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Tutorials

Suzuki Book 1 - O Come, Little Children (Violin Play Along & Lesson)

Hi everyone, Joel Kennedy here with Kennedy Violins. I’m excited to guide you through "O Come, Little Children" from Suzuki Book 1. Whether you’re ju...
Suzuki Book 2 — Boccherini Minuet (Violin Play Along & Lesson)

Hi everyone, Joel Kennedy here from Kennedy Violins! Today, we’re diving into another playalong—this time it’s Minuet from Suzuki Book 2, written by ...
Suzuki Book 2 — Two Grenadiers (Violin Play Along & Lesson)

Hello, violinists! Joel Kennedy here from Kennedy Violins. In my latest video, I dive into a classic playalong: The Two Grenadiers from Suzuki Book 2...
Suzuki Book 1 — Allegro (Play Along)

Hi everybody! Joel Kennedy here with Kennedy Violins, and I’m excited to share another Suzuki play-along, featuring “Allegro” from Suzuki Violin Book...
How To Tune A Violin By Ear

Tuning a violin by ear is a valuable skill for any violinist to develop. It allows you to tune your instrument quickly and accurately, without relying...
How To Install A Fine Tuner on a Violin

Whether you're upgrading your fine tuner or fixing an old one, learning how to install a fine tuner on your violin, viola, or cello is a cruci...
How to Hold a Violin Bow Properly: A Step-by-Step Guide

The way you hold a violin bow plays a pivotal role in your technique and sound quality. A proper bow hold offers you the flexibility, control, and range needed to create a beautiful tone and execute various bowing techniques....
Finger Tapes: How They Work and How to Put Them on a Violin

Learning to play the violin involves understanding its structure and how your fingers need to move on the fingerboard. Finger tapes are a helpful tool...
How to Stop a Shaky Bow When Playing Violin

Playing the violin involves mastering numerous techniques, one of which is achieving a steady bow stroke. Many violinists, both beginners and experie...
Music Theory Basics

Music is a language and like any other language it has a written form. The parts that make up the written form of music and the rules for writing is ...
How to Switch From Violin to Viola

Hi there, this is Joel Kennedy from Kennedy Violins, and today we're diving into a topic that has intrigued many: switching from violin to viola or ev...
Violin Tips for Intermediate Players: Elevate Your Skills to the Next Level

Congratulations on reaching the intermediate stage of your violin journey! This level is an exciting crossroads where you've mastered the basics but a...
How to Use Rosin on a Violin Bow

Mastering the art of rosining your bow is essential for every violinist. From ensuring your bow is adequately tightened to applying the perfect amount of rosin, there's a specific technique to ensure optimal sound quality. ...
How to Stop a Shaky Bow on the Violin: A Comprehensive Guide

The violin is an instrument that is as expressive as it is intricate. A skill that often challenges many violinists, both beginner and advanced, is c...
How to Stop Violin Pegs from Slipping: A Comprehensive Guide

Slipping pegs are one of the most common issues violinists face, regardless of their skill level. This problem can be both frustrating and problematic, leading to unstable tuning and affecting your performance. In this guide, we will explore the reasons behind slipping pegs and offer practical solutions....
How to Clean a Violin Bow Without Alcohol: A Safe and Effective Guide

Maintaining your violin bow is as crucial as taking care of the violin itself. With frequent playing, it's easy for the bow to accumulate rosin, dust...
How to String a Violin with Fine Tuners: A Step-by-Step Guide

Replacing strings on a violin can seem like an intimidating task, especially if you're not familiar with the process. Fine tuners add another layer o...
What Is The Standard Tuning For a Classical or Acoustic Guitar?

Learning to tune a guitar is one of the first skills a musician must master. The process may feel daunting for beginners, but, in reality, with patien...
How to Play a Chromatic Scale on Violin

In today’s video, I’ll be showing you an easy fingering for a 3 octave chromatic scale. Here is the fingering: GOING UP: On G string: (In 1/2 position...
How to Play Havana on the Violin

In this video, I’m going to show you how to easily play Havana on the violin The Havana song has basically has 3 main melodic sections. There is a mai...
How to Play a 3-Octave Scale on the Violin

Here's how to easily play a 3-octave G Major scale on the violin. Watch the video and play along. I’m going to show you how to play a G Major scale, w...
How to Play a Melodic Minor Scale on the Violin

In this video, I’m going to show you how to easily play a melodic minor scale on the violin For today’s example, I’m just going to show you how to pla...
How to Play a Minor Scale on the Violin

Joel walks us through how to play minor scales on the violin....
How to Play a Major Scale on the Violin

In Today’s video, I’ll be showing you how to play a Major scale on the violin. I’ll be showing you the G Major scale and a 1-octave scale as well as a...
When is the Best Time to Start Violin?

