Musical instrument

[happyboysandhappygirlsarewe]

Hello I am looking for advice from some musical mumsnetters please.

I have signed by youngest up for a music programme where they can choose to learn a violin, cello, viola or mini bass - I believe they get a few preferences.

What preference order would you recommend putting them in? She will be almost 6 when she starts learning. I don't know much about string instruments except its going to be slightly painful for a few years until she gets decent or gives up. Obv its her choice but she's open to influence / bribery.

I was a lazy violinist at school and DD is a flautist, now bassoon-ing for fun. She is yr12, so I've sat through 5 or 6 years of concerts from twinkle twinkle up to concertos.

1st and 2nd violins tend to have more of the "tune". Viola parts always seemed a bit duller than cello parts.

I think I'd ask to try violin or cello, or bass if you think they'd fancy jazz or swing bands when they get older.

If the violin still sounds screechy or too loud, a mute (a bit like putting a clothes peg on the bridge) will quieten things down a bit.

Good luck!

I love the sound a cello best. However, for DS we went for violin, because (1) they are much easier to transport, especially on a bike and (2) a starter violin (1/2) size was £225 vs. £6k for a cello.

I have a child playing cello and one on the violin. They had a chance to try all the stringed instruments and chose these. The cello is a bit of a pain but buying second hand can be cheaper than renting and they tend to hold their value if you look after them.
Cello is more comfortable to play at the start but child needs to sit still.
Mini violins look cute but are squeaky in the hands of beginners. The strings are close together so accurate bowing is needed to not hit the wrong strings with the smaller sizes. Violins can also be played standing up so suit a wriggler who can't sit still.

£6k sounds excessive for a starter cello. I've bought food condition Stentors for £300 to £400 second hand. Not amazing quality but good to grade 4 with decent strings by which time you'll know if investment in quality instrument worth it.

You can buy cellos on Facebook marketplace for about £150 by the looks of it! Probably not high quality ones, but a good starting point.

There's no way you need to spend £6,000 or even £600 on a starter cello. Basic instruments are very easy to get. Obviously the better instrument will sound better but it will be fine to be on a budget one to see if they enjoy it.

If you think your DC will drop out of music lessons after a fashion it probably makes sense to hire their instrument. This was my first search engine hit and will give you an idea of the likely price (we borrowed from school or bought* our own).
https://musicalinstrumenthire.com/violin-hire/

Alternatively if there is a teacher/contact, you could see if there is a child who has outgrown/upgraded their instrument and wishes to sell it.

*I seem to remember that there is a state-school VAT free scheme

Possibly not worth it for a £200 violin, but we insure DC's instruments with Allianz: https://www.allianz.co.uk/insurance/musical-insurance.html

That’s good to know if DS ever wants to learn cello as well (at the moment he’s only at Grade 2 on the violin so best to concentrate on that). Since I don’t have any musical background, it was easiest for us to get a new instrument so that we could be confident that it was all right. Probably if we were to buy a cello now we could get some advice from our music teacher.