Mimi

I'm not in the market, but just for fun, where are you recommending a shopper fly to for the best selection of reasonable french or italian violins??? M

:If you're looking for a violin that someone is actually going to learn to play on, this is not the violin for you. If you want a violin to show some little kids how to make noises by pulling the bow across the strings, or you want something hanging on the wall, these are nice. We own one, and my husband uses it whenever little nieces and nephews come over, for them to "play" on. It's great for that. but if any of these kids decided to seriously learn, I wouldn't lend them this one. Mimi

I agree with you completely. So if I wanted to talk about how cool the Tarisio web site was, I could put in a link, because I'm not advertising anything, I don't even know those people and they do have a gorgeous web site!! Mimi Some photos of beautiful violins here!

:will the minimum bids be obvious? Thanks mimi

I, too enjoyed the web site and will spend a lot more time looking at it. My question is this; how can they dare to auction off an instrument for $10,000 that isn't even set up??!! I can't imagine buying an instrument for that price without knowing if it was a dog or not! thanks Mimi

: I enjoyed your story. We have gone down the same road more than once. Most good luthiers will tell you if an instrument is worth the price of its repairs. We bought a 100 year old instrument at an Estate sale for $130, and put about $400 into it. Result: one perfect fiddle with decent tone for less than $600. Mind you, when you get that fiddle restored, you might NOT like its tone. Good luck, and have fun. Your violin has a history, which, to me, is worth something right there! Mimi

: : : : nt

a friend of mine had his bass in his van when he went to Eagle Hardware to pick up some building materials. He took the bass out so he could get everything in there securely. Well, he left the bass on the ground in the parking lot... He drove off, and about 10 minutes later, remembered THE BASS drove back to see it laying there in the parking lot.. This is in a large city. mimi

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I prefer the german bow. my hands are too stiff to assume the correct position for even holding the french bow. It's up to you. I did notice that while playing pizzicato, it's harder to hold on to the german bow than the french one. good luck

:I sure agree with you on the A peg. I already tried getting rid of my fine tuners. Life is too short.. mimi

Tuning forks are great if you are clever and coordinated at the same time. I"m not. I have tried to use one, and they're great if you're well advanced. but I'm not. I think you need a different tuner! If when you tune it "right" it's still not right (and YOU can tell, you said it yourself,) Get a different tuner and throw that one away. I use a tuner, and as the years have gone by, I find my ear is getting better. There IS hope. but get another tuner. and continue playing and growing. I know Hammond Ashley sells some for about $20, and they work great, have a bright display that even Old eyes can see just fine! (you can call them at 1-800-stringbass) or go to their web site and email them good luck to you! Hammond Ashley Bassviolins

:please check out David Lynch's pages. and from there you can find lots of other links. Good luck mimi OLD TIME FIDDLE MUSIC

All of the viol/violin family have the same difficulty for a wind player, there are no frets. you have to be able to hear the tone to train your fingers. Beyond that, if money is a problem, I'd say start with the violin. If money doesn't matter, play whatever instrument makes the sounds you love the most! If you want to be a soloist, stay away from the viola and the bass. There are solo pieces for them, but not near as much as for violin and 'cello m

:I've personally played and listened to a lot of the newer Chinese instruments. THey are really great sounding for the price. They look nice too! Also see if you can try out a Dunov. Eastern European, ex quality, and same price range as the chinese ones.! I know a few people who have purchased chinese instruments and are very happy with them. m