EPTI've been looking here: http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=violins&_sacat=See-All-Categories
[H] I wanna buy a Violin!
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In)Spire
United States1323 Posts
I've been looking here: http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=violins&_sacat=See-All-Categories | ||
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JSH
United States4109 Posts
If your buying a violin that is between 50-75 dollars, I doubt it will make much of a difference in which one you buy Unless the seller is extremely stupid and is selling a really really good violin for a ridiculously cheap price If you want, I know some stores allow you to rent a violin and every monthly fee is added towards credit towards your violin, so if you decide to stick to it and purchase it, you haven't just wasted your money | ||
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In)Spire
United States1323 Posts
On December 13 2010 07:14 JSH wrote: Violins are very expensive... If your buying a violin that is between 50-75 dollars, I doubt it will make much of a difference in which one you buy Unless the seller is extremely stupid and is selling a really really good violin for a ridiculously cheap price If you want, I know some stores allow you to rent a violin and every monthly fee is added towards credit towards your violin, so if you decide to stick to it and purchase it, you haven't just wasted your money Well I just figured some cheap violins may give more/better stuff in addition to the violin itself. But what is the store's name? And how much are they charging? | ||
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JSH
United States4109 Posts
On December 13 2010 07:28 In)Spire wrote: Well I just figured some cheap violins may give more/better stuff in addition to the violin itself. But what is the store's name? And how much are they charging? Ah well I worded that wrong, I knew a store where I lived where they had that policy It was called Loft Violin Shop I hope other violin stores near your place has that as well Rent is around 20-25 dollars a month To be honest, I don't know how those violins will sound I am quite curious because I see that these new violins are selling for $25 and that is really really cheap That's like toy cheap lol I believe most stores will let you try out violins before you rent or buy But if your learning to play, obviously that doesn't help much I guess if you are just learning and want to have experience, buying a cheap violin wouldn't be a bad idea, since even renting will cost more after a while But like I mentioned earlier, only problem I see with this is the quality of these cheap violins | ||
Aesop
Hungary11265 Posts
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JSH
United States4109 Posts
Violin is hard to learn so I agree with what Aesop said in finding a teacher first And asking your violin teacher on opinion for violin is a great idea | ||
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Chairman Ray
United States11903 Posts
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In)Spire
United States1323 Posts
On December 13 2010 07:34 JSH wrote: Ah well I worded that wrong, I knew a store where I lived where they had that policy It was called Loft Violin Shop I hope other violin stores near your place has that as well Rent is around 20-25 dollars a month To be honest, I don't know how those violins will sound I am quite curious because I see that these new violins are selling for $25 and that is really really cheap That's like toy cheap lol I believe most stores will let you try out violins before you rent or buy But if your learning to play, obviously that doesn't help much I guess if you are just learning and want to have experience, buying a cheap violin wouldn't be a bad idea, since even renting will cost more after a while But like I mentioned earlier, only problem I see with this is the quality of these cheap violins I have no clue what that store is lol :[ Yeah, my friend told me that these cheaper ones would DEFINITELY sound WAYY worse than the more expensive ones. But I don't have $700-$1000 to spend on a violin atm lol. I figured it wouldn't be that big a deal since I just wanna learn the basics, but I don't wanna pass up on getting the best deal for a violin just because I wanted to get just some cheap one. Do you have any suggestions for some online? Also, do you know anything about the 4/4, 3/4, 1/2, 1/4 stuff? I know they're sizes but for what exactly? | ||
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Chairman Ray
United States11903 Posts
On December 13 2010 07:40 In)Spire wrote: I have no clue what that store is lol :[ Yeah, my friend told me that these cheaper ones would DEFINITELY sound WAYY worse than the more expensive ones. But I don't have $700-$1000 to spend on a violin atm lol. I figured it wouldn't be that big a deal since I just wanna learn the basics, but I don't wanna pass up on getting the best deal for a violin just because I wanted to get just some cheap one. Do you have any suggestions for some online? Also, do you know anything about the 4/4, 3/4, 1/2, 1/4 stuff? I know they're sizes but for what exactly? If you have the arm length of a typical adult, you should be getting a 4/4. I would advise against getting a super cheap violin because although they can teach you how to play, they will not sound good at all, and if you're not producing good music, it's not going to motivate you to learn more violin. EDIT: Another suggestion is to find a teacher. A lot of violin teachers carry violins that they lend to students. My mom's a violin teacher and we have around 50 violins sitting in our basement. This way you can learn and play violin without having to purchase one. | ||
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rauk
United States2228 Posts
