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I've been playing for 5 years and I don't use stickers.......ever..........

ive been playing for six years now
and i stopped using tapes... maybe four years ago?
idk theyre alright in the beginning but once you start leaving first position i would say theyre useless... maybe leave something in the third finger spot so you can find third till you feel it but otherwise its useless.
after a while you willjust feel the right spot for your hand.

Eh, lots of practice does make for improvement, but that's only if one is practicing correctly.

One thing I always tell my students in the classroom and for private lessons is, "When you go home tonight and tomorrow, I want you to especially practice this passage in this way..."

So the basic proverb, "Quality is better than Quantity" applies to home practice.

Two hours a day can be excessive for many. For me, it's just right (I just need to get up and do it every day now). Remember, two hours of practice doesn't have to be scheduled from 2pm to 4pm with a solid fist. I tend to practice 20 minutes, take a break and do something else, then come back and practice 30 minutes... spread that all throughout the afternoon, and I get anywhere from an hour to four hours of practice done a day. It helps with the pains I have in my joints to spread it out like this, and my college professor actually forbid me to practice more than 30 minutes straight anymore.

I've been playing the violin for 7 years and I never really learned to vibrato until my 4th year. Vibrato-ing is just something that you have to get used to. Your wrist shouldn't be tense, it should move loosely almost as if your hand is moving up and down the fingerboard, except in place.

-Tapes. I stopped using tapes when I was in 5th grade. Like Javinus said, it's better to not have any tape at all because you learn a sense to where your fingers should be without being shown by listening to yourself play.

All I can say is don't expect to be great at playing in a few short years. Unless you were born to play it, the violin is one of the hardest more complex instruments to perfect. Take it slow, and if you think you sound good with a song, practice it so you know you sound good.

I'm ranting here but, also...remember to always wipe your violin down with a 100% cotton towel of some sort to clean the rosin off your strings. If you let the rosin build on your strings, you'll ruin the sound quality of the violin; thus ruining the violin in general. Also, since posture plays a big role in music, I recommend you getting a shoulder rest, if you don't have one already.

I've been teaching myself and learning from my school's orchestra director. Since you're the same age as me, shouldn't your high school have an orchestra too? If not, then.. you should find a private teacher. The one thing I've learned is, play with your heart, and not just the desire to sound good. Feel the music, don't just read the notes. If you do that then, you'll truly be a great musician, and you'll do just great! smile

I've been playing for four years, and I still have my first, third, and fourth tape. And an extra when I move to third position and beyond. sweatdrop People never compliment me on my vibrato, and I'm currently second chair in my orchestra. Needless to say I suck. But look at other people your age, do they have tapes to help? If not then just remove one by one untill it it becomes easy. I hope that's how it works.
Btw does anyone use Suzuki Method around here?

Ooh ooh I use suzuki I've been playing for almost a year and I'm almost done with the first book. I only use one sticker for forth finger. I started pulling the others off around 7 months in. I'm trying to work on a vibrato but it's hard, I can't hold it for that long and when I first started my teacher had to correct my technique.