r/Viola • u/nehShen89 • 5d ago
Free Advice First post - 269 days of learning viola, almost entirely self-taught – Bach Prelude
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Still a work in progress, but as my 2026 resolution I have already achieved my target.
Piece: Bach Cello Suite no.1 Prelude
Viola: 15.5“ Intermediate Student Viola
Strings: Dominant (CGDA)
Bow: Student Cello Bow
Me: a dude in his late 30s
I had about 4 hours of lessons during my second month of learning. The rest has been self-taught.
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u/klavier777 5d ago
If you want some free advice, this is it. Man up and get a real teacher! Don't think you can scam the system by skipping over sound instruction. You'll be far better off in the long run and accomplish a lot more.
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u/nehShen89 5d ago
Makes me wonder how the very first string player managed without a teacher.
Jokes aside, I agree that having a good teacher can make a huge difference, especially if my goal were to become a soloist or perform professionally.
For now, I’m simply enjoying the learning process and challenging myself. And you’re right, I’d probably produce a much better sound with a good teacher.
Thanks for your feedback!
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u/aasfourasfar 5d ago
It's very clean for just 8 months honestly, but you don't seem to be working on the tone at all. You're bowing very timidly and tetanized by the fear of scratching. Free your wrist and elbow and go for it
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u/nehShen89 4d ago
Thanks for the feedback. I think I’ve been too cautious with my bowing, keeping my movements small to avoid scratchy sounds. I find it difficult to get a good tone while keeping the sound clean in this piece. But point taken, that’s something I’ll keep working on!
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u/No_Donut2054 5d ago
I’ve been playing the viola since I was 10. So about 8 years now. You sound very good for the time you’ve been playing. What I noticed was your bow arm. I notice your mostly using the shoulder/elbow instead of the wrist and elbow, if you were to work more on getting that proper loose wrist it can help you feel comfortable using the lower half of the bow. I would practice the wrist with making a fist and tilting your knuckles towards yourself and then smoothly flick your wrist down while letting your fingers come out. (I could demo for you). I also noticed your left hand alongside your posture is a bit tense and it may sound silly but you mainly hold the viola with your neck/chin and you need to relax more in your hand to begin the basics in vibrato. And again I’m a bit nit-picky with your bow hold as well because it’s very stiff and if you again can relax and learn how to use your pointer to increase or decrease bow pressure can be very helpful when it comes to dynamics or playing styles of Bach. I think if you work on loosening up and practicing the wrist movements you can improve your sound quality because loose playing in my opinion gives a more confident sound. I don’t mean to be rude or harsh because you’re much better than I was my first year! I can demonstrate the exercises if you’d like.
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u/nehShen89 5d ago
Thanks for taking the time to watch my playing and provide such detailed feedback!
Just like gbupp, you’ve given me some really helpful advice. I’ll be focusing more on my bow hold and wrist movement over the next couple of months.I’d love to see a demonstration of the exercises you mentioned, if you don’t mind!
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u/FunChipmunk819 5d ago
That’s really impressive for the time you have been learning! You must have had some prior music experience? I’m also an adult learner of viola.
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u/nehShen89 5d ago
I took just a few violin lessons like 15-16 years ago, but stopped playing once the lessons ended.
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u/Material-Rooster7771 4d ago
Im a viola player as well. This is an admirable start but you need a teacher to help you find that distinct viola sound. Keep going.
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u/nehShen89 4d ago
Yup, I totally agree that I still need to work on my sound. I’ll keep working on it on my own for now, and I’m open to finding a teacher someday. Thank you for the encouragement!
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u/notjustmammy 4d ago
I'm not going to comment on your technique or your ability to play because I am a student and nowhere near qualified to do so. What I will say is, I attempted to do something similar when I started. I mistakenly thought because I'd learned another instrument and completed all my grades, I had enough musical knowledge to muddle through. That's exactly what happened; I muddled through. When I eventually conceded defeat after a few years, I realised I'd done myself a terrible disservice. My poor teacher spent at least a year "unlearning" me as opposed to teaching me. It has literally taken me years to break some of my worst habits that could have easily been fixed during my first lesson had I gone in as a blank slate.
