Thomas Metzler Violin Shop – 604 S Central Ave, Glendale, CA 818-246-0278
I have found this store to be really helpful and friendly, offering a lot of great resources. Even if you are a total beginner, they will be patient with you helping you pick out a quality and affordable instrument. The store also has an extensive sheet music collection and sometimes sponsors in-store special masterclasses, jam sessions, and other learning opportunities.
Benning Violins – 11340 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, CA 818-762-1374
Offers great, personal service, and a wide variety of high-quality instruments and supplies. Deep knowledge offers really helpful repairs and has a reputation for going above and beyond in helping you get the most pleasant playing experience possible.
Los Angeles Violin Shop – 3350 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019 (213) 471-2124
Offers a wide variety of high-quality instruments and supplies at affordable rates. Especially valuable for its rental and rent to own program designed to help young beginners with their growing instruments.
Sometimes the brick and mortar shops may not have what you need. In that case, SHAR is a wonderful resource for pointing the way towards rentals, instruments, sheet music, and other supplies that can be an invaluable resource. I have always found them to be very timely delivery and helpful customer service.
I strongly encourage my students to tell me about songs they want to learn. If I don’t already have the music to their request, this is the first place I look. This site has an exhaustive collection of sheet music to download and print out, in almost style you can imagine, at a very affordable price. It’s an especially good resource for current pop songs that would be difficult to find anywhere else.
When you feel ready to branch out, plug in, and get rockin’, this is the place to go. Offers a wide range of instruments and gear that can help you get started with electric violins. Unsure of what violin, amp, or effect will meet your needs? Give the store a call at 866-900-8400. They will be extremely helpful in offering personalized advice pointing your way to what is right for you.
Soundcorset Tuner and Metronome App – (For Android – For Apple)
A metronome and tuner is a necessary part of your practice routine. Fortunately, acquiring one has never been easier, as there a wide variety of smartphone apps that can get the job done. And, go figure on the name, but this is the one I like. It is highly flexible and adaptable, and easy to adjust your speed and rhythmic subdivisions. It also offers a full-screen mode, and a vibration option so the beat can be visualized and felt as well as heard.
Songs for Beginners Playlist (Spotify)
Listening is a vitally important (and often the easiest) way to build musical competency and learn new tunes. I generally recommend that beginners listen to a song 3 times for every time they play it. This is most of the songs I teach students just starting out – so just playing it the background can help tremendously.
Violin Lessons with Michael Fox 