Home For Passionate Violin Learners of all Levels

Violin Lab is the internet’s first and most comprehensive online violin course designed specifically for adult learners, offering an affordable, step-by-step path from the very beginning to violin mastery.

Become a member

Why choose Violin Lab?

Since 2009, Violin Lab has taught over 40,000 adults to achieve their dreams of playing the violin. Our unique approach to teaching violin is specifically tailored for adult learners. Adults have the capacity to develop refined skill quickly when exposed to quality teaching and our strategic curriculum.

600+

video lessons

160+

repertoire pieces

200+

sheet music

CURRICULUM

Learn how to play the violin, well.

With over 30 years of teaching experience, we have created a thoughtfully sequenced curriculum designed to teach all the necessary skills to become a polished violinist. Our violin lessons will guide you through every step of the violin learning process.

Check our free lessons

Explore our Courses

Choose your starting point

Violin Lab comes with a library of 800+ video tutorials. Every violin lesson is part of a optimally designed curriculum to keep you progressing and focused.

Beginning Violin Learners

No prior experience required! Our violin course starts from the very beginning and covers EVERYTHING. All “gaps” are filled.

From the first note, you will  learn to play the violin skillfully,  with elegance and beauty.

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Intermediate Levels

Undo bad habits that are holding you back from reaching your potential, and tackle new skills that set you on the path to play and enjoy a world of famous literature. You will learn a host of new violin skills like vibrato, spiccato, shifting, to name a few.

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Advancing Levels

Designed for violinists and students with experience who want to develop polish, nuance and a “professional” sound. Our violin lessons and resources will give you information you can’t find on Youtube; information that will change the course of your playing towards professionalism. 

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Video exchange

Get personal feedback

Send in a video and get feedback and practice recommendations on your technique and repertoire skills by Beth Blackerby. You will get a video response within 2 to 3 business days after submission.
All videos are private and not shared with the community. Video Exchange is available with our Premium Plan.

See plans

Meet your instructor

Hello, I’m Beth Blackerby, the creator of Violin Lab. I launched the site in 2008, inspired by my belief that adults can develop basic skills in a manner used by professional players. 

Throughout this journey, I have continually refined my teaching methods to make violin learning more effective, and more importantly, enjoyable regardless of playing level. It is my unwavering commitment and mission to help every member reach their musical potential and realize their dream of playing the violin beautifully.

About

What is included in my Violin Lab Membership?

One monthly price, access to ALL content

For an affordable $35per month, you will have instant access to all content on Violin Lab. This includes our carefully sequenced violin lesson curriculum, consisting of over 600 videos for all playing levels.


No need to buy books

All the repertoire on Violin Lab comes with downloadable files. There are PDF files for sheet music, audio files for practice, as well as worksheets and handouts.


Private video exchange

Premium and Premium Plus Members can upload a video for feedback from VL creator and master teacher, Beth Blackerby. These videos are private and are not shared with the community.


Play Along Accompaniments (“Interactive Music”)

Experience enhanced practice sessions with human-recorded accompaniments, presented on interactive players from Soundslice.com. This fantastic tool accelerates your musical learning and is seamlessly integrated into the lesson pages for repertoire training.

Members only Live classes

We hold regular live Zoom sessions covering a wide range of topics like: Dealing with Frustration, How to Listen more Critically to Violin Performances on YouTube, Troubleshooting Vibrato Trouble and more.

Community forum

Our Community page is a vibrant hub where members can connect, collaborate, and inspire each other. Share your experiences, seek guidance, and celebrate successes together through discussions, insights, and even video demonstrations.

Love Letters

I LOVE these videos! I’m a beginner violin player and am an engineer by trade and your “to the point” “step by step” teaching process impresses me so much. Violin playing has always been a mystery to me but you are a master at revealing the mystery and making it look easy.
Thank you for your VERY methodical approach to learning the violin.
I can’t wait to watch and learn more.
Craig Staresinich

I am so ‘into’ the violin I come online to look for companions to my journey and also to listen to other people’s views/experiences in learning this wonderful instrument. I thought Beth is a good teacher and her site would be a good complement to the million of things my teacher is helping me with, it’s a bit like having my main teacher then violin lab during the week to help me ‘keep things going’ 😉
Jo Parker

