TUTORIAL: Playing violin by ear, and Price Tag (Jessie J)

[MuSiCrOx8132638]

I have a question: Supposing I want to play 2 of the same notes but I want a different tone of richness in both of them, should I play one with fourth finger and the other an open string or should I just play both fourth finger and put vibrato for the second note?

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@MuSiCrOx8132638 Welll, I mean you could do an open string and then a 4th finger (notice the order I put those in - you don't want to put the open string last because it'll sound harsh and tinny compared to the 4th) but I would suggest adjusting your vibrato on the 4th to make each note sound different - that would definitely get you a difference in tone, while maintaining the richness of the 4th finger :)

[MuSiCrOx8132638]

@TheMusicianGirl1 Okay!! Thanks! =D 

[Makeupandsutff]

i play violin i´m also twelve years old and i get lazy i really love it

[Madazaro]

Soy violinista y tengo 12 años ¿alguna idea de cómo hacer el vibrato?

[lcslopes1]

thanks for the tutorial

[taylor113377]

youre really good !! how long have you been playing? :)

[TheBrokenPoeter]

@redthorn2222 vibrato (:

[redthorn2222]

wats that thing call wen u shake ur hand

[cloudbunny786]

Hey! I need help on how to do fourth finger on the D string! PLEASE HELP! In class I'm the kid who doesn't know how to read notes but play's by ear.......I DON'T KNOW HOW TO READ THE NOTES! :( I hate myself for that............I need help on reading notes and fourth finger! Thanks you and your video's ROCK!

[o0Music4MySoul0o]

Does your slow version of price tag repeat throughout the whole song?

[luckiebunny1]

how can i play more clearer without scratches noise :oo and finger placement T____T ty :)

[kenzandgeorge]

how do you get the loud sound threw out the whole bow? im a beginer and i really need help with that :/ but you are really good at the violin and your very helpful :)

- kenzie

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@kenzandgeorge You have to keep an even pressure :) What actually happens is since the frog of your bow is heavier, you don't have to work as hard to get a loud sound at the bottom of your bow. As you gradually get nearer the tip, you actually have to apply more pressure to get the same sound.

[TheStarsInMyHead]

ok, so this would be a little hard, but if you could somehow get the camera to look down, then we could see your fingers better. That would be super helpful :)

[s3r3na4300]

Gives me some thoughts about what you said to learn different covers. I usually try to atleast find Piano music to help and just kinda go by the song and the sheet music. But it is a bit more different. But good job once again. (:

[Jesster03]

do you have any recommendations for how to figure out what key a song is in? 

[heatherkei94]

how about the chords? :)) can you send me the chords for the chorus of this song? pleaseee.. :))) thank you! ^^

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@heatherkei94 I already said. I have no form of sheet music for this song - no notes, no chords, no anything. CHords are easy to find online anyway :) So you can look for them there.

[heatherkei94]

hello there! @TheMusicianGirl1 can you just please send me the chords or the the notes for this one, i'm a beginner , i want to learn how to play this song.. thank you so much :))

-your fan heather.. :D

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@heatherkei94 Hi Heather,

I actually don't have any form of sheet music for this song because I do them all by ear :)

[Krysta52]

i grew up playing classical since 4th grade and when then my freshman yr of highschool i started playing by ear and making up stuff. My teacher would get mad because i would add notes, but it sounded good. But it got to where i would even look at the music anymore. Classical was okay but it got so boring playing it over and over agian before a performance so i would add notes.

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@Krysta52 Oh my gosh. You just summarized my entire musical life :P I always try and 'jazz' things up, adding extra notes, trills, articulation, that sorta thing. I agree that classical music can become tedious - perhaps it's just an age thing, perhaps I'll appreciate it more when I'm older. I've just recently discovered gypsy jazz music though, and it's kinda my classical replacement :) Same technique required, but such gorgeous, gorgeous music. 

[lozmonster765]

Could you play Who's laughing now by Jessie J??

