Have you ever thought, that you want to start to play the violin, but don’t know even what kind of violin you should have? Today we will try to answer this question.
For the beginner
If you are just starting and you already grown up, than the best option for you would be just the cheapest violin you can find on the internet. For the start it’s the best, because after you start your violin lessons, you might want to decide to give up and you would feel stupid to have expensive violin just for one month or even less.
Nowadays you can find many cheap violins on the webstores like Amazon, eBay, Thomann or Paganino for example. The most important thing you should know that there are many different sizes of violin. If you already an adult you need 4/4 violin, or as we call it the “whole” violin. If you are a bit smaller, or you have shorter hands, you might want to try 7/8 violin, as some people find it more comfortable to play and more feeling “in hands”. For teenagers you might want to try 3/4 violin also, as it might be feel more comfortable to play. Same thing is with bows, since they are also could be the “whole” size 4/4, 3/4 and smaller. If you search a bit online you can find different charts for the size. Here’s some of them:
| Violin | Measurement | Average Age of Child |
|---|---|---|
| 1/16 | 35-38 cm | 3-4 |
| 1/10 | 39-42 cm | 4-5 |
| 1/8 | 43-46 cm | 5-6 |
| 1/4 | 47-51 cm | 6-7 |
| 1/2 | 52-56 cm | 7-8 |
| 3/4 | 57-60 cm | 9-11 |
| 4/4 | > 60 cm | 11-13+ |
| Violin Bow | Bow Length (generally) |
|---|---|
| 4/4 (Full size) | 74.25cm (29.25″) |
| 3/4 | 68.5cm (27″) |
| 1/2 | 62.25cm (24.5″) |
| 1/4 | 56.5cm (22.25″) |
| 1/8 | 49.5cm (19.5″) |
| 1/10 | 45cm (17.75″) |
| 1/16 | 43cm (16.87″) |
| 1/32 | 38cm (15″) |
Anyway it’s always better to start with something simpler. And of course you would need a bow, shoulder rest or pillow, violin case and rosin. It should also include chin rest and strings of course, but usually it’s already pre-installed on the violins, which sold online or at store. Bridge and tuning pegs also should be pre-installed. Some violins don’t have fine tuners and it might be the problem, if you are just starting your violinistic journey, since it might be hard for you to always tune just with tuning pegs. Most webstores offer some simple sets under 100$ which has already everything set and I believe it’s good to go for your first lesson. After couple of lessons or maybe after some few months or years, depends on when you decide how serious you are about playing violin, the teacher may help you to find better violin and better bow.
Intermediate level
If you already played violin for several years and looking for something better, than just cheap violin, I would personally recommend violin in the price reange 1000-2000$ or more, for this price you should be able to buy some average sound quality violin. It could be the old manufactured violin or maybe some unknown luthier, but in this price range it doesn’t matter, since in this price range there are no violins in which you could “invest” to resell it more expensive in the future, so don’t think about the names on it, but more about how do you like the sound of violin and does it fell comfortable for you. You can always ask for an opinion some local luthier and also ask to make an adjustments. Some luthiers can do very good job in renovating and improving quality, power and smoothness in the sound of your violin. Just don’t pay too much, since even with the best adjustments of the best luthier of the world this kind of violin won’t sound as Stradivarius anyway.
For the bow price range could be something like 500-1500$, nowadays the good bow might cost even more than the violin itself. Sometimes it pays off and sometimes not, but same as in the case with a violin, you should try it at least for some time. Always ask to lend it to you at least for some days, better for a week, to understand does it really fits you or not.
For professional
If you a professional and you think about you future career, than your instrument and bow is the best investment for you. In my opinion to play in the good orchestra your violin should cost at least 10000$ and the bow at least 1000$, this is important, since in this price range you can find some decent sounding violins and bows (likely some modern luthiers, but also you might find XX century luthiers in this price range), but don’t think it would be easy. It’s always hard to find that one, which would satisfy you, so take time and deep breath, since it could be a long process. The more expensive it goes, the more likelihood to get some good investment too, if you buy the violin with some recognized name on it, same with the bow. But don’t forget, that still for you the most important should be the sound and how does it fit your needs, since you might end up playing this instrument and the bow for the rest of your life.
For kids
For your child it’s extremely important to choose violin and bow with some luthier or even better your teacher, since as you saw above there are many different sizes of violin and the bow and it’s very important to choose the right one, so your kid would form right technics from the start and don’t compromise his or her playing, because the violin is too big or too small, or the bow is too long or too short. But as child grow, it’s very important to notice, when he or she already overgrew the violin’s size and need the next one, but you can always ask your teacher is it the time already to switch the violin for a bigger one. Small violins (like 1/32, 1/16, 1/8 or even 3/4) usually quite cheap and shouldn’t be expensive, since your kid is playing it temporarily and will switch to the bigger one at some point, usually the violin cost under 1000$ and the bow could be under 100$.
I hope I answered at least some of your questions. If youo have more you can always contact me through contact me button at the website or listen to my Podcast where we also discuss some of these topics and others.