String Builder, Book 1
A String Class Method (for Class or Individual Instruction) - Violin
By Samuel Applebaum

Being an accordion and piano player over 50 years, I decided to learn to play a string (violin) instrument. After reviewing available lesson materials, I found Belwin books I & II along with with the illustrated "All for Strings" easy to follow for self-instruction. I am able to progress at...

my own pace while enjoying the experience once I got past "squeaking" noises when learning to bow. I would recommend the series both as a lesson guide and also musical style variety

I use this series for both children and adult students. I have found this series simplified enough for children, and not overly simplified that it would be "insulting" to adults.The series is well organized, and having a teacher accompaniment for some of the tunes allows the students to learn...

how to concentrate on their part. Two thumbs up.

I use as a supplement to Essential Elements 2000. It works great to help you build on you may learn through a book like Essential Elements.

This series is easy to start but lacking of the deep and wide fundation.

Despite some drawbacks, this is still the best beginner method I have seen myself. UPSIDE: Applebaum gives the student plenty of time to develop rhythm recognition, note-reading, and a modicum of BOW CONTROL, before throwing piles of notes at them. It never resorts to putting letters in the note...

heads, but rather encourages real note reading from the outset, at a comfortable pace. DOWNSIDE: Music is rather out-of-date and stolid, which is a real problem for some teachers and students--what might have been children's standards when the book was written are unrecognizable to most of my students. "Bobby Shaftoe'? who has sung that recently? In the best of all worlds, this book should be updated musically, while keeping the well-paced and solid foundation work it gives, but until it is, I continue to use it with supplements, and it produces good results with not a lot of complaints.