To be a famous musician has always been one of my biggest dreams. When I was still a little kid, I was already dreaming up becoming a famous rock star who would be a superstar here and all over the world. I and my group would play to sold out concerts on just about every major city and destination all over the globe. We would make records that would platinum status and become the anthems that young people and even the not so young would sing along to. It is a pretty nice dream, and in my view it still is, although these days it has been tempered a bit by practical reasons. Presently, I am content on trying to learn to play as many musical instruments as possible, and at least that is a more realistic goal than the one I previously had.
If there was one aspect of my childhood dream that I did pursue, it was to play the electric guitar. I started out learning the acoustic guitar, before I eventually moved on the electric version. Now I can confidently say that I a competent guitar player, both electric and acoustic versions of it. Recently though, I have turned my attention to something a little different. It is a slight departure from what I have usually been accustomed to, but I look at it as a musical challenge that I want to overcome. It is about learning how to play electric violin, and achieving the level of competence that I have been fortunate enough to reach with the guitar.
Playing the Electric Violin
The basic difference between an electric violin and a traditional one is that electric violins use electrical impulses to produce its sound. And because of that, it is quite ideal for innovating and playing with style.
• The first step is to plug the electric violin into a preamp that connects to the amplifier. Try to get the right volume and quality of sound by checking out the settings, adjusting it to your taste. The violin should be placed under the chin, holding its end with one hand, and with the other hand hold the bow.
• Start playing the electric violin through holding down a string with your finger, or a group of strings, on the fingerboard. Create notes and sound by drawing the bow over the bridge of the violin.
• Change the volume of the electric violin by using the pedal controls. Also create sound effects by making use of different sound filters.
• In order to play the electric violin just like a cello or a bass, press the bass function pedal, which will effectively drop the electric violin an octave.
• Improve the way you play by blending different sounds and effects by playing along with CD’s and DVD’s.
• To achieve reverberation, find a nice reverb processor to connect to your electric violin.