violin

[forloveofmusic]

one of the most beautiful sounds in the world is the music from a violin. more than anything i would love to learn to play, of course in order to do that i, first, have to buy a violin. i am posting this because iwas wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction as to what kind of violin to buy, in terms of sound, durability, size, and or brand. thanks...


jessi

[mestonf]

it all depends on how much you are willing to pay violins go from about £100 to half a million pounds, and in terms of size if you are a full grown adult you will need a full size for children theres 3/4 , 1/2 and so on. The first violin i bought was a factory made £100 kit with bow and case included, thats what started me off. Afterwards since i have played more i bought a new violin costing me £800 and a bow for £300 and £200 case, but yes it is expensive but just go to your local good music shop and they will be able to point you in the right direction

[megomoo]

ooooh yay i've just started to play also

get abracadabra violin book 1, it may seem childish, but it's fun and i found it really helped as it explains things step by step, and starts off really simple. its also quite rewarding cos you feel you can actually play an entire tune


good luck!!smileys/smiley4.gif

[mestonf]

yeah megamoo thats a good book i had it all those years ago

[eims]

anyone remember dan george and egbert from the early violin books??!!

[forloveofmusic]

i appreciate the info..i'll keep you posted on how things go...


jessi

[lucyoliver]

checkout www.joshuabell.com (http://www.joshuabell.com) he is a wonderful violinist. otherwise check out the suzuki method...those are great books as well.

[forloveofmusic]

went there....still picking up my jaw...


thanks,


jessi

[eyeliner&glitte]

I play the violin! And I love it, I've been playing for like...er...9 years now! I think to begin with you should only have a cheap violin, however you dont want it too cheap or you will find the quailty isnt all that good, and the tone will be crap and you wont want to continue playing it.


I would highly recommend that you look in antique kind of shops, I got my violin from a antiques shop in Devon, and it cost me £700 but it worth around £3000! So, I would deffo have a look around first. If you are to go to a specialist music shop, that alright, however, be careful as they are there to sell, and if they see people who aren't sure, although most of them will help you, some might not really help you with what you want!


I think also, it's a very hard instrument to learn, and you would probably need some sort of a teacher to help you, unlike something liek teh guitar, which is simple,as there are masses of techniques, and a teacher would be able to correct you along your way.


Once you start being able to play there are lots of differnt types of music you could persue, the main types seem to be classical and folk. I play classical for my grades, but I play folk music in a band and i play it on folk holidays and all the time really! Irish music is so fun to play, so I would say even if it seems hard at first, never give up!


Hope all my rambling helps!Edited by: eyeliner&glitte

[Krystian]

when starting on violin, you really don't need a great violin as others have said. I would not spend thousands of dollars on something that you may later decide you don't want to play. Try renting one for a while. And then once you are more advanced, you will know what you would like in an instrument, as far as strings and models and makes. You will also be more familiar with what type of bow is best for you. smileys/smiley4.gif


Now, I don't play violin. My sister does. I only play cello, so this is not exactly coming from a violinist prospective but I am sure it would be similar.