (for computers), so was aware of the style of the book. For me the layout and quirky comments, I enjoyed.One thing to be aware of though, like other reviewers on this book have noted, that the pricing and some of the music terms are american. Nothing wrong with that, what I did though was to cross out or annotate the equiverlent.Also for this edition it came with the CD, very helpful, especially for practice feedback.

I have several of the "For Dummies" series and generally find them ok - when they finally get down to the subject. This, like the others, spends an inordinate amount of time in what I would describe as throat clearing. This one spent a lot of time telling the reader how to take the violin out of the case. Two sentences would have sufficed. I dislike the obligatory jokey style. The odd quip is fine but after a while they start to get on your nerves. If you have patience there is sound information in this book. However, the book could easily have been halved in length without losing anything of importance.

This is a really entertaining book with lots of useful information on playing and looking after your violin but I wouldn't use it as your sole means of learning! As a really good supliment to either a more traditional violin tutor book or as a bit of light entertainment between lessons it's really unbeatable but seriously, buy something like A Tune A Day to learn the basics at a more logical and reasonable pace!

As with all ' Dummies' books a lot of knowledge and a lot of smart- ass comments. For me this takes the seriousness away and helps me relax, but some people may find it distracting and annoying. Apply yourself and you will learn, and become better at all the subjects this series of books cover. It is a matter of personal choice. Every thing regarding subject matter is covered, some very deeply and some touched on, this can lead you on to further research if a subject matter intrigues, as all good foundation books should do.

Maybe too much information. It's not easy to follow, I think theres too much information crammed in on each page - that's a good thing for some people but not for me, the information is of good quality however!

My sister got a violin for Christmas and she wanted a book to help her learn everything from scratch. She has found this book invaluable in teaching her all things she needs to know to start learning the violin. It is all explained extremely well and in simple enough terms for anyone to understand.So if you are picking up the violin with no clue on how to play it, how to take care of it and you've never played an instrument before this is the book for you!

I'm only on chapter 7 but already I have learnt a lot! It cannot replace having a real tutor but it helps alongside or before receiving lessons. Very happy.