[brittnmj14]

DO MORE TUTORIALS

[landystick]

You're violin looks IDENTICAL to mine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you lived in America I would think that it was the EXACT same. I would actually like to see your case. Don't ask me why but i love to see people's cases.

[xSasukeLover25x]

i would like to ask if how'd you do the like vibrating a note like there in 4:57-4:59? could you tell me how? :) thank youu!

[KathyWriter]

A vibrato tutorial please...?

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@KathyWriter I've had a lot of requests for vibrato tutorial so I'll work on that!

[pear2013]

can u please please make a tutorial for f*cking perfect please

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@olivia12327 haha nope I don't! I have a Carlo Lamberti :)

[MsMahathir]

now i can play by ear little bit,,, thanks maya!! :3

[MsMahathir]

how long it take to play by ear?,, what grade? please answer :D,,

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@MsMahathir How long it takes can depend on a few things. 1)If you have musical knowledge to begin with, such as you can play an instrument with sheet music, just not by ear yet. 2)Your age. Ideally, you should start as young as possible, but really anytime before your 20's would be a GOOD time to learn. Adults who have no experience with it tend to learn much slower than kids. 3)Your natural ear. Not a huge factor, but some people have easier/harder times than others. 4)How much you practice!!!

[MsMahathir]

@TheMusicianGirl1 can u be my teacher?? :)

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@MsMahathir Aw haha for sure!! Ask me a question and I'll be happy to answer :)

[MsMahathir]

@TheMusicianGirl1 but some people said we shouldn't start the music when we were kids,,, we should start playing music when we are young( teen ),, is thatt true?

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@MsMahathir No!!!!! I don't know WHO said that, but I'm 99.9% sure that they're wrong. When you start young it literally becomes like a second language to you. It's true that you don't progress much at that age since you are so young, but the experience with music at that young age is so beneficial.  Then, when you are a teen and your brain is mature enough to learn quicker, you already have a solid foundation and it's much easier to learn :)

[SolemKisses]

you are a violin god <3

[neversaynever6501]

for price tg- is i ll like high 1's, 2' and 3's??? or will the be some low notes?? if this doesn't make sense then flats and sharps wise??? thanks x

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@neversaynever6501 Hey!! K so this song is in the key of F major - one flat. That means low 1's on the A and E string, and low 2's on every string :) There is also a low 4 on the E string.

[neversaynever6501]

@TheMusicianGirl1

thanks this helped me alot- i am now trying to learn how to play price tag :) if you wouldn't mind you don't have to do it but could you maybe make a vidio of ow to play the whole of price tag or maybe just write the msui down and send t to me? thanks x

[inosakura1234]

I got a question :D when playing by ear do you have to memorize all the notes or do you write them down? ( I don't think I can memorize a Whole song xD)

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@inosakura1234 Excellent question! This one is a bit of a long answer so bear with me. To play by ear, you need to have a pretty good idea of the melody that you're learning already. What I mean by that is that you should be able to sing or hum the melody, or at the very least listen to it a few times to get a good idea of how it goes. If you don't know how the melody goes, then it's going to be pretty much impossible to play by ear to it because you won't know what note sounds wrong, and (cont)

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@inosakura1234 (cont. part 2) you won't know what note sounds right. So, the next step is figuring out that melody on your instrument. Because you already know how it SHOULD sound, then it'll be easier actually making it sound like that. Of course, this step is the one that takes practice, and is what defines someone who is good at playing by ear from someone who is not so much. Anyway, once you get those notes figured out, and it all sounds good, then you won't really need to write out (cont.)

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@inosakura1234 (cont. part 3) music because the melody is in your head. Really, the only point of music is to remind us of the melody. Because playing by ear is all about KNOWING the melody, and then learning to play it yourself, then you can see why writing it down isn't really necessary once you actually go through the steps of learning it by ear. Anyway, hope that helped, sorry for the long answer!

