Violin advice

[PinotAndPlaydough]

My 7 year old is going to be starting violin lessons soon. Has anyone got any advice on what type of violin to buy, I’m guessing it’s not really something you can scrimp on but we are on a budget. One one off eBay be a terrible idea?

Wait and hire for a few months then ask the teacher to keep an eye out for 2nd hand.
Absolute beginner instrument can be pretty poor without noticing !

one off ebay would be fine, often people are selling them because their child outgrew the instrument or stopped playing. i found this one here:www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Primavera-Violin-1-2-Size-7-9-Years-Old-with-Case/232940888981?hash=item363c5be395:g:kvkAAOSwZl1bqkig

Thats great he is getting the opportunity to learn, some a fantastic thing to be part of. Can you ask his teacher, they will recommend a brand and size and will be very used to working within a budget for that I'm sure. Will you be able to borrow one for a while? They start on small ones to start with and need a new size as they grow so borrowing is good. Some shops will do part exchange if you stick with them. There is an assisted purchase scheme for new instruments for children in state schools in the UK, might be worth looking at. Good luck, and there is a very helpful monthly music thread here if you have more questions.

A 1/2 size might be a bit big for a 7-year-old. I think one off eBay might be fine, but if she is small/average for her age, I would get a 1/4 size.

You can get violins relatively cheaply but the teacher will struggle to teach your son on one that will not hold its tune, eg the pegs slip etc.it can be off putting for your child if it is never in tune! Are there older children at the school who have grown out of theirs?

My dd started at 6, nearly 7, on a 1/2. Moved up to 3/4 at 9 and now at nearly 11 is on a 4/4. The test is if they can comfortably bend their fingers round the scroll having stretched out their left arm. One from eBay is fine, but unless you can set it up you might struggle.

I'd ask the teacher though.

Mine started at 4 with a hired quarter size. We bought a cheap student one at about 8 - something like £85 in around 1990. We upgraded at about age 12 to one costing about £500 and that did her fine until she’d reached, I think, grade 6 (about age 14) and we spent more as it was clear she was going on to higher grades and County Youth Orchestra etc. She still plays at 25 so it has never felt like wasted money and as it’s held it’s price, she can always sell it, if necessary.

I really wouldn’t spend much at such a young age. As someone said, ask the teacher for local advice as violins can run into tens of thousands for reasonable but not special instruments. I’d save that amount for higher grades or if they decided on a music career.

Hire

Hiring isn't necessarily cheaper though. Stentor are okay for starter instruments and you'd be able to get one for under £100.

If she gets good be prepared to be forking out money all the time . Strings, rosin, shoulder rests, bows etc.

You definitely don't need to start spending serious money yet. We bought dd her first 'decent' violin over the summer, but that was driven by the fact she was outplaying her old one (she's working toward Grade 5). Plenty of her string orchestra friends use student instruments and they do the job fine.

Wow, thank you. Her teacher has actually never taught before although she’s currently a grade 8 (local teen who wants to earn a bit of money). She suggested my daughter get a 1/4 violin to start with. I’ll have a look at hiring, I didn’t even know it was an option. I’ve been reading some past threads and am now terrified that if she loves this I could be look at ££££££ in the future!

we didn't spend that much (DD got to grade 5 material on 2nd hand Stentor cost me about £60). We hired for primary years, though.

I’ve found a stentor going for £30 but it doesn’t have a bow. Do they need certain sized bows too?

Looks like it. £10 on Ebay (delivered).

No bow you can buy them separately. What about rosin and a shoulder rest? She'll need them too. They may or may not be with the violin.

Yes, you'll need a 1/4 bow.

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.

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 things is MrsRobinsonat the moment we can’t afford the £100+ price tag of a new one especially when there’s always that chance she won’t like it.
It’s such a minefield it’s actually putting me off a bit . There is a music shop near us so I might pop in there and see if they can set it up. I presume rosin is rosin and that can be picked up in any music shop? Teacher has recommended a large sponge at first rather than a shoulder rest.

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.

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

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!

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).

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.

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!

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