….let me say that I find your site in general, and your presentation of each lesson in particular, to be of remarkable quality and usefulness. What you have already accomplished is a one-of-a-kind work, or more accurately I suspect, a one-of-a-kind labor of love that is readily apparent on everyone’s computer screen.
Claude O Ramer III

Thank you for your excellent work on your website. It’s the best. Several years ago, when I came across ProfessorV’s YouTube videos, I thought he knew a lot. Your video lessons surpassed everyone’s on the Web. You do not dumb down any topic while you give very detailed explanations. It is a pleasant experience to be a member of your website. I’ve learned a lot.
Yue Xin

I am so Happy I found this Website.Finally after much frustration trying to teach myself to play Violin because I couldn’t afford to continue Lessons. And much wasted time and effort. I have finally found a Great Teacher who explains every detail about violin playing,and provides the best videos I have ever seen anywhere.
Michael Logiudice

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TAKE YoUR sKILLS to the next level

Start your membership today!

All plans include

  • Access to all Video Lesson Content
  • Sheet Music and Audio File Downloads
  • Play-Along Practice Players

Basic Plan
35$/month

Give Violinlab a try with our Basic plan. Access all Video Lesson Content, Sheet Music and Audio File Downloads.

Auto renew, cancel anytime. Upgrade or downgrade as needed.

Select Basic

Premium Plan
65$/month

With the Premium Plan you will get Video Exchange Lessons with Beth once a month.

Auto renew, cancel anytime. Upgrade or downgrade as needed.

Select Premium

Premium Plus Plan
95$/month

With the Premium Plus Plan you’ll get weekly Video Exchange Lessons with Beth.

Auto renew, cancel anytime. Upgrade or downgrade as needed.

Select Premium Plus

Common Questions

Absolutely not! Is 60 or 70 too old to learn golf, knit or paint? How about learning to use your computer or smart phone? Assuming no unknown physical conditions, there’s nothing that should keep an older adult from learning the violin. Our brains are designed to learn throughout our entire lives. However, as with most anything in life, you’ll go as far as your own passion, practice and dedication will take you.

Many members of Violin Lab played for a while as a kid and want to get back into it. Your experience as a child, even if it was years or decades ago, will be helpful. But it will be important for you to revisit the Fundamentals course. The Violin Lab can pedagogy behind the Violin Lab curriculum is to embed the seeds of professional playing in the early stages of learning.

Once these important lessons whip you back into shape, you will easily be able to explore the Repertoire in the various levels to find your comfort level. Consider a Premium membership, even for a short time to get personal feedback on the best strategy for moving forward.

All repertoire and etude lessons come with downloadable files, so there is no need to buy any books. However, it is a wonderful supplement to learning to peruse other books. The more reading you do, the better sight reader you will become! Our “Supplemental Books” page in Resources will give you loads of suggestions.


Of all the techniques of violin playing people most want to learn, violin vibrato is by far at the top of the list. Vibrato is not difficult. It just takes a long time to get the hang of, and an even longer time to develop into a lovely technique. The most important thing you can possibly do to learn vibrato is to incorporate the right exercises into your daily practice. Many students try and use vibrato without laying the foundation. Violin Lab has an entire course on Vibrato with over 50 videos, including tutorials as well as Play Along training videos. If you put in the time, and follow our lessons, you WILL learn a beautiful vibrato!

How quickly you progress depends on how frequently and thoughtfully you practice. Based on how the harder working Violin Lab students have progressed in the past, you can expect to progress through Beginning Level Three in six to twelve months. In 2 years, you can expect to be working in the Intermediate Levels. time, and by year 3 or 4 you will be enjoying the challenges of the Advanced Levels.
That said, I hope you do not evaluate your experience by how quickly you can check off skills. The most successful (and fulfilled) students are the ones who marvel at their own ability to conquer one of the most challenging instruments in the world, and relish the sweet victory of each passing accomplishment along the way.

Knowing how to read music is not a requirement for signing up on our site. We offer a comprehensive course specifically designed to teach you how to read music from scratch. This course will guide you from having no prior knowledge of music reading to becoming proficient, ensuring you have the skills needed to fully enjoy and benefit from your violin learning experience.