To be clear, learning how to play the violin is not an easy journey. But it’s a rewarding one, and the feeling you get when you learn your first song is truly amazing.
With the right violin course, whether you’re learning with a private teacher or online violin lessons, that journey will actually be very enjoyable. Online programs are especially prone to using modern learning methods that are fun and interactive.
And although traditional music schools offer a suitable environment for learning an instrument and an opportunity to have a professional teacher by your side, it’s also possible to learn the violin by yourself.
There are several steps that will help you learn the violin by yourself more quickly. Apart from following the suggested curriculum of your learning source, you’ll have to be very focused and persistent.
Regular practice and self-discipline will allow you to progress and gradually improve your skills. And once you master the basics, the real fun begins!
There are plenty of easy beginner violin songs you can start learning when you’re ready.
We’ve picked 8 easy violin songs for beginners to get you started!
How to Choose Violin Songs
Everyone wants to jump to playing songs right away. But it’s not that simple – if you rush and skip lessons, you’ll get into problems later on, and you definitely won’t be able to play more difficult songs.
So, you need to start with lessons suitable for your level of experience. If you’re a first-time beginner, learn the basics first. Learning violin notes is an essential part of that process if you want to bring your violin skills to another level.
Although it’s possible to play the violin by ear, sight-reading skills make everything so much easier. Imagine that all it takes to learn a new song is read the sheet music you bought or downloaded. Yes, it can be that easy.
However, learning how to read notes fluidly takes time. And some teaching methods imply learning songs before getting into notation, like the popular Suzuki method.
Of course, it’s also great to learn songs while learning music theory. That’s a common approach when it comes to online music lessons.
Now, how do you choose which songs to play?
Apart from the songs that are part of your music curriculum, there are many easy songs for violin you can practice on.
First, you need to make sure that the tutorial, or whatever your learning source is, is suitable for absolute beginners. They often include simple melodies or simplified versions of popular songs.
Furthermore, pick a song that you like! That way you’ll be more motivated to learn, and your performance will be automatically better if you’re into it.
8 Easy Violin Songs For Beginners
As we just said, you should start learning beginner violin songs that you personally like.
That’s why we picked 8 different easy violin songs, and we hope you’ll find something that fits your preferences.
1. Ode to joy
Ode to joy is probably one of the most recognizable classical songs.
This classical piece is also suitable for beginners. With the help of easy tutorials, sheet music, or tablature, you can grasp its melody quite easily.
And Beethoven is also an essential part of every musician’s repertoire.
When you improve your violin skills, you can come back to this song and add eighth notes or arpeggios. That way it will sound more difficult than it is!
2. Bach’s minuets
Bach is also an important name that frequently comes up in all traditional music schools.
You can delve into a world of classical music with his Minuet 3 suitable for beginners.
Playing classical music is also a great way of practicing bowing techniques, as well as fingering and all the other basic elements.
Moreover, there are so many inspiring classical musicians you can learn from just by listening.
So, apart from learning these pieces, keep exploring classical music and see what the violin can really do.
3. Concerning Hobbit
If you’re a fan of the Lord of the Rings, then this one is for you.
The song Concerning Hobbit is one of the movie’s most recognizable and beautiful melodies. Luckily, the song falls under the category of easy violin songs for beginners.
4. Harry Potter Theme Song
If you’re a team Harry Potter, then you’ll be happy to hear that there are many tutorials for simple versions of the Harry Potter theme song out there.
When you learn how to play its first notes, you’ll instantly feel like you’re a part of the Hogwarts orchestra.
Movie theme songs are a great way of learning techniques while feeling motivated to play something familiar.
5. Jingle Bells
One of the most popular basic violin songs is Jingle Bells.
This happy tune will always be welcomed at Christmas parties, and the violin makes this timeless melody even merrier.
It’s a good song for beginners because it’s written in common time and played in G Major.
6. Happy Birthday
The Happy Birthday song is another classic you want to have in your fingers for appropriate occasions.
It’s also an easy tune to learn on the violin.
7. Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Somewhere Over the Rainbow is a very calm and dreamy melody, and the violin gives the song a different, fresh feeling.
It’s an easy tune for beginners as it’s not very fast.
8. Drunken Sailor
Well, the same thing about the speed can’t be said for Drunken Sailor.
However, you can play it slower at first, and then gradually increase the speed. This popular Irish tune is great for practicing bowing, fingering, and rhythm.
It’s one of the most played songs on the fiddle. The difference between a fiddle and a violin is solely in the music style they’re used for. When it comes to Irish music, you’ll most often hear the term fiddle.
If you like the unique, lively melody of traditional Irish music, you should check out our list of the best online fiddle lessons. These programs can help you find tutorials and sheet music for songs similar to Drunken Sailor.
How To Practice Songs on the Violin
Although violin songs for beginners usually come with comprehensible tutorials taught by skilled violinists, how much you’ll learn really depends on you.
Even when you memorize (or learn how to read) notes and know how to play them correctly, the job is not done. If you want to sound good, anyway.
To really learn a particular song, you need to practice effectively.
First of all, don’t learn it all at once. Short practice sessions will allow you to stay focused.
Furthermore, keep practicing harder parts of the song. Don’t always start from the beginning – that way, the beginning will sound better than the rest of the song. Keep repeating the tricky part instead.
And you start playing the song fluidly, you can add extra notes, arpeggios, or vibrato, to make things more interesting.
Now is the time when you can play and experiment with the song, but also practice new techniques. That will make your sound purer, and you’ll also build confidence.
On the other hand, it’s always useful to come back to the basic violin songs once in a while, no matter how advanced you become.
Final Thoughts
There are many easy violin songs for beginners to choose from. And luckily, with the Internet and growing market of online music lessons, it’s never been easier to learn new songs at home.
Video tutorials are a great way of learning the tune you’ve always liked, but learning notes and using sheet music will make things even easier.
If you learn how to read notes, you can visit websites such as Violin Sheet Music or Violinspiration to browse through free downloadable sheet music.
However, you’ll need to put enough time and practice into it. Although it’s not hard to learn the basic technique and a couple of notes, to gain core violin skills and master your first songs you’ll have to be patient.
We hope our list of easy violin songs helped you decide what to play first. Most of these songs have catchy melodies and they require fundamental violin skills.
Learning them will also help you test your knowledge and strengthen your skills. You can also learn and practice new techniques while playing different tunes.
Over time, you’ll realize you can use these songs to be creative and develop your own playing style.
Most importantly, once you learn them by heart, you’ll be having so much fun playing them! And since muscle memory can do wonders, you’ll have them in your fingers when you come back to them after a while.
