Tuning can feel very awkward for a beginner who is already feeling uncomfortable trying to hold the violin with the left hand free.  Don't try to use the fine tuner while playing the string until you are really confident that you won't drop the violin.  Instead, play the string; decide if it's flat or sharp; use your right hand to move the fine tuner no more than a half-turn in either direction (you'll get a better idea how much the fine tuner adjusts as you get used to it); then play the string again and decide if you've overshot the mark, if you haven't gone far enough, or if you've got it right.  You don't have to put the bow down if you grasp the frog with your 2nd, 3rd and 4th fingers against the palm, and form a circle with the thumb and first finger in front of the stick (closer to your face) - this is a position you can use for pizzicato as well (I think there may be a description of it earlier on the thread).

Using the pegs presents less of a chance of dropping the violin, but it's a tricky thing to do one-handed.  Once you loosen the peg, as you turn it you need to simultaneously push it back into the peg box slightly or it will gradually loosen to the extent where it won't hold its place.

So usually we end up turning the peg with only the thumb and one finger, while grappling the pegbox with the other fingers.  Depending on the angle at which the peg is set this can feel very easy or be nearly impossible, and if you watch violinists tuning you can see they put their hand in all sorts of positions to get around this.  If you're lucky with the peg angle, you can generally get your left hand into a good position on the D and G pegs with your palm facing you, and on the A peg with your palm turned out to the right.

Sometimes you see violinists bending down and using their leg as a stabiliser, so they get a better grip on the peg yet still have a way of pushing the peg into the box while turning it.  This only works on the D and G strings.

It's not a bad idea in the beginning to put the bow down, stand the violin upright in your lap (strings facing you - and obviously you have to be sitting down for this) and turn the pegs while plucking the strings.  It's much easier to control what you're doing this way.  You'll never get the strings as impeccably in tune this way as you would when using the bow, as plucking distorts the pitch a bit, but it's a useful way of dealing with stubborn pegs or coping when starting out.

If you're finding it tricky, it's worth considering getting fine tuners on all four strings for a while.

It sound like your fiddle's in pretty good shape, but if you find the pegs are too sticky there's an ointment made by Hill that will help get them moving.  It's not called anything special - something like "A Preparation for Pegs So That They May Turn with Greater Facility."  My teachers always called it "peg dope."     And if the pegs are too loose, a light smear of ordinary white chalk will give them as much friction as they'll need.

One more word of advice - by all means use your tuning machine for each string individually, but after you tune, try playing each pair of adjacent strings together so you can grow accustomed both to the feeling and the sound of it.  Just as with playing a single string, you want a clean, even sound on both strings.  Don't worry if it feels and sounds terrible in the beginning, but do persist - you'll want to play double-stops eventually, and tuning well requires being able to do this, so the sooner you get used to it the better.  (Although your machine is probably in equal temperament, which means the fifths won't quite be pure - but it'll be useful to hear the beats - and that's a whole other can of worms you don't need to open just yet...)

A,

It's quite funny that the subject of 'thumb' has come up. I do have rather short fingers and with the violin/foam resting on my collar-bone I am really struggling to play A, B, C on the G string, so I'm trying to position the violin more on my shoulder so I'm not twisting my left hand so much to reach the G string. That hand/wrist has been hurting a bit so I need to be able to play the G string more comfortably. While struggling to reach that G string I did look at my thumb once and think 'why are we not using that!?' 

So, where have I got to? Well I've got as far as playing two octaves from G on the open string up to G on the E string, not greatly in tune (poor intonation is it?) but at least my ears recognise that and I'll know when it's getting better, I hope.

I think I'll now put away the DVD for a while because after playing the octave the DVD tutor has in the space of a minute gone straight from a little exercise to playing a tune, but I'm going to need quite a bit of time to play scales and get in tune with the finger positions, and get familiar with where notes are before I can practice reading a line of music, which brings me to what I saw on the wiki page earlier :



wiki mentions what I saw on some kids' violins on ebay, bits of tape or tippex on finger positions, I'd like to think I can avoid that and use my ears with my fingers rather than my eyes, anyway at the moment my eyes are either on the bow or looking in the mirror 


John

Can I suggest that you should be able to see your elbow about the middle of your chest when holding the violin. If you are able to get it this far under, you will find that reaching the G string is not such a problem. Mind you, that is the wrong word really, you shouldn't be reaching, your fingers should still hover over the notes on the G string and there should be no tension in them if you are to play easily on this low string... You seem to be doing well John, I would agree, try to use your ears for intonation not bits of sticky paper (useful for little ones who are, let's be honest, a bit lazy  at using their ears and tuning accordingly)
Don't forget to use a mirror to check the straightness of the bow ( always parallel with the bridge) or ask the Mrs to help perhaps!

 Keep going.... it's worth it 

A

John,

Use your ear for tuning! ( sing the notes up the fifth from one string to another, you will be surprised how this helps!!
You will notice if you listen very carefully that the vibrations settle when the perfect fifth is found, it is even and no 'movement'.

For slippy pegs, use chalk or pencil... just move the peg a tiny bit out, rub where the shiny bit is obvious and put back again firmly, pressing in with reasonable pressure.

Fine tuners are good, but usually only needed on the higher strings where there is such a small turn needed to get a string in tune... any decent music shop should have them. The thinner strings need to be moved less as you say but the fine tuning needs to be very accurate with such small movements!

You could always take your violin to be set up with a new tailpiece with the tuners already fixed in, and maybe get the pegs fixed ( new ones tend to be expensive though so watch out!)

Once the strings are in tune they should really stay more or less in tune but the thought of leaving the poor violin in the cold garage is worrying! Also , even if you don't , moving it from house to garage is also bad for tuning. Playing in churches always has this problem... the string instruments need tuning more than usual.

Best, A

I mean sing , for example , from G to D ... ie G A B C D (just like a scale) then compare the two ends of your 'sing'... the G and the D... it usually confirms the tuning if you are having difficulty. Then try singing D E F# G A ..BUT if you have a keyboard, use that!!

A

I think you are doing well John, keep at it!! Practise singing intervals, say from D to F# or G to B etc, it gets easier!!!

The keyboard is the answer though in my opinion!!

A

Strina is the expert on Baroque violins I suggest John. It may , or may not , interest you to know I have what I am sure is an Albani violin dated 1697. It is very fat bellied and the varnish is poor ( I believe the latter is common with this make)
It used to belong to Martin Milner ( leader of the Halle in the 60s 70s ...) -a friend of mine - who borrowed it back when his Strad was in for repair!


A