Rozanna's Blog

Difficult Things Easily Done: Karen Tuttle, Biomechanics, and Left-Hand Technique - Rozanna's Violins
Difficult Things Easily Done: Karen Tuttle, Biomechanics, and Left-Hand Technique
Explore how the torso drives left-hand technique in violin and viola playing. Drawing on Karen Tuttle's Coordination system, contra-lateral movement, and Feldenkrais awareness studies, this in-depth guide reveals the biomechanical... Read more...
The Bow Lands, It Doesn't Press — Karen Tuttle's Approach to Arm Weight Explained - Rozanna's Violins
The Bow Lands, It Doesn't Press — Karen Tuttle's Approach to Arm Weight Explained
Karen Tuttle taught that the bow lands on the string — it doesn't press. In Part One of the Bow Arm series, Rozanna Weinberger breaks down the biomechanics of arm... Read more...
Karen Tuttle, Wilhelm Reich, and the Muscles That Shape Your Sound - Rozanna's Violins
Karen Tuttle, Wilhelm Reich, and the Muscles That Shape Your Sound
How violist Karen Tuttle's Coordination technique and Reichian somatic theory converge on the pectoral muscles — and what string players can do to release tension and free their bow arm. Read more...
Why Does Your Acoustic Violin Sound "Electric" When Amplified? Rozanna's Violins - Rozanna's Violins
Why Does Your Acoustic Violin Sound "Electric" When Amplified? Rozanna's Violins
R Rozanna's Violins World leader in custom, decorated & professional electric acoustic violins · April 2026 You've heard it before. A violinist steps onto a stage, plugs in, and suddenly... Read more...
String Instrument Sizing: Fit, Balance & Technique - Rozanna's Violins
String Instrument Sizing: Fit, Balance & Technique
Introduction Choosing the right string instrument size is one of the first decisions a musician faces — and one of the most misunderstood. Most guides hand you a chart and... Read more...
Left Hand Violin Technique and the Most Common Misconceptions About the Wrist - Rozanna's Violins
Left Hand Violin Technique and the Most Common Misconceptions About the Wrist
Drawing on her studies with Karen Tuttle and the legacy of William Primrose, Rozanna Weinberger examines the most common misconceptions about left hand wrist technique — including the static wrist... Read more...
Enjoy John Ryan’s Polka for Two Violins! - Rozanna's Violins
Enjoy John Ryan’s Polka for Two Violins!
John Ryans Polka arr. for Two Violins by R. Weinberger Read more...
A Natural Approach to Vibrato - Rozanna's Violins
A Natural Approach to Vibrato
Rozanna Weinberger introduces a motion study for developing a natural violin vibrato — one that originates in the forearm and elbow rather than the wrist, producing a fluid, effortless oscillation... Read more...
Elbow Height and Arm Weight
Rozanna Weinberger explains how elbow height and arm weight work together to produce a rich, resonant violin tone — with a simple exercise to help students feel the difference between muscular effort and natural arm weight. Read more...
Practicing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - Rozanna's Violins
Practicing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Rozanna Weinberger explores how to practice Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on violin — covering the Suzuki variations, bow technique, tone production, and why this simple melody is one of the... Read more...
Strong Beats, Weak Beats, Syncopation and Bowing
Rozanna Weinberger explores strong beats, weak beats, syncopation, and how these rhythmic concepts directly shape bowing technique for beginner and intermediate violin students. Read more...
Parts of the Violin
A complete guide to the parts of the violin for beginner students — covering the body, neck, scroll, bridge, strings, interior components, and bow, with the function of each part explained. Read more...
Balancing the Bow: Teeter Totter Study
Rozanna Weinberger introduces the Teeter Totter Study — a foundational bow technique exercise for beginner violinists that teaches how to balance arm weight across the full bow length for an even, resonant tone. Read more...
Scarborough Fair For Two Violins
Rozanna Weinberger explores Scarborough Fair arranged for two violins — covering the song's medieval origins, the Dorian mode, duo playing technique, and what to focus on when practicing this hauntingly beautiful folk song. Read more...
String Crossing Basics For Beginners
Rozanna Weinberger explores string crossing basics for beginner violin and viola students, drawing on the pedagogical principles of Karen Tuttle’s coordination approach and D.C. Dounis’s economy of motion. Read more...
Rhythm and Counting For Beginner Violinists
Rozanna Weinberger introduces rhythm and counting for beginner violin students — covering note values, how to count in 4/4 and other time signatures, and practical tips for developing a strong sense of pulse. Read more...
Blues Changes For Beginners
Rozanna Weinberger introduces the 12-bar blues chord progression for beginner violinists — explaining the I, IV, and V chords, the turnaround, and how to use the blues scale to improvise over the changes. Read more...