In this video, Joel Kennedy talks about when the best time is to start your child on violin.  Knowing when to start your child on violin has a lot to ...
BEST Exercise for Bass Strings (Classical Guitar)

Hello everyone, In this video, James Manuele teaches us some exercises for the bass string on your Antonio Giuliani Dreadnought classical guitar. If y...
Duet Exercise for Treble Strings (Classical Guitar)

Hello everyone, In today's video, James Manuele shows us a duet by Beethoven on the classical guitar....
Bass String Melodies - Classical Guitar

Hey everyone! In today's video, James teaches us two songs that will help you improve your skills at playing the bass strings on your Antonio Giuliani...
How to Hold a Violin

In Today’s video, I’ll be explaining how to hold the violin.  Holding the violin properly can help you avoid a lot of challenges to learning and playi...
BEST Exercises for Accidentals - Classical Guitar

In this video, James takes us through the best exercises for accidentals on classical guitar....
Music Theory Tutorial - Eighth Notes on the Classical Guitar

Finally understand eighth notes with this in-depth music theory tutorial provided by James Manuele. If you have any questions about our products a...
To Rest or Not to Rest: The Shoulder Rest Dilemma in Violin Playing

In this video, Joel shows you how to use a shoulder rest. and whether you need one, or not. Learning how to use a shoulder rest is not especially tricky. But you should know how to use a shoulder rest, and why it can be so helpful to you. Using a shoulder rest on your violin will make it easier to learn....
Exercise for Open Strings (EASY) - Classical Guitar

James Manuele teaches us two exercises on using open strings on your classical guitar. James explains the notes of open strings on your classical guit...
What to Look For When Choosing a Violin for a Beginner

What to look for when buying and choosing a violin? It can seem like a very daunting task, and if you don’t know a lot about violins, it can seem impo...
Antonio Giuliani DN-4 guitar "Rag" Style (maple leaf rag)

Hello everyone, Here is an example of the fingerpicking technique on our DN-4 Dreadnought acoustic guitar. Our Dreadnought guitars have a crisp bright...
Antonio Giuliani DN-4 playing in the "Flatpicking" Technique

Here is an example of the flatpicking technique on our DN-4 Dreadnought acoustic guitar. Our Dreadnought guitars have a crisp bright tone and are made...
Antonio Giuliani DN-4 Playing in the "Fingerpicking" Technique

Here is an example of the fingerpicking technique on our DN-4 Dreadnought acoustic guitar. Our Dreadnought guitars have a crisp bright tone and are ma...
How to Tie Classical Guitar Strings

Need to change the strings on your classical guitar? Then watch as James explains how to tie and wrap a fresh set of nylons on this Giuliani CL6....
How to Bow SMOOTHLY - Learn Colle'

In today’s video, I’ll be talking about how to bow smoothly like a professional. In other words, how to learn the colle’ bowing technique on the viol...
How to Install the Bridge

Usually, a bridge needs to be put back on an instrument because it was dropped (YIKES!) or it suffered some blunt trauma during the shipping process. ...
How to Read Sheet Music

Hello everyone, In continuation of my short series on reading sheet music, I want to talk about the first steps in reading sheet music, which is re...
How to Read Dynamics

Hello Everyone, Today, I’m starting a short series on how to read music. Today I’ll be talking about how to read and successfully perform dynamics ...
How to Straighten a Bridge

Hello everyone, Today's post is about the importance of keeping your bridge straight and how to straighten it. 99.9% of the time, a crooked bridge is ...
Different Types of Violin Strings

Hello everyone, Today, I’m doing a quick video on the differences between the types of strings you can install on your violin. There are 3 prima...
How to Change a Violin String

Hello Everyone, For today’s video, I will not only be showing you an easy way to change your violin string but also a couple tricks that will make ...
How To Play With a Straight Bow

Hello Everyone, Today’s video is about how to play with a straight bow. Playing with a straight bow is very important because it will give you C...
How To Place Left Hand On a Violin

Hello Everyone, Today's blog post is about proper left hand placement on your violin or viola. Where you place your left hand is very important. Howev...
How to Bounce a Bow

Hello Everyone, Todays video is about learning how to bounce your bow. Bouncing your bow on a stringed instrument is more commonly known as Spicatt...
How to Practice Vibrato

Today's video is about how to practice vibrato. I won’t be talking a whole lot about the mechanics of vibrato because there are different types of vib...
What is Collegno?

