Reddit mentions of Suzuki Violin School International Edition, Violin Part Book & CD Volume 1

I have to say that, unfortunately, the best advice I can give you is to find a teacher. I know that it seems like you can learn the basics by yourself, especially if you are already musical. But you will either learn habits that will be horrendously difficult to break later on, injure yourself, or both. You could end up with tendinitis, carpal tunnel, serious back problems, serious jaw problems, etc.

If you still want to learn on your own, as you look for a teacher, here's some advice that might help (from a violinist of 19 years):

• Make sure you don't have excess tension in your body. Your arms, your hands, your back, should be relaxed. This is imperative for not hurting yourself.
  
• Make sure you use either a shoulder rest or a sponge (not a kitchen sponge. One made for violin.) http://www.amazon.com/Players-Economy-Foam-Violin-Shoulder/dp/B000EEHDBG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1301454082&sr=8-2
  
• Make sure you put rosin on your bow. Don't over rosin, though. Just put enough on so that there is resistance when pulling the bow across the strings. If you are accumulating a layer of white on your violin while playing, you're using too much.
  
• Make sure to care for your violin. Wipe off any accumulated rosin, place the violin in the case snugly, and loosen the hair of your bow a bit before placing in the case.
  
• It may look dumb, but you'll want to place tape on the neck of your violin so you can easily find the right pitches, until your muscle memory is developed. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31YQHPWYMAL.jpg
  Work with a tuner. Play on the A string, and place tape at B natural, C sharp, and D natural. Make sure your violin is in tune first (using the tuner!)
  
• Don't start playing songs that involve anything other than first position. First position is when (on A-string), your index finger is placed on the tape at B natural, your middle finger on C sharp, and your ring finger on D natural. To find songs at this level, I suggest buying Suzuki Violin Book 1. Start at the beginning. http://www.amazon.com/Suzuki-Violin-School-Revised-Part/dp/B0027P7QY4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1301454626&sr=1-1
  
  Troubleshooting:
  
  
• One reason for notes not speaking well would be not having any or enough rosin on your bow. But remember, add gradually. Don't pile it on. Oh, and common mistake for beginners: Just rub the hair of your bow across the rosin. DON'T CHIP AWAY AT THE ROSIN BEFORE APPLYING. You'll just gunk up your bow hair and damage it.
  
  
• Start slowly. Don't try to play songs the way you hear them. You want to master songs at a slow speed before trying them faster. You'll just frustrate yourself otherwise.
  
  
• Squealing and bouncing happens when you don't have consistent weight of your bow arm. You should not feel like you're holding your bow arm up in the air from the shoulder. Your elbow should not held down by your side. (This should also be in the Suzuki book. With pictures.)
  
  I could go on forever, but hopefully this will help you. But, seriously. If you want to actually learn anything, find a teacher! But I wish you luck!