Blues Scale, Shuffle & Rhythm
Rozanna Weinberger introduces the blues scale, the shuffle rhythm, and the swing shuffle for violin — covering the origins of the blues, the blue note, triplet subdivision, and how to apply these rhythms to jazz and blues playing. Read more...
The Jasmine Flower, Chinese Folk Song
Mo Li Hua — known in English as The Jasmine Flower — is one of the most beloved traditional folk songs in Chinese culture. With its gentle, flowing melody and pentatonic character, it is also a wonderful piece for beginning violin students. Its graceful simplicity makes it accessible to early learners while offering real musical beauty and cultural depth. Origins and Cultural History Mo Li Hua (茂利花) is believed to have originated during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912), though some scholars trace its roots even further back to the Ming Dynasty.... Read more...
Snake Charmer Melody & Minor Scales
Rozanna Weinberger introduces minor scales and the Snake Charmer Melody for beginner violin — exploring low finger patterns, the D minor scale, and how exotic scales open up a world of expressive playing. Read more...
To the Greenwood: A Simple Folk Song for Beginner Violin
To the Greenwood is a simple traditional folk song perfect for beginner violin students — with tips on bow technique, intonation, phrasing, and why folk music is valuable for young string players. Read more...
Major Scales & The Happy Birthday Song - Rozanna's Violins
Major Scales & The Happy Birthday Song
Learn how major scales work on the violin and how to apply the G major scale to play Happy Birthday — a perfect first song for beginner violin students. Read more...
Half Step Whole Step Practice For Beginners
A beginner's guide to understanding half steps and whole steps on the violin — what they are, where to find them on the fingerboard, and practice tips for developing accurate intonation. Read more...
Names of Violin Strings and Where To Find Them
A beginner's guide to the four violin strings — their names (G, D, A, E), where to find them on the instrument, how to remember them, and how they are tuned. Read more...
Rosining the Bow: A Beginner's Guide
A beginner's guide to rosining the violin or viola bow — what rosin is, how to apply it correctly, how often to use it, and tips for getting the best sound from your instrument. Read more...
Little Miss Flint's Violin & A Mission To Inspire! - Rozanna's Violins
Little Miss Flint's Violin & A Mission To Inspire!
Rozanna Weinberger reflects on Little Miss Flint's choice of a Tie Dye Violin and the mission to inspire creativity and playful learning through music education. Read more...
How Awareness Prepares the Brain To Play Violin Viola - Rozanna's Violins
How Awareness Prepares the Brain To Play Violin Viola
It amazes me when students tell me they experience excess tension in their playing — tension that causes real pain — yet feel helpless against it because they don't even... Read more...
Violin, Viola Technique: Kinesthetic Awareness and the Spine - Rozanna's Violins
Violin, Viola Technique: Kinesthetic Awareness and the Spine
The Body Before the Bow: Kinesthetic Awareness and the Natural Path to Better Technique by Rozanna Weinberger It amazes me when students describe excess tension in their playing — tension... Read more...
NAMM: SheRocksAwards Validates Our Mission - Rozanna's Violins
NAMM: SheRocksAwards Validates Our Mission
Validation Through Recognition: Pioneering New Paths in String Instruments If there's one thing that provided tremendous validation at the recent NAMM 2025 Show, it was receiving the Entrepreneur of the... Read more...
Designing For Electric, Acoustic Violins - Rozanna's Violins
Designing For Electric, Acoustic Violins
Understanding electric acoustic violins and the freedom it affords in designing instruments.. Read more...
Culture And String Instruments - Rozanna's Violins
Culture And String Instruments
Culture & Evolving Role of String Instruments In an era of rapid technological advancement and shifting cultural norms, the world of music has had to adapt and evolve to remain... Read more...
Turning Swifties Into Fiddlers - Rozanna's Violins
Turning Swifties Into Fiddlers
The Taylor Swift Effect: Reimagining Growth in the String Instrument Market In a recent industry report, Brian Majeski highlighted a downturn in music retail sales, partly attributing it to the... Read more...
NAMM 2024: A Diary in Photos - Rozanna's Violins
NAMM 2024: A Diary in Photos
She Rocks Awards, Esther Anaya, Darius Campo, Lindsey Stirling, Kiev Morales, Raphael Batista, WhoisDSharp all descend upon Rozanna's Violins at the most recent NAMM 2024 Convention in Anaheim, California. Read more...
How To Choose The Right Violin Size - Rozanna's Violins
How To Choose The Right Violin Size
What size violin does my child need, and how important is the size? Read more...