On December 13 2010 07:40 In)Spire wrote: I have no clue what that store is lol :[ Yeah, my friend told me that these cheaper ones would DEFINITELY sound WAYY worse than the more expensive ones. But I don't have $700-$1000 to spend on a violin atm lol. I figured it wouldn't be that big a deal since I just wanna learn the basics, but I don't wanna pass up on getting the best deal for a violin just because I wanted to get just some cheap one. Do you have any suggestions for some online? Also, do you know anything about the 4/4, 3/4, 1/2, 1/4 stuff? I know they're sizes but for what exactly? $700-1000 is still beginner violin price; classical instruments are fuckingggggg expensive. you don't need to worry about size of the violin as long as you're an adult. i really do not recommend buying instruments online, because you absolutely have to try them out in person. i would start with finding a teacher in your area and asking their advice on where to rent and stuff, since they'll probably know the decent music stores in the area that will give you the best deals. | ||
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Chairman Ray
United States11903 Posts
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eLiE
Canada1039 Posts
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CaucasianAsian
Korea (South)11570 Posts
I strongly urge you to rent one. As playing a stringed instrument with a bow is much more difficult than it is to say pick up a guitar and learn a few chords. For instance, there are no frets so finger placement is much more crucial. If anything, if you go to a college, see if they have a music department and if anything ask if you can audit a beginners class. | ||
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Chef
10810 Posts
People who play professionally can own an instrument that is in the upper 6 figures, and sometimes 7. Yeah, but isn't that 100% marketing gimmick? Like a musician will list that they use a Stradivarius, which obviously helps to sell his or her records since people will look at the album and say 'hey, a stradivarius' but really you have to be pretty dumb to think there is any expertise/labour/parts that would make it sound better than a regular violin. For someone who isn't planning on selling albums I don't think it's very important, but I don't know much! | ||
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Zim23
United States1681 Posts
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Froadac
United States6733 Posts
@Chef I play bassoon, and I can say that there are certainly major tonal qualities you get in the 10k plus range. | ||
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Stenstyren
Sweden619 Posts
Violin is very rewarding when you know it though since it's quite a rare instrument and you learn all the basics of music when you learn violin. A guitar player knows his chords but you will know the entire system behind music and this translates beautifully if you ever want to learn another instrument. I would buy a cheap violin and practice on that for a year or so, you will be so bad that it won't matter what violin you are using. If you think it's fun and want to continue, consider dumping $1000 or so on it, it will be well worth it. I recently tried to play on my old beginner-violin and it sounded horrible but when a friend of mine tried both of my violins I could hardly hear any difference since he was so bad anyway:D | ||
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zzaaxxsscd
United States626 Posts
On December 13 2010 08:40 Chef wrote: Yeah, but isn't that 100% marketing gimmick? Like a musician will list that they use a Stradivarius, which obviously helps to sell his or her records since people will look at the album and say 'hey, a stradivarius' but really you have to be pretty dumb to think there is any expertise/labour/parts that would make it sound better than a regular violin. For someone who isn't planning on selling albums I don't think it's very important, but I don't know much! as someone who played violin for over 10 years, I, and anyone else who plays seriously, will tell you there is definitely a difference in the quality of sound produced by a $100, $5,000 or Stradivarius violin  there is a good reason why they are essentially "priceless", because the secret to making them has been lost, although you can spend a lot of money and get a reasonably good imitation. of course, in the end, the violinist matters much more than the violin -- someone like Joshua Bell or Itzhak Perlman can make a hundred dollar student violin sound pretty amazing | ||
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Xenocide_Knight
Korea (South)2625 Posts
On December 13 2010 09:02 zzaaxxsscd wrote: as someone who played violin for over 10 years, I, and anyone else who plays seriously, will tell you there is definitely a difference in the quality of sound produced by a $100, $5,000 or Stradivarius violin there is a good reason why they are essentially "priceless", because the secret to making them has been lost, although you can spend a lot of money and get a reasonably good imitation. of course, in the end, the violinist matters much more than the violin -- someone like Joshua Bell or Itzhak Perlman can make a hundred dollar student violin sound pretty amazingJust to add to that, there's a pretty big difference between a half million dollar violin and a multi-million dollar violin. Is it actually worth that much? That's up to you. But I wouldn't dismiss it as a marketing gimmick, they actually do sound noticeably better.. I highly recommend not buying a violin on the internet! Even if it's just a cheap one, it's always nice to see it in person before you buy it. Also renting is pro. Find a teacher! Violin isn't really a pick-up instrument because it's not very natural to play. | ||
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imBLIND
United States2626 Posts
If you live in the Los Angeles area, I can recommend some shops and people that will tutor you for cheap and sell you cheap violins | ||
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Chef
10810 Posts
