Anne Posted August 20, 1998 Report Share Posted August 20, 1998 Hi I want to learn how to play a violin.I have been playing the piano for a while now and now i want to learn how to play the violin.I want to spend all day playing the violin and master it.I know that the best thing is to rent a violin before i buy one.but how much is it to rent and what's the best type of violin a half size one or a full size? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yana Posted August 20, 1998 Report Share Posted August 20, 1998 If you are serious about learning the Violin then the best thing is to buy a good quality Violin. Renting isnt probably a good option because you dont really get a great vareity, and you cant call it 'yours'. You need to develop your own sound into a Violin, this you cant do with a rented one, if you are unable to keep it. Usually people only rent Violins if they are in the smaller sizes and are expecting to change, or if they are just 'trialing' the Violin. You will need a Full size Violin also, a half size will be too small. Hope this helps Yana. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted August 20, 1998 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 1998 Do you know how much it costs to rent a violin because i would like to play it.but right now i think that i should rent because i hear its the best thing for begginers.but what do you think? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anon Posted August 20, 1998 Report Share Posted August 20, 1998 I think that the size of the violin depends on your age and height. In fact, apart from half sizes violin and full size ones, there are also three-quaters I assume you should ask the store when u go and rent one. Obviously, the higher the price , the better the violin..but I guess if you really have a serious mind of learning the violin, i suggest you to buy one , especially if it is a full size violin, coz u can use it for the rest of your life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimi Posted August 20, 1998 Report Share Posted August 20, 1998 Right now you know much less about violins than you will in a month, 3 months, a year from now. Now is not necessarily the best time to BUY an instrument that you will indeed, be living with for the rest of your life. If you rent, for probably less than $40 a month you can get a really nice one, you will quickly learn what you do and don't like. Then when you are armed with this information, and with the help of an instructor with whom you have now developed a relationship, you can make an educated choice and buy an instrument. Many people get taken when they buy instruments, or just buy the wrong instrument. If you pay $600 for a fiddle, when you are ready to sell it, you might get $300 for it. this is true with higher prices also. good luck. find a good teacher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trent Hill Posted August 20, 1998 Report Share Posted August 20, 1998 I have to second Mimi's comments below. I bought my first fiddle, traded it up for a slightly better one, and then wound up selling it at a loss after I started renting a much better quality one. Depending on the music store you work with, you can rent a very decent student violin (i.e. one that sounds plenty good for your abilities and uses now) for less than $40; my rental is a very good German factory instrument that I pay $35 a month for, and 60% of my rental payments go towards the purchase price of it or any other instrument from the store I eventually decide to buy. Other shops have different ways of working rentals, but unless you really live in the sticks, you should be able to find somebody to rent from, and some shops will do rentals through the mail. Once you've done that for a while, you'll have a better sense of what type of sound you're looking for in your own instrument. And you should definitely get a teacher! : Right now you know much less about : violins than you will in a month, 3 months, : a year from now. Now is not necessarily the : best time to BUY an instrument that you will : indeed, be living with for the rest of your : life. If you rent, for probably less than $40 a month : you can get a really nice one, you will quickly : learn what you do and don't like. Then when : you are armed with this information, and with : the help of an instructor with whom you have now : developed a relationship, you can make an educated : choice and buy an instrument. : Many people get taken when they buy instruments, : or just buy the wrong instrument. If you pay $600 : for a fiddle, when you are ready to sell it, you : might get $300 for it. this is true with higher : prices also. : good luck. : find a good teacher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 20, 1998 Report Share Posted August 20, 1998 : I think that the size of the violin depends on your age and height. In fact, apart from half sizes violin and full size ones, there are also three-quaters : I assume you should ask the store when u go and rent one. : Obviously, the higher the price , the better the violin..but I guess if you really have a serious mind of learning the violin, i suggest you to buy one , especially if it is a full size violin, coz u can use it for the rest of your life How are you going to distinguish what a "good" violin is if you don't know how to play one yet!? That business about "the higher the price the better the violin is often just not true! And even if it were, violin tone is a personal thing; what one person likes someone else might hate. Rent until you know what you're doing, then you'll have a basis for making a decision. If you buy too early you'll just end