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u/nehShen89 4d ago
Thanks for sharing your experience. I understand that learning on my own comes with the risk of developing bad habits, and correcting them later can take a lot of time and effort. For now, I’m learning for fun and as a challenge rather than aiming to become a professional musician. So, I guess I’m comfortable with that trade-off. ☺️
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u/notjustmammy 3d ago
Believe me, I'm way too old to be learning with a view to playing professionally! 🤣
Bad habits will potentially hinder your playing for fun because you will get to a point and then plateau. If you're happy with your sound now, fire ahead and just play for the fun of playing. As I once said to my teacher "I've never had so much fun being so utterly crap at something!" 😊🤣
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u/kendallr2552 4d ago edited 4d ago
I love that I knew what it was without even having the volume up 😁
I'm going to disagree with many others, if you're doing this just because you want to and for fun... Keep doing what you're doing. I think it's rather damn impressive that you taught yourself. I've played virtually my whole life and watched my mom teach adult students and doing this as an adult is definitely harder but you're doing it. If you have a goal in mind that could better direct advice but if you wanted to learn this piece, congrats, you did. Now you can just polish it up if you want.
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u/nehShen89 4d ago
I think you really understand where I’m coming from, and I found your comment very encouraging. My goal is simply to challenge myself and see how far I can go learning an instrument on my own with almost no prior experience. I wanted to be able to play an instrument before 40. I’ll keep polishing this piece while learning some others. Thanks for the encouragement!
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u/kendallr2552 4d ago
Oh man, I don't think I even read the title of your post! Only 269 days?! Now I'm curious, have you been playing every day? How many hours a week are you practicing? You've probably practiced more in that short amount of time than me in my 40 years because I find practicing by myself soooo boring (don't tell my current conductors, principles, or stand partners 😂)
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u/nehShen89 4d ago
As of today, it’s been 271 days since I started, and I’ve practiced on 241 of those days, for roughly 260–270 hours in total. Of that, I’ve spent around 65 hours across 105 days working on the Prelude.
And don’t worry, I keep my mouth shut, your secret about finding solo practice boring is safe with me! 😅
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u/Necessary_Owl_7326 5d ago
I like your relaxed posture! There are lot of things to improve, but the other people commenting already pointed it out. Good luck
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u/AdditionalYoung6694 4d ago
You’ve done well on your own. You do not have the tension that beginners often have, and so you’ve got pretty clean string crossings and accuracy. I can’t help but think the strides you would make with some periodic lessons; not necessarily weekly/regular scheduled ones (because you appear to have the focus/discipline to do a lot on your own).
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u/nehShen89 4d ago
Thanks! I agree with what many of you have said, a good teacher could help me improve. I live in regional Victoria, Australia, so finding a suitable teacher nearby might be difficult, and I may need to spend two to three hours travel to Melbourne. I worry that the travel and commitment to regular lessons might make it feel more like pressure and make me to lose motivation. 😅
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u/Xclucvt2021 2d ago
Kudos for allowing yourself the vulnerability to post a video. I could never! I, like you, am learning on my own, though I started 10 years ago on violin (at 46), then moved to viola for the richer sound last year. I think you are doing great as someone just learning and learn8ng on your own, to boot, as if I have room to talk. The comments are giving great advice, but, like you, I plat for fun. I do, however, try to stay in touch with the feel of what I'm doing and look up videos to help with basics and things I know I need to work on (especially intonation. Always intonation!!!). I play as long as it's fun. When I feel it's a chore, I'll give it up and find something else that brings me joy. This is a hobby for me, not a career. Keep up the great work!!
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u/gbupp 5d ago edited 5d ago
Also a dude in my 30s having been playing for years now, and on and off again lessons.
While the work is commendable, everything about your playing shows that you are:
- Self Taught
Some good things for sure. Good separation of strings, pretty good accuracy, You seem relaxed and in a natural position.
But being real, based on the issues to resolve this song is far beyond your abilities and not really the foundational items you should be focusing on. This is where the difference between "playing the notes" and "playing the song" are different things.
You are lacking a core sound, you have no wrist movement, it is all coming from the shoulder and elbow. You are using the top of your bow almost exclusively. These are skills that are Suzuki Book 1-2 territory, and you are trying something probably in Book 4 or onward territory.
All of this will lead, especially on the viola where you have to pull the sound out during more complex passages, to far more difficulty later on.
I do not mean that to discourage you, and I did my own share of mistakes even knowing these things, but really learning early how to do the foundational wrist movement, pulling sound out, proper bow arm movement before trying to advance too quickly pays off SOO much by making all future practice far more valuable to perfecting that skill.
Keep on keepin on, but that is my 2c.
Edit: I also think you should get an actual Viola bow, I know 3/4 Cello bow for Viola was in vouge many years ago but it doesn't support learning the proper things.