But I wouldn't dismiss it as a marketing gimmick, they actually do sound noticeably better.. Why, exactly? Are they using a really rare expensive kind of wood that is somehow better than easier to obtain wood, and then messing up a few 1000 times before getting it right, so you're paying for all the failures along with one success? It would seem to me like the making of a violin would be pretty well figured out and freely available knowledge by now, otherwise. What exactly are those extra millions changing in the violin to make it sound better? I think it is a placebo, or intentional flaws backed by a powerful name. I find it hard to take for granted both the subjective idea of 'better' and the notion that it could be that much more difficult to make a violin after you're already being paid 50,000 to do it. I guess what my question is, what is stopping someone from making violins that sound as good as the multimillion dollars ones, and selling them for much cheaper? What is it that justifies the price? You can't just say 'it sounds better,' there has to be a reason it sounds better, and a reason it can't sound that good for cheaper... | ||
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Xenocide_Knight
Korea (South)2625 Posts
On December 13 2010 09:24 Chef wrote: Why, exactly? Are they using a really rare expensive kind of wood that is somehow better than easier to obtain wood, and then messing up a few 1000 times before getting it right, so you're paying for all the failures along with one success? It would seem to me like the making of a violin would be pretty well figured out and freely available knowledge by now, otherwise. What exactly are those extra millions changing in the violin to make it sound better? I think it is a placebo, or intentional flaws backed by a powerful name. I find it hard to take for granted both the subjective idea of 'better' and the notion that it could be that much more difficult to make a violin after you're already being paid 50,000 to do it. I guess what my question is, what is stopping someone from making violins that sound as good as the multimillion dollars ones, and selling them for much cheaper? What is it that justifies the price? You can't just say 'it sounds better,' there has to be a reason it sounds better, and a reason it can't sound that good for cheaper... I don't know the answer as to why, but the response time, clarity, projection, and sound quality are a lot better on more expensive instruments. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of more modern instruments that are comparable and those are just as expensive. Because if you made a violin that sounded like a 3million bucks, wouldn't you sell it for 3 million bucks? Making a violin has to be done by hand and takes months minimum. And that's if you have the parts you need. It's not like you could just suddenly mass produce them and sell them for half price. | ||
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Froadac
United States6733 Posts
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Misillusion
46 Posts
I would think 200 dollars is enough to get a decent violin for starting, although you may think that's a bit too high. The best route is to either get one from china or find a place that rents them. | ||
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rauk
United States2228 Posts
On December 13 2010 09:24 Chef wrote: Why, exactly? Are they using a really rare expensive kind of wood that is somehow better than easier to obtain wood, and then messing up a few 1000 times before getting it right, so you're paying for all the failures along with one success? It would seem to me like the making of a violin would be pretty well figured out and freely available knowledge by now, otherwise. What exactly are those extra millions changing in the violin to make it sound better? I think it is a placebo, or intentional flaws backed by a powerful name. I find it hard to take for granted both the subjective idea of 'better' and the notion that it could be that much more difficult to make a violin after you're already being paid 50,000 to do it. I guess what my question is, what is stopping someone from making violins that sound as good as the multimillion dollars ones, and selling them for much cheaper? What is it that justifies the price? You can't just say 'it sounds better,' there has to be a reason it sounds better, and a reason it can't sound that good for cheaper... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stradivarius#Controversy_over_sound_quality Also you seem to be under the misconception that Stradivarius is still alive. He's dead, which means there are a limited number of his instruments, which drives the price up. The price is a function of the rarity, not the sound quality. | ||
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Chef
10810 Posts
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XXGeneration
United States625 Posts
Buying a 75 dollar violin is almost equivalent to buying a 3 dollar mouse. Sure, it's usable, but it's not really worth it. Classical instruments are indeed expensive. I've been playing the cello for about 3-4 years, and I own a full-sized instrument. The cello itself was $6000, and the bow was $1200. Just to give you comparison. | ||
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Froadac
United States6733 Posts
First bassoon I played was a 400 dollar piece of shit. (seeing as bassoons cost so much to ebgin with...) I was about to quit when I got a 2000 instrument, which was great and easy to play with decent tone. Now I'm playing an 1800 plastic one, that isn't great, but is fairly decent. If I had stuck to the first one I would never have continued. | ||
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Alou
United States3748 Posts
As for the discussion on Stradivarius, it's the name. Someone playing on a Stradivari violin, is 10 times more marketable in the classical music world, because it is a Stradivari. It doesn't matter how it sounds. I hear Stradivari, I think "Fucking awesome instrument." (Stradivari instruments sound amazing though imo). There is name recognition in classical music too. I prefer the cello though. | ||