up wasting money. -Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sage Posted August 21, 1998 Report Share Posted August 21, 1998 On the other hand, a decent violin can always be sold later, or traded in for a better one. Some places that rent will allow you to apply the rental fee towards purchasing the violin, and will then take the instrument back in trade if you move to a bigger size or a better violin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimi Posted August 21, 1998 Report Share Posted August 21, 1998 : On the other hand, a decent violin can always be sold later, or traded in for a better one. Some places that rent will allow you to apply the rental fee towards purchasing the violin, and will then take the instrument back in trade if you move to a bigger size or a better violin. I don't agree with you here. You can sell any violin if you lower the price. I don't care how good it is, unless you are the shop owner, it will be very difficult for you to recoup your losses if you sell it. My point is, not a good idea to spend good money on an instrument if you're not sure you're going to like it, and perhaps 3 months later you will be tired of playing and thinking about trying to play the piccolo. You can sell it, but at a substantial loss. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sage Posted August 22, 1998 Report Share Posted August 22, 1998 Mimi-- This could be a local issue. Where I live, student-quality violins hold their value extremely well, as long as they are well cared for. When people want to move up to a bigger size or better instrument, they usually put on a new set of string, rehair the bow, and sell it for what they paid for it. Many violins are actually *better* instruments after they have been played skillfully. A violin that is played a lot and played in tune opens up and becomes more resonant and easier to play. Teachers around here keep their eye on certain students' violins and advise their own students to make an offer when the time is right. I would have no qualms about telling Student A to offer $500 for Student B's violin (for which B paid $500), as long as it is in excellent condition and has been "played-in" well. On the other hand, I have cautioned students not to buy certain violins, because--however much they cost originally--I know they have not been taken care of or have been played carelessly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted August 23, 1998 Report Share Posted August 23, 1998 : Depending on the music store you work with, you can rent a very decent student violin (i.e. one that sounds plenty good for your abilities and uses now) for less than $40; my rental is a very good German factory instrument that I pay $35 a month for, and 60% of my rental payments go towards the purchase price of it or any other instrument from the store I eventually decide to buy. Other shops have different ways of working rentals, but unless you really live in the sticks, you should be able to find somebody to rent from, and some shops will do rentals through the mail. : Also discuss with the stores in advance whether they will credit rental payments (or at least part of the rental payments) toward the purchase of a violin in the future from the store. Many stores (at least in Anchorage, Alaska) will offset the cost of a violin bought from them, by the amount of the rent you have paid them. Happy fiddling, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Victor Posted August 29, 1998 Report Share Posted August 29, 1998 I think Mimi's point was that if you have to sell to a dealer, you might be lucky to get half the "retail" value of a cheap instrument. If you can sell at a reasonable "retail" price to another buyer, I'm sure you are correct about recouping your cost, and as you say, being within a violin "commune," so to speak, is the way to go. But, as with diamonds, buying retail and selling wholesale is not the way to go. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sage Posted September 1, 1998 Report Share Posted September 1, 1998 I still wonder if this is a local issue--or a local custom might be more like it. I live in Canada, and many dealers will take a student violin back in trade at very nearly what they sold it for. Usually the customer is moving up to a bigger or better violin. Most of these dealers are smaller shops, and I doubt that they're making much money on these exchanges. I assume, however, that they retain the repair business and sell accessories, and probably get lots of good PR from this. Many students tend to "stick" to the dealer who sells them their first violin, moving up and buying better and better instruments as they go. I'm sure that you and Mimi are right, however, if you're talking about buying from dealer A and trying to resell to dealer B. Also, I'm sure there are dealers that do not offer generous trade-in policies. I'm not trying to start an argument or contradict or criticize anyone. I just wanted to let people know how some dealers/locales manage the "trading up" activity that goes on constantly among violinists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traci Repscher Posted February 4, 1999 Report Share Posted February 4, 1999 : Mimi-- : I am interested in buying a used violin. I know nothing about them and the brands that are made well. Could you give me some brand names that I should look for? I also wonder, how do you tell if a violin has been well cared for? What things should I look for and what things should I stay away from? Thank you for your help and advice! : Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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