The violin
History
The history of the violin stems from many different countries with the earliest from the 1500's. The most common characteristic is a sound produced by means of a stretched string. The violin is the soprano of the string instruments and is a great instrument with which to start. The great violins were made between the mid-seventeenth to mid-eighteenth centuries by Amati, Guarnerius and Stradivarius.
Starting with the Violin
Size is the most important for young players because without the correct size, the student will develop bad habits, such as bad bowing positions, poor wrist and finger action, and an incorrect arm position. Initially, the student can learn holding the violin in the guitar position in order to get a feel for the instrument, to work on fingering and intonation. Transferring over to under-the-chin and use of the bow is natural. The instrument is mainly supported not by the left hand, but by the chin and neck. Tension is one of the biggest enemies of playing the violin correctly and richly. As with all motions with the string instruments, shifting and bowing need to be smooth and tension-free.
Scales (one-octave, two-octave and then three-octave) are best to practice good intonation, speed and accuracy.