Collegno is an Italian word that means “with wood”. It’s a technique that often used with violin and other bowed stringed instruments. Collegno has been used as an effect for a long time in orchestral music but it’s probably more prevalent in modern classical music. Here is how to achieve and use collegno when you play...
How to Do Ponticello

Ponticello is an effect that is most often used in orchestral music to show danger or mystery. It colors the sound in such a way that it conveys a sense of coldness or starkness. To effectively play ponticello, you have to make sure that you keep your bridge straight and play right extremely close to the bridge. Here's how…...
How to Do Tremolo on the Violin

What is tremolo? Tremolo on a bowed stringed instrument just means that you are creating a “trembling effect”. You will want to repeat the same not...
How to Learn Spiccato

Today's video is about some easy methods you can use, to learn the Spiccato bowing technique. There are many ways to learn spicatto, but over the year...
How to Learn Detache on the Violin

This is the first video in a series of videos I’ll be doing about various bowing techniques. I’ll be talking about Detache bowing today. Many peopl...
How to Read Sheet Music for Violin—Open Strings

Here are the first steps in reading violin sheet music, which is reading open strings. Watch the video for more tips! Memorizing how your open strings...
How to Write Fingerings in Sheet Music

Today’s video is about how to write fingerings in your sheet music. There are many benefits to writing fingerings in your sheet music whether you are ...
How to Put Fingering Tape on Your Violin

Hello everyone, Today I’m doing a short video on how and why to put fingering tapes on your violin. Many people who first learn the violin wonder why ...
How to Properly Store Your Instrument

Hello everyone, Today I wanted to give you a few ideas on the best ways to store your violin. Remember: Temperature and humidity affect strin...
How To Prepare for an Audition

Hello everyone, today I wanted to talk about how to prepare for an audition. It's all about two main things: Preparing the music and preparing your mi...
Audition Sight Reading

Hi everyone, today I give you 3 easy steps to practice, in order to make sight reading in auditions EASY! The 3 steps are: What is in your foot? --J...
Learn how to easily shift on the violin!

Hi everyone, today I show you how to easily learn how to shift and I give you 2 exercises that'll make you a great shifter! Remember 3 things: 1...
The Importance of Warming Up

What are the primary benefits to warming up properly? When you warm up properly, you will have a significantly more focused and productive practice se...
How to Find the Right Teacher

Hello everyone, Today I’m finishing up my series on raising musician children and I’m talking about how to know if your violin teacher is a good mat...
How to Practice with Your Kids

Let's talk about how to practice with your child. However, I think that the effectiveness of any advice that I can offer is heavily dependent on the r...
How to put on a shoulder rest

Watch Joel Kennedy from Kennedy Violins show you how to put on a shoulder rest. This video features a Portland Gold Shoulder Rest....
How to Change Your Violin Strings

Watch Joel Kennedy demonstrate how to change your violin strings!...
How to Tune an Instrument

Joel Kennedy explains the different ways in which you can tune a violin and shows how to do each one. In this Video we will go over using the Tuning ...
How to Hold a Violin Bow

Hey guys, this is Joel Kennedy bringing you another video! Today, I'm showing you how I've taught a lot of students how to hold a violin bow. While...
How to avoid scratchy sound on the violin

Hi guys, today's video is about how to play the violin without screeches and scratches. Remember, don't be too frustrated. The concepts of playing w...
How to Pluck a Violin String

Today's video is about how to pluck your violin string (pizzicato). My goal is to make your pizzicato easy and sound awesome! There are two basic types of pizzicato: Plucking while maintaining bow hold or plucking and losing bow hold. Let me show you the difference!...
The Fine Art of Tuning

In high school, at the beginning of each concert, like all orchestras, we would take some time to tune.  Once the squeaking and squawking settled into...
How to Return to The Violin After Years of Not Playing

By Joel Kennedy Introduction At Kennedy Violins, we get calls all the time from people who want to get back to playing after taking a hiatus of severa...
Beginner Basics: Where to Get Started

Your child just came home from school and announced that they want to join orchestra. But you have never touched a stringed instrument! How can you decide which instrument is best for your child. And, how can you decide which size instrument they need?...
How to Find Gigs: Musical Networking

It takes a long time to establish your reputation as a musician and performer in a new town. I felt well connected to a great number of musical organizations, schools, teachers, orchestras, recording studios, and the like. Then I moved. So the first thing I did in the months leading up to and following my move was…...
How Do You Find a Violin Teacher For Your Child?

Where do I find a suitable instructor for my child? Once parents decide that they want their children to learn a stringed instrument, they are faced with this often challenging question. It's difficult to know where to start. find a teacher who will not only show them proper technique, but also instill a joy for music....
How to Prevent Slipping Violin Pegs

Why do Violin Pegs Slip? I found a disturbing amount of misinformation on the internet about the problem of slipping violin pegs. Unfortunately, many of videos and articles available will ensure that the problem persists. Here is the right way to install strings and stop your pegs from slipping....
How To Rosin a New Bow

This video is for anyone starting out on the violin who is wondering how to rosin their bow. This video also has a brief description on what rosin is....
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