Violin & Viola: Balanced Body Stance - Rozanna's Violins
Violin & Viola: Balanced Body Stance
Violin & viola players are often focused on the upper body, when it comes to technique, particularly in the arms, hands/fingers & shoulders. But it's really impossible to separate whats going... Read more...
Violin Viola Practice: Learning New Habits - Rozanna's Violins
Violin Viola Practice: Learning New Habits
Scientists* refer to 3 parts of the brain in terms of how functionality occurs in human beings: the Reptilian or Lizard brain, the Paleomammalian or old Mammal and the Neomammalian... Read more...
Breathing & Bow Technique - Rozanna's Violins
Breathing & Bow Technique
The starting point in playing may include the very matter of breathing, breathing awareness, and discovering how expanding our breathing awareness impacts technique.  Read more...
The Pros & Cons of Color Violins - Rozanna's Violins
The Pros & Cons of Color Violins
The question of quality when it comes to color violins is a question we hear quite often  Color violin offerings have been around for many years. This posting will address some... Read more...
Posture: The Basis of Good Technique - Rozanna's Violins
Posture: The Basis of Good Technique
Just as dancers must support their upper bodies properly to dance skillfully, so too string players need to become aware of the functionality of the abdominals and not overuse the... Read more...
Skeleton As Foundation of Efficient String Technique - Rozanna's Violins
Skeleton As Foundation of Efficient String Technique
Inspiration From Canada.. After leading a nos. of classes & private sessions here in Canada I'm going to share some key points for the benefit of attendees and others. Thank... Read more...
Little Miss Flints New Violin & A Mission To Inspire!
When I learned that Little Miss Flint had her pink violin stolen and when offered her pick of a replacement violin, I was both delighted and honored she would choose our Tie Dye Violin. Mari Copeni came to national attention for her passionate fight to make clean drinking water available to the citizens of Flint […] Read more...
Violin, Viola Bow Arm Elbow Height
by Rozanna Weinberger Elbow height can seem like such an illusive issue for many string players. Having studied with teachers like Karen Tuttle, who had a ‘natural approach to technique’ and pointed out the necessity of arm/back weight vs. force to produce sound, it is impossible to really gage the correct elbow height if its […] Read more...
Common Misconceptions About Posture & Violin, Viola Playing
Rozanna Weinberger explores how posture, shoulder tension, and elbow angle affect violin and viola technique, with practical movement studies to help players find a more natural, resonant sound. Read more...
NAMM Educator Sessions Excerpt On Creative String Education
by Rozanna Weinberger Presented at the Educators Sessions, NAMM 2018 Anaheim, California Good afternoon! I want to thank the NAMM organization for this opportunity to share with you a bit about my company, its inspiration, and why we’ve gained momentum in the industry. For most of my life, I have worked on the performance side of […] Read more...
Common Misconceptions About Back Muscles in Violin and Viola Technique
Rozanna Weinberger explores the most common misconceptions about back muscles in violin and viola technique — explaining Vladimir Janda’s Upper Crossed Syndrome, the role of the latissimus dorsi and lower trapezius, and practical movement studies for accessing the back rather than the shoulders when bowing. Read more...
Common Misconceptions About Shifting and Holding the Viola/Violin
Rozanna Weinberger uses Muybridge’s galloping horse — and its split-second moment of mid-air suspension — as an analogy for the wrist release required for efficient shifting on violin and viola, with a motion study, guidance on finger pad balance, and a challenge to the widely-taught “shifting finger down” method. Read more...
Misconceptions About Posture: Strain in Shoulders, Back, Neck - Rozanna's Violins
Misconceptions About Posture: Strain in Shoulders, Back, Neck
by Rozanna Weinberger It amazes me when speaking to students that say they have excess tension in their playing that causes pain but feel at the mercy of the tension... Read more...
The Most Common Misconceptions About Why We Freak Out When Performing Plus Awareness Studies For Bow
Rozanna Weinberger explores why string players fall apart under performance pressure — drawing on the batting average concept, the limits of copying teachers, and a series of bow arm awareness studies connecting hip and back momentum to the bow arm, with insights on feeling the bones rather than just the muscles. Read more...
Most Common Misconceptions About Posture In Viola/Violin Playing
Rozanna Weinberger addresses the most common misconceptions about posture in violin and viola playing — explaining why slumping shoulders undermine instrument hold and bow technique, how the clavicle functions as a natural shelf, and why engaging core muscles rather than gripping with the shoulders is the key to a free, balanced playing position. Read more...
Common Misconceptions About A Career in Violin (also Viola & Cello)
Rozanna Weinberger challenges the most common misconceptions about building a career in violin, viola, and cello — arguing that the entrepreneurial path is not optional but essential, and outlining five core components of the creative entrepreneurial artist: the creative process, value creation, working independently, working with others, and actualization. Read more...