Violin advice

So our music teacher said not to worry about splashing out for a “good” violin until they need full size as the smaller one all sound a bit “ropey”.
He teaches at school though and does provide instruments. They tend to be stentnor and a bit battered but fine for early days.
DD has been playing on a stentnor we got for £30 out of Barnados (less battered), she gets a great sound out of it. The shop was fab and said it was fine to bring it back if her teacher didn’t think it wasn’t any good. Stroke of luck. It has got DD to grade 3 ( Over 2 years we have had the bridge fixed, And bought a new bow ) and we are now looking to invest in a full size to go through the grades with.

That is when you make a big investment. Having said that it has been apparent for sometime that DD loves to play, so she has a bit money stashed in a “violin fund” that includes money where family have wanted to buy her something special, and she has chosen to put it towards her full size violin when she is big enough

You're probably right mrsrobinson! :) Its over 30 or 35 years since I first held a violin!

Yeah I guess I tune it out to some degree!

Most of my Y3s this year have 1/2 size, about a third of them have 1/4. They seem a particularly tall bunch though with long arms.

Wouldn't recommend ebaying a hired violin, you'll have more problems than few squeaks
Sorry MrsRobinson, think you may be a bit inured to it - beginner violins use open E strings which are squeaky with the best will in the world, and worse on a cheap instrument. Good teaching helps but even so most will occasionally slip too close to the bridge with the bow too.

A well set up quality factory instrument (like Stentor) is exactly what DD's teacher recommends. It's a compromise between not wasting money at a stage where there playing won't be brilliant and giving enough back to keep them going. Has enough ring to it that child can hear when they're doing it right.

HerestoyouMrsRobinson at what age to your students tend to need a 1/2 size?

Well none of my 35 new Violin students this year sound squeaky. Maybe it was you?

I started on1/4 size at age 7! Then went up to half, 3/4 then full. I didn't get a 'nice' one til I got my full size!! To be honest, until about grade 3 or grade 4, the Violin is horrible and squeaky! no matter how good or expensive!!! I'd eBay it and when your DC starts getting good, then investigate and look for a nice one!!! Until then, get some ear muffs!!! And a cheap one!

Ah brilliant, so pleased that works for you. Hope she has great fun with it!

Take a look at somewhere like Caswells hire scheme - think they do it by post. Particularly if you're getting a 1/4 for a 7 yr old, you may want to upgrade sooner rather than later. But if not you can offset hire cost against purchase price.

My 6 yr old is on a 1/2, she's a bit tall but would be average for 7 I'd think.

We've used cheap bows from eBay or Amazon, they're fine. We usually find even when we buy a small instrument with a bow the bow hair is worn out and they're cheaper to replace than rehair.

Also, does your young teacher have her own teacher supporting her in this? Teaching violin to beginners is hard. Assuming she does have a teacher on board, perhaps that teacher might have pupils moving up in size, or at least have some violins herself so she can try out to find the best size for you. Perhaps you could see if you could arrange a one off session with teacher's teacher.

Alternatively could you ask your local shop to try some for size? I don't think it would be cheeky if you're going to give them business setting up.

But I think once you've paid 30 for violin, plus setup, plus strings, plus bow, plus any extra repairs needed - something like Caswells with hire and purchase option on cheapest range stentor would look attractive financially.

Also look into cost of group lessons and instrument hire via school and local music service. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Sorry, rambling thoughts there...!

I would get the violin shop to have a look before you part with £30. I have never seen a string with two adjusters on it before.

I agree with Taggie dd was on an 1/8th at 7-8 years old. Far better to hire the first visit lin - quality and set up will be better

Rent or buy from a specialist shop, they will be able to advise on the right size too. A properly setup violin will be much easier to play. Peter Hall Violins in Beverly gets good reviews on here if you're any where close, they also do mail order. Good quality entry level brands are Stentor and Primavera.

Sorry - I should have said... a strong reason to hire is that the violin will come properly set up - I.e. with playable strings, straight bridge etc. If you get something off eBay, you might be ok, or you might have a load more repair expenses.

In any case, it is a good idea to make contact with the county music service as they often have beginner groups, which are a lot of fun and good for motivation

I would definitely hire to start off with if you can. You may pay more in the long run, but it won’t be upfront. The county music service would be a good starting point.

As for size, my DS was on a 1/8 at 7 (changed to 1/4 just before he was 8). Unless she is tall, a 1/2 size will be too big. I’m sure there are YouTube videos on how to check the size. Any old rosin will be fine. You can buy it at a music shop.

Very best of luck!

Well if you buy a cheap Violin and bow it doesn't sound or feel as nice as a quality one. Lucky kids who start on a nice instrument are more likely to stick with Violin because it's more rewarding for them.

What are the horror stories buying brand new bow on Ebay? I mean it's only a £10 gamble. Did the Ebay bow cut somebody's hands up, maybe?

Anyway, I've no regrets on starting cheap & cheerful. If DD had taken to violin more strongly we would have upgraded. I also bought a basic electronic tuner (think that cost about £8 from local music shop), and used youtube videos to learn to tune the Stentor myself (not that tricky, but I was familiar with tuning guitar so pretty similar).

Yes ask local authority music service who might well have instruments- it’s where we started. They gave free Saturday music school too. Worry about the future in the future. It’s cheaper than Bassoon!

The shop I linked has second hand ones in very often, give them a call tomorrow?

Oh don't be put off! I wonder, however, if you wouldn't be better off seeing what the local music service offers. It might not be as expensive as you think, and you may even be able to access an instrument that way. My dds both get free hire with their lessons. Dd1 does have her own but it wasn't necessary.

Please don't buy from eBay. I can tell you so many horror stories and it's never a bargain in the end.

Stentor are fine, they need to be set up correctly though by a Violin specialist. This is a great shop: www.alangregory.co.uk/index.html

The buying isn’t such a big deal, but sure you get it set up properly at a violin shop/ luthier. They will make sure the pegs fit and work properly, plane the fingerboard, put decent (cost appropriate) strings on etc. It makes a world of a difference.