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Chairman Ray
United States11903 Posts
The issue with the musical instrument market is that there is low supply, low demand, but the people who want an instrument will usually pay high. When you buy a $200 violin from a craftsman, that same violin will be like $2000 in a music store. To find the perfect violin, you don't go to music stores. You go to workshops and try out all their violins and find one that's for you. You can't simply say violin A is better than violin B because violin A is higher quality. Each violin is different so you have to find the sound that suits you best. In regards to Stradivarius violins, their price doesn't come from their sound quality, it comes from its historical value. Back then, Stradivarius violins were godly. Today, they are on par with other top end violins. They're not really meant to be played, but rather be put on display in museums and such. So in conclusion, if you want a good violin for really cheap, buy from a workshop or the craftsman. | ||
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matjlav
Germany2435 Posts
To start off with, though, I think renting a lower-quality instrument is best. If you find you like it, you can invest in a nicer instrument in the future. | ||
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Ryuu314
United States12679 Posts
Your best bet is to go to a violin/classical instrument store and just ask for their cheapest violin and use that as a good measure of what the price(s) of the instruments you should be looking at could be. Going to a violin teacher/renting a violin are also good alternatives. | ||
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Stratos_speAr
United States6959 Posts
On December 13 2010 08:09 eLiE wrote: Oh man, be careful. For some reason, when I was around 12, I was like, "derp, derp, I wanna learn violin", so I bought one, and tried to teach myself the basics, and it was just not happening. I could barely get the resin on the strings. If you're going to try it, you definitely should take lessons. Different story with other instruments. Actually, there are very few classical instruments that one can effectively teach themselves. Like others have said, I would definitely recommend 1) getting lessons and 2) NOT buying a super cheap Violin to start. Violins are probably the most expensive instrument in the world, and anything that is really cheap just won't produce any good sound, meaning you probably won't want to play it because it'll always sound like shit. Why, exactly? Are they using a really rare expensive kind of wood that is somehow better than easier to obtain wood, and then messing up a few 1000 times before getting it right, so you're paying for all the failures along with one success? It would seem to me like the making of a violin would be pretty well figured out and freely available knowledge by now, otherwise. What exactly are those extra millions changing in the violin to make it sound better? I think it is a placebo, or intentional flaws backed by a powerful name. I find it hard to take for granted both the subjective idea of 'better' and the notion that it could be that much more difficult to make a violin after you're already being paid 50,000 to do it. I guess what my question is, what is stopping someone from making violins that sound as good as the multimillion dollars ones, and selling them for much cheaper? What is it that justifies the price? You can't just say 'it sounds better,' there has to be a reason it sounds better, and a reason it can't sound that good for cheaper... It takes a lot longer to get better materials and put in the time to finely craft everything to perfection in order to make the violin that much better. I mean really, did you have to ask this? Obviously they're charging more for money put into materials + time spent making the thing. It's the same exact principle for basically everything and anything sold in any economy. Sure, they COULD do it for cheaper, but then they'd be 1) out of business or 2) not making the profit they desire for the work they're putting in. Really is a pretty fundamental concept to how most economies work. I've noticed that most very high quality violins don't have that great of a response time, and they seem harder to use. I have one that's worth 1.3k in usd, and I feel that my cheaper one's easier to play. Maybe my violin's just special though. I would think 200 dollars is enough to get a decent violin for starting, although you may think that's a bit too high. The best route is to either get one from china or find a place that rents them. You're thinking very cheap in general. Violins really aren't that cheap. Even $1300 is a fairly low price. | ||
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Xenocide_Knight
Korea (South)2625 Posts
Middleschool/Highschool playing for fun -> rental or $100-$500 Pre-college prep -> $1000 - $20,000 College/Conservatory -> conservatory rental/loan instrument or $8,000 - $50,000+ Asian countries definitely have the best cheap violins. China/Korea.. Generally, you should stick to rental or $200ish until you've tried it for a few years. Most instruments under $110 are close to unplayable and will greatly take away from the experience. | ||
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justin2net
Canada12 Posts
Thankfully I'm more of a pianist than a violinist so I tend to be more picky about pianos...ahhh...I sooo want a Hamburg Steinway... | ||
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Boozerr
United States28 Posts
Also, I highly recommend getting a private tutor. You cant learn how to play violin by looking at a book or some youtube videos. A case should come with your instrument, strings won't matter, and Most shoulder rests are fine. As for instructional books, get a private tutor and have hem tell you what to get. | ||
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Smokin_Squirrel
Korea (South)674 Posts