[mari01500]

thank you sooooooooo much!!!!! I play violin since I was 13 now I have almost 17. I go to a musical school and I have a particular teacher and I also play in an orchestra in the school. I didn't ask how to play by ear to my teacher because I still learning how to play the violin but is something I really want to learn. I will doing what you say in home and someday I will ask to my teacher. this video is very help full for me you can't even know how thankful I feel. Sorry for my english!

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@mari01500 That's wonderful! It really makes me happy to know that people were helped by my videos, it makes it all worth it :) By the way, for a second language your english is GREAT! I wish I could speak a second language as well as you can :) Good luck with the violin, and with playing by ear!

[mari01500]

@TheMusicianGirl1 thank you again you are a go teacher :D My mother language is spanish and for me is so hard learn, speak and think in english but I still learning :D By the way I hope you do more tutorials giving more advice and teaching more thing for us beacuse a lot of time on class we can't ask all the think we want to learn to our teacher beacuse the time isn't enough! :(

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@mari01500 I think I will do some more tutorials! A few people have asked for them so I'll film another one soon hopefully! Thank you :)

[dkiersten]

Can i please have the tabs for this like A2 or D1 etc..

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@dkiersten I don't think there are violin tabs to be found on the internet sorry! At least I've never seen them, though I haven't really looked so I could be wrong. I'm sure you could figure the song out by ear if you listen carefully!

[chloeho1994]

ahhh, thank you very much im trying to practice now but it just sound really bad, cause the violing keeps moving :-)

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@chloeho1994 Well then here's a few things to keep in mind when you're practicing :) What should be happening is the ball of your finger should be rocking back and forth, your finger definitely shouldn't be sliding. To do that, most of the vibrato should come from your wrist. A little bit can come from the elbow, but your whole arm definitely shouldn't move. So try just moving your wrist, very slowly and gently. Also, make sure you have a firm grip on the violin with your chin!

[chloeho1994]

heey, i think you are great ive played violin when i was young but i decided to go back to it :D but i remeber my violin teacher moves her hand on the violin, and i was always scared to ask her why i saw you do it in you previous videos does it make the song better? because once i done it my teacher said i was shaking the violin as i was trying to be more professional.

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@chloeho1994 Hey there! So what you're asking about is a widely used technique on violin, called vibrato. Vibrato is basically moving your finger on the note, to slightly change the pitch of the note. This way you get a varied sound, instead of just one, long pitch. It's most useful for slow pieces, when you're holding long notes and don't want the note to get boring, so you use some vibrato and it just slightly brings the pitch up and down, up and down, to make it more interesting!

[hbar45]

Whoa whoa lol, 3:43, what's with the accent change? Anyway, I'm having this "musical linguistics" issue, as most of my friends that play the violin, among others, use the letters to identify notes, whereas I use numbers to identify the fingers which go with the notes. I /have/ used letters before, but that was about... 6 or 7 years ago, then I stopped for a few yrs, then continued but using numbers this time. Anyway on how to "reactivate" my /other/ note-speak?

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@hbar45 Lol, I sometimes sound like I have an accent so my friends tell me. Only when I specific words. Idk, my mom has a kiwi accent so probably has something to do with that :P Anyway, your question. There isn't really a 'quick fix.' You just have to practice actually USING the letter names to name the notes. Try playing up and down some scales, naming the notes outloud as you go. This'll be easier as it'll be alphabetical. Then play random notes and see if you can name them. Good luck!

[hbar45]

@TheMusicianGirl1 Much appreciated.

[MsMahathir]

Thanks maya for helping me!! :D,,, but im still beginner,,so, how long it take till i can play by ear,,??

