Leopold Mozart’s text, first published under the title "Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule" ("Essay on a well-founded instruction for the violin") in 1756, consists of twelve chapters and an introduction which contains a brief on the history of music in general, and of bowed string instruments in particular. The first chapters cover music notation, how to hold the instrument properly, keys and intervals, down- and up-bow, and bowing technique. The subsequent chapters discuss triplets, different types of phrasing, the position of the left hand and ornamentation. Instructions on performance and an index conclude the Violinschule. Some 570 music examples of different length are interspersed in the text.

A second, slightly revised edition, prepared by the author himself, was published in 1769. A few remarks were added to the text and some small parts altered. A handful of new music examples were inserted and others expanded. The title was abridged to "Gründliche Violinschule" ("A well-founded instruction for the violin").

Not part of the edition are the Dutch edition from 1766, a strict translation of the German original, and the French edition from 1770, an adaptation. Both editions were known to the Mozart family, though. A third German edition from 1787 was issued only after Leopold’s death in May 1787. Apart from the title page, the introductory matter and some newly typeset music examples it is actually a reprint of the second edition.