After you rent a violin, you would need a shoulder rest (or you could go without one but its recommended for beginners to start off with one). You can get a simple Kun shoulder rest or if you don't want to spend more money, just use a piece of sponge and rubber bands. They work perfectly for some people. Also, no need to invest in high quality strings (Red Label, Dominant are good for beginners). It really won't make any difference in your sound at that stage. If possible, wood bows are generally better than carbon fiber bows as well. Just stick to the basic set-up for a month and see if you really do like the violin by then. Most people quit early due to it being a really difficult instrument to master. Also I'm an undergraduate violin performance major at a music school with a $4000 violin so I do know what I'm talking about. | ||
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OpticalShot
Canada6330 Posts
1) rent a violin, and you can accumulate rental credits which can be counted towards a purchase if you choose to do so later. 2) find a tutor because learning a new instrument by yourself is a very risky move that will end up in failure for most people. Based on some of my violin-playing friends and their instruments, I think $300 is a reasonable starting point if you decide to buy it immediately (which I don't recommend...). Your tutor/teacher, if you decide to get one, should know where to rent/buy the violin, and he/she can test out the instrument to give you expert advice. Of course, if you do go to a well-established music store, the employees there usually know the instruments pretty well and will give you good advice also. Learning an instrument is not all about the physical practice. A lot of it is building and maintaining enthusiasm so that you can plow through the tedious exercise without losing the interest altogether. Listen to a lot of classical music (especially violin concertos) - you can probably find a lot of them on youtube, but it's less troublesome if you can purchase albums. One more thing, it's important to set a goal for yourself. "How good" do you want to be? Do you have specific songs that you want to play, or are you aiming to perform a fancy concerto in a couple years? Some of my friends started learning piano at age 18-21 to play songs and impress some Asian girls. Fine, I can help with that - not too much focus on fundamentals, more on quick sight reading and chords and shit. One of them wanted to be good enough to play Chopin etudes. In that case, crazy practice to get the foundations straight. The nature of your learning process will largely depend on your goal, so be sure to set one before you dive into it! | ||
pathy
Taiwan619 Posts
http://www.sharmusic.com/Shop-Shar/Instruments/Violin/Beginning-Violins/?sort_by_options=price asc make sure you get the right size yah o: shar is a trustworthy company, i've never gotten an instrument there, but I regularly purchase music and strings from them | ||
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In)Spire
United States1323 Posts
But the only bad thing is that there are no good violin places here in my town. My friend that plays/teaches violin to younger kids even mention how the quality of the few violins here sound just like the cheap ones online but for a much high price -.- For that reason I wanted to buy one online despite how many of yall are saying it is better to rent. I still haven't decided what to do cuz I don't even know anymore :[. But I have a friend who says she will teach me as she learned when she was in Korea and she just suggests I get a cheap one online for the time being and get a more expensive one later if I wanna keep going with it. Her suggestion along with the fact that I don't have a lot of money to spend makes me more inclined to just buy a cheap one and do my best. What do yall think? | ||
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zzaaxxsscd
United States626 Posts
the last thing you want is your instrument to hold you back, though its admittedly hard to tell (be ready to sound horrible, worse than mating cats, for a few months) | ||
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rauk
United States2228 Posts
On December 14 2010 22:54 In)Spire wrote: Thanks to all that replied! But the only bad thing is that there are no good violin places here in my town. My friend that plays/teaches violin to younger kids even mention how the quality of the few violins here sound just like the cheap ones online but for a much high price -.- For that reason I wanted to buy one online despite how many of yall are saying it is better to rent. I still haven't decided what to do cuz I don't even know anymore :[. But I have a friend who says she will teach me as she learned when she was in Korea and she just suggests I get a cheap one online for the time being and get a more expensive one later if I wanna keep going with it. Her suggestion along with the fact that I don't have a lot of money to spend makes me more inclined to just buy a cheap one and do my best. What do yall think? i would be really careful about getting your friends to teach you instruments. first, unless she's a certified teacher she might not even be qualified to teach you. second, it can be really hard to draw the line between the student/teacher relationship and your friendship, which can make it hard to teach people when you're trying to speak to them from a position of authority while your main relationship is that of equals. | ||
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mapignon
United States23 Posts
If you do choose to get a cheap one, the ones under $100 shouldn't have any major quality differences. Extras that you might find with cheap ones may be a bow, rosin, and a shoulder rest (don't really need anything else). You will also want to buy some really thin masking tape to mark off your finger positions. But be forewarned: the squeakiness of a beginner learning violin is amplified on a cheap violin... | ||
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