Should I rent or buy a violin?
And how to choose a good violin.
I get asked this question all the time. And the answer may surprise you. I typically recommend renting a violin if you are a growing teen or child. Even as an adult I would recommend renting for a couple of months from a local shop because a decent beginner violin will be no less than $500 and it is hard to invest that kind of money when you are not sure if you have committed to learning or even liking the instrument. Rentals usually cost between $20-30 dollars a month and there may be a set up or shipping fee. There are many programs even online that are rent to own, which is a great way to try a high-quality instrument and not feel like you are throwing away your money. We have partnered with Gracenote Music to offer our students the option of renting a high-quality violin.
I don’t recommend buying a violin for your child because they will grow out of it. If you are going to use this course exclusively you can consult our sizing chart. However, there is nothing worse than going to a lesson with the wrong instrument and your teacher tells you to trade it in for a different size. It’s important to know that Suzuki teachers size differently than traditional teachers. Traditional teachers will try to fit their students in a full size as soon as possible, mainly because the larger instruments sound better than fractional instruments. However, a Suzuki teacher will size small so that students can have an ergonomic fit and not have to stretch or contort their fingers and arms to reach certain positions.
Once you know your size and are sure that you want to buy an instrument rather than rent there are many price categories to consider. For beginners I do not recommend anything less than $500 dollars, another reason you may consider renting. My personal students are invited to rent from a local violin shop. In fact, I do not allow my studio students to buy any violin from Amazon or Ebay. Violins that are around the $100 to $200 mark tend to be little more than glorified toys. Sorry, but if you bought your kid a purple or pink violin on amazon, you didn’t actually buy a violin. These violins will often slip out of tune, and you can spend the whole time trying to keep it tuned rather than playing, which is a very frustrating experience you want to avoid. Additionally, these cheaper violins have literally fallen apart from cheap gluing and are generally not worth the price. Once you see a beginner violin that is priced usually between $300-1000, you will want to look for important components.
Some important factors to look for
Does the violin have fine tuners? If it doesn’t you can replace the tail piece to include these.
Does the violin have any plastic pieces? Avoid, these as they easily break and have a big impact on the sound of your violin. Look for natural wood or ebony pegs, tailpieces and buttons.
Make sure your bridge is German or French made. A strong durable bridge is needed as cheaper ones will warp and then need to be replaced. Bridge replacement is not a DIY task, so you will need to go to a luthier to replace it.
Look at how far off the fingerboard the strings sit. You do not want the strings that close to the fingerboard or your tone will be affected.
Not all violin bodies are created equal. The sizes of the instrument are not like shoe sizes, they are not exactly the same. These differences shape the differences in tone. Even if you are buying a 4/4 violin it is important to try a few of them so that you can feel and hear the differences. Don’t worry about the chin rest not feeling comfortable, these can and should be changed out.
The chinrest is something that when paired with a shoulder pad will give you a proper violin hold. Chinrests are easily replaced, and students should experiment a few before settling on one. Between the chin rest and the shoulder pad your head should remain vertical while holding the violin without dipping forward.
Shoulder pads have the same deal. Whether you choose a foam or clamp style shoulder pad, try out numerous ones to ensure a proper head hold. For more information on how to get a good violin hold, watch our video in unit 1.
A good set of strings is crucial to creating a good tone. It is recommended to upgrade your violin to D’addario strings or Pirastro for intermediate violin students.
Pros of using a local store
Using a local brick and mortar store allows you to try different instruments and be exposed to different sounds.
Local stores will often have onsite luthiers who can fix minor or major issues that may come up. Maintaining a violin is something that should be done and luthiers can aid with that as well.
Often a store will allow you to have a trial with a violin which will give you some time to really sit with the instrument without pressure and see if it actually is the right fit for you.
If you buy online
Choose a brand that is well known and not made in China.
I recommend Scott Cao violins, not the scottys.
I also recommend Potter Violins, Kennedy Violins as some budget friendly violins.
We sell Maple Leaf Violins which are also very nice for students.
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