PDA

View Full Version : Starting on the violin

HomerGuitarHero87
06-01-2006, 01:47 PM
Hey, if anyone could help me out and point me where to start.....i want to learn to play violin but is there any alternative to buying one? i mean those things are expensive. Also any idea where i can learn? I mean im sure its not as easy to learn by time and the internet as guitar is..... Any suggestions would be great.
-Thanks
Evil Peavey
06-01-2006, 01:53 PM
If you don't want to buy you could try renting on from a music shop. You will have to have a violin one way or the other in order to learn to play it. Maybe get a cheapie on ebay?

Once you get a violin, look in the phonebook and find a teacher.
penofdoom
06-02-2006, 04:43 PM
When you rent a violin, you get (in most cases) a entry-level piece of crap violin. Beginning violins aren't that expensive, and you could get the same violin and own it, rather than paying for it monthly.

Behold (http://sharmusic.com/moreinfogroup.asp?t1=hv120t44), a beginning violin for $159 us.

Anyhow, many local music shops could lead you in the right direction towards finding a teacher, just ask, or like the above person said, check the phonebook for private teachers. Violin is not one of those instruments you would want to teach to yourself.
HNLzero
06-02-2006, 07:37 PM
I've been playing for 8 years.

Rent a violin first. Take lessons (a must). Then actually buy a good violin if you feel you will continue more and more and advance.
zhyla
06-03-2006, 12:53 AM
I bought a cheap violin off ebay for my wife to get started on, a friend that plays violin says it's pretty good aside from being kind of harsh. You have to do some setup on them though (the action was - no joke - like 3/4" at the end of the fingerboard).

But like everyone will tell you, you'll get nowhere without a teacher.
penofdoom
06-03-2006, 10:32 PM
Change the strings, but some Dominants on it.. will help with some of the harshness. Dominants are a great beginner's string and fairly inexpensive.

Zhyla, if the strings are too high off the fingerboard, check the bridge.. If it's not the bridge being too high, then it's the angle of the neck that's screwed up. Other than that, there's not much you can do to make cheap ebay violins sound ideal. What kind is it?