What To Shop For In A Violin

My child wants to play the violin or I want my child to play the violin. I think that covers the two scenarios that will lead most people to start shopping for a violin. Like any training for children it seems simple enough. However as you start on your road of discovery you find that there are a lot of costs to anything that your child gets involved in. And so it is with learning the violin.

If you go cheap you frustrate your child’s enjoyment of playing the violin and achieving the best learning results. You subject yourself to a lot of complaints and a lot of bad music coming from the practice room. So let’s look at a basic start up for violins and compare what you may get for what price.

The Violin

The number one thing to get when you buy a violin is get one that is made out of wood. By that I mean that you want properly aged maple on the bottom and spruce on the top. The pegs, chin rest, fingerboard and other hardware should also be made out of wood. Plastic does not resonate and flex like wood. Your child will not get the same nice sound out of a plastic violin that he or she will get from one made out of wood. The same goes for the varnish. The hard but "very shiny" new varnishes look great but create a horror of a sound that puts a chill into any music teacher’s psyche.

So should you buy used or new? If you want new, you will not be buying a wood violin for $200 or even $500. First you have to find a new one that is not made of plastic. There are lots of violins that are 50 to 100 years old that are made of wood but are in good shape. They were not the best at the time they were made and they are not now but they are made out of wood. Many sound quite nice and would be a great instrument for anyone to learn to play on. There is lots of supply of these at a price under $1000. Always make the purchase subject to your violin instructor’s approval as that person is the other most important factor in the learning process for violins. If you buy a violin that assaults the instructors’ ears, they will not try as hard to teach your child because they may feel that you are not committed to your child learning to play good music.

The Bow

For someone starting out a new violin bow is the only way to go. As a beginner I do not think you can go wrong with any of the 3 choices in material. There is Permambuco wood, fiberglass or carbon fiber bows. All are available for $100 to $200. It costs that much to have an expensive violin bow rehaired. A student needs many years of instruction before searching for a more expensive bow is on the shopping list.

The Case

Violin cases are also a very simple buy for the beginner. Nice modern violin cases have good padding and a nice cover and sell for under $150. You can get ones that are nicer but the only factor that is of consideration is humidity control. One of the major causes of cracks in wooden violins is dry air. To have a humidity meter and a mechanism to regulate humidity built into a violin case is very helpful if you live in a dry climate. However both these products can be bought on line and with a little diligence your violin will be protected for under $15 extra.

So here is my editorial conclusion. You can buy one of those nice shiny plastic violin kits for $500. The instructor will take one look and will think "Here we go again". When your child or you give up in frustration, you will be unable to sell the violin. Or you can buy a wooden violin; buy a new bow and a nice case for $1000 to $1400 total. If your child has the gift and you have nurtured it, the violin will be a treasured keepsake. If you need the money it will be a nice trade in when you buy a violin that will take your violinist to the next level up.

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