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@MsMahathir That really depends on a lot of things! Some people have a natural ability to learn the skill faster than others, so that's one factor, although either way it just comes down to practice! Everytime you get your instrument out, just try learning a new song by ear! They can be super simple songs, don't have to be complex, but that's where it all starts :)

[maddie5036]

Amazing! Do you go to lessons or have you ever been to lessons because you are amazing. What grade are you on on the violin? I'm 11 and I'm only on grade 4 but I've only been playing for 2 years so I guess it's not too bad:) And would you be able to do a tutorial on 'one and only' by adele or any adele one of your choice...I love adele! :D Thanks

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@maddie5036 That's excellent progress!! Good job :) I might do more tutorials if there seems to be a want for them, but I kinda want to do tutorials more on violin skills rather than specific songs. Are there any particular skills you're interested in learning more about? Actually, that goes for all of you reading this comment! Let me know what topic the next tutorial should focus on!! Thanks :)

[maddie5036]

@TheMusicianGirl1 Okay no problem. I'll think of something if I struggle while practicing and tell you ! Thanks :D

[MrAcronim]

nice one very helpful keep up the good work xx

[MsSuperninja3]

Wow! I play some stuff by ear, but it takes a while for me to actually get it in full flow. You must have a really good ear, and I can see how much effort you've put into your music. Well done!!

[NateAzuelo]

Is it hard for you to play by ear? and the the only song I now ho to play by ear is America ,the beautiful

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@NateAzuelo Nope! It's super easy to play by ear now, because I've done it so much it comes naturally. That's the thing though, you have to practise it lots for it to come naturally like that. If you can already play one song by ear then you're off to a good start!

[MarisafrogK]

That's so awesome, have I every thought about being a violin teacher? And can u read sheet music or only play by ear?

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@MarisafrogK Yes actually I am already a violin teacher! Last year I taught a group of beginning fiddlers and this year I teach private lessons :) It's really fun I love it haha. And yes, I read music as well. I do classical violin, as well as band so being able to sigh read music is pretty important. It's just for pop covers like I do on you tube, it's so much work even finding the sheet music that it's way easier to play by ear :)

[MarisafrogK]

@TheMusicianGirl1 Ok awesome :D I hope to be a piano teacher one day. I am so glad I can sight read music!! My violin teacher makes me sight read every thing at her house before I go home and practuse and she makes me do it all most at the speed of performance! It's hard lol but I do and In I'm getting better so I guess it's working

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@MarisafrogK That's awesome! Being able to sight read is a SUPER handy skill as well, so congrats!

[totlbabi101]

This inspired me to learn broken strings by someone and Nellie it's quite easy just 2nd and 3rd finger to start of on g I that right ?

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@totlbabi101 I'm not sure, I've never even heard of that song lol. If it sounds right, then it probably is! If it sounds wrong, then it probably isn't haha

[chillaxiscooliesX]

At the start when you started listening by ear did you find it hard because i've never done it before

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@chillaxiscooliesX To be totally honest with you, I don't know. I don't think so. I started violin when I was three years old, and learned to play by ear then. It's so a part of me now that I can't imagine not being able to play by ear lol. I do know that it is a skill that takes constant practice to learn, just from watching others learn it. You get better and better at it as well, I mean, there are still things that I could learn about playing by ear for sure. Just keep practicing!

[marliesriemens]

i love you very very much. but do you now what a violin costs?

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@marliesriemens Violins can cost anything really. If you really wanted to I'm sure you could find a 50 dollar violin on ebay, though I wouldn't recommend that. Some of those violins are so awful they're almost impossible to play. If you're a beginner looking to purchase one, I wouldn't set your price range anywhere below 200 dollars to get a decent student model. Of course, from there you can get violins costing anywhere up to a million dollars or higher although those are rare haha.

[rachsounds]

wow! great tips! Do make more tutorials! :D

[Thegloss5]

Like ; ))))))))))))))))))))))

[33LaughingMachine33]

Now, is it the same for playing flute? Or is it a different way? I asked about flute because I saw another one of your videos of you playing flute, so just wondering. BTW, you play amazingly!!!

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@33LaughingMachine33 That's a really good question actually! And yes, all these tips apply for flute as well.

[Ninjafruit32]

OhEmGeeze!!! Thanks!(;

[TheMusicianGirl1]

@Ninjafruit32 No problem! Hopefully it helps a bit!

[Ninjafruit32]

@TheMusicianGirl1 it does! thanks! you rock!(: