buying a violin

psd99

psd99

psd99

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Joined
7 Sep 2008
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I love the sound of the instrument and I'm looking to get one maybe 2nd hand

I've played an Indian musical instrument before it is very tough.

people tell me the violin is too but I'm willing to learn!

any advice? what kind of size shall I go for? etc?

thanks

psd99.
 
hi there,

I was taught the violin from the age of 4 and reached grade 8 in secondary school. It's very very funny watching people trying to play it who never have before (even holding it is well worth watching for the lolz). I've also had the privelege of travelling most of Europe with Orchestras etc. I went through a 5 10 year stint without playing until last Christmas when I played at a carol concert. :p

If you are an adult, you will want a full size violin. If you want it to draw away some of the nasty screeching and scratching that is inevitable while learning you'll want to budget for at least £200 including bow.

Use "Dominant" strings too. These last a long time and offer a great sound (not cheap though £40 a full set)

A violin is EADG strings (e being highest pitch, g being lowest). If you can play the violin, you'll be able to play the bass guitar too (although EADG, G is the highest on the bass, e the lowest).

Literally get hold of some Grade 1 books, the types that teach you to play 3 blind mice, etc. Use heavy left fingers to ensure the note and use fluid right arm bowing to avoid scratching.

Here's mine: 17th Century German, worth approx £8 to 10k now I would think but has a stupidly high sentimental value so doubt I'll ever get rid of it.
nHuKP.jpg
 
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thanks now do you have any reputable retailers that you know of?

wow thanks for the pics and advice she looks amazing!

does anyone on here have one they want to sell in and around london area?
 
That picture I posted appears massive on my screen even though I resized it. Same for everyone else?

Anyway, you can always check local private sellers. Just cover your ass on the anatomy of the violin to make sure it's ok (allthough most can fixed quite cheaply). The most major thing you want to look out for is resonance. It will be very noticeable. It's a sign of a cracked sound post, or a crack somewhere in the body (usually inside towards the top where the neck joins).
 
Lucero said:
That picture I posted appears massive on my screen even though I resized it. Same for everyone else?

Anyway, you can always check local private sellers. Just cover your ass on the anatomy of the violin to make sure it's ok (allthough most can fixed quite cheaply). The most major thing you want to look out for is resonance. It will be very noticeable. It's a sign of a cracked sound post, or a crack somewhere in the body (usually inside towards the top where the neck joins).
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thanks

so you'd say around £200 and I got myself a decent violin?
 
Lol, hopefully resized now.

It's up to you, lets put it this way, it won't lose value. Pay £200 for it now, it will be worth £200 or more next year if you find you don't get on with it.

Good thing is, you can detect resonance by plucking too, so you don't have to embarrass yourself by actually playing it in front of someone. Check the sound post through the "F" holes.

This is something I would look at:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fine-old-...ruments_Sting_Instruments&hash=item336b6276d8
 
Lucero said:
hi there,

I was taught the violin from the age of 4 and reached grade 8 in secondary school.
Click to expand...

yes and my :eek: ears :eek: were subjected to many evenings of you getting there, wow that was a long time ago.

/goes off to find that vid of your xmas concert this year :D;)

psd99 said:
I love the sound of the instrument and I'm looking to get one maybe 2nd hand

I've played an Indian musical instrument before it is very tough.

people tell me the violin is too but I'm willing to learn!

any advice? what kind of size shall I go for? etc?

thanks

psd99.
Click to expand...

Are you musical and do you play anything else rather than just dabbling?

played well the violin is a beautiful instrument, however learning it produces the sort of music only a parent can love.

if you want a string instrument that you will sound acceptable on quickly, try the guitar
 
Nice to see a few violinists on here, didn't expect that on a computing forum. Size-wise, I stuck with my 7/8th sized violin, for that was £500 and has sentimental value like what Lucero said. Also depends on how big you are, but I guess most adults will go for full sized. Sure, go for grade 1 books initially, but I wouldn't consider exams until grade 3 as you'll pick it up easily enough from the books. From grade 3 onwards, I would consider taking violin lessons if you're going to go for the exams. Remember that you need to pass grade 5 Music Theory before you can start studying grade 6 violin.
 
I learnt from the age of 11 on a full size one. I see little reason for anyone of this age or older to get a smaller one. Also you really need a teacher from pretty much the start, you will pick up bad habits that will be very difficult to get out of. Graded exams are good for something to work towards but you may not bother with them all, for example I did 1, 2, 4, 7 and 8.

Do you know anyone local who can play the violin? You really need to play the instrument before buying it to see if it is any good. As you haven't played one before this will be challenging.

Dominant strings will be good while you are learning as they tend to stay in tune very well. As you progress you may want to go in search of a string that suits you better but that's very far down the road. Strings don't last forever so they will need replacing every now and then (depending on how much you play, not just when they snap.) Get a good Rosin too, I personally use Laubach Gold. And remember to clean it off every time you play.

Get a scale book too. Learn G, D and A 1 octave to start with (memorising them but they are the same finger pattern just starting on different strings) so you can concentrate on intonation, bowing and tone production without worrying about reading.
 
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