Blog archives for December, 2009

i am a advanced violinist looking to buy a complete electric violin outfit including and amp, pedal bow, violin, and pickup if necessary. i need some solid advice concerning this because up until now i have only played traditional violins. im not under price constraints, so even if its expensive, feel free to suggest it.

lucky. no price constraints….

okay. woodviolins is amazing.
espensive, (except for their "factory made" model). All of WV’s violins, violas, and cellos are custom made. You can have them customize the finish (color) almost any way. join the forum, www.woodviolins.com/wvmb
the people there are e-violin enthusiasts and can offer a lot of help in choosing an eviolin. though they’re going to try and convince you that WV is best.
the Viper is their most out-there instrument. go look at em. fretted, chest support. yes. frets. Vipers are geared more towards rocking out. Carrie Underwood’s violinist plays a Viper.
WV has more "traditional" violins too. They have an amp and wah pedal, but honestly, those aren’t the best.
you should join the forum anyways; those people have experience in recommending "gear" as far as pedals and amps. you don’t even need to join; just look around. Most of the people in that forum have a WV. 2 of the people work for WV.
oh, and Vipers can come with up to 7 strings. yes, 7. EADGCFBflat.

From what I can tell, they (the community) like Boss pedals. especially the multieffects pedals

still awesome, but not as expensive or custom made, NS violins.
Nedsteinberger.com
they’re more traditional looking. something you could be comfortable taking to a high class event to play at.
I personally at this point want a ns
only go up to 5 strings.

go look at electricviolinshop.com
they have every major manufacturer of eviolin out there.

don’t get a yamaha… do you really want a violin from a company that also makes 4 wheelers and such?

bows: either WV’s turbow or the Codabow Joule. both are made for evioilns. the turbow was made by WV. it’s their first bow, and isn’t really being publisized (sp), so shhh lol. Codabow Joule is Carbon Fiber, from Codabow, who i’m sure you’re familiar with.

I want to buy a violin that will take me up to grades 6-7 at least. Does anyone know any good, trusted websites that sell a range of decent, affordable violins?

Thanks
I can handle a 4/4 violin now, I need a violin that can take me up to that level in terms of quality. As a £85 violin can’t take you above grade 5 easily.
Only websites from the UK please!

Depends..if your arm length changes. You should go to your local music and arts store (:
You could rent it but then you dont want to have to ‘rent’ it for 2 years.
Its pretty expensive if you buy it , but its worth it, right?

i have a fairly old violin that i have purchased and i want to fix it up because it sounds nicer that the violin that i am using now. i would like to know what i should replace/ fix.

i am definately getting a new bridge for it
ill replace the strings myself.
im not sure if i should get it re varnished because the varnish does look a bit thin

other that this, im not really sure what else might need fixing. i know you cannot see the violin itself, so any suggestions are appreciated.

Refinishing and new varnish will alter the sound of the instrument. Especially if it is a thicker coat of varnish over the top of what is there. Whatever repairs to the finish are required should be done by a professional instrument repairer.

I’ve been playing the violin for sometime now using only factory made cheap violin , and now I’m a really good player and my teacher suggest buying a very nice handmade violin so it can sound better.

So I’m not sure what kind to buy. I want a nice sounding old violin. What kind and where can I get one.

Depends where you live. I’m up here in Canada (assuming you’re from the USA), so we probably don’t have too many of the same music stores.

Just look around and search for stores. Ask if you can try out the violins. See which ones have the best sounds. Keep your budget in mind, though. Mine was $700 — not the best, but it definitely has a pretty nice sound.

If you’re going to be all professional about this, get ready to spend thousands (my violin teacher just bought a super old violin for $10,000). If you’re just playing the violin as a hobby/past time, you probably shouldn’t shell out too much money.

Good luck! ;]

I’m trying to find the sheet music to sweet child of mine on violin. I couldn’t find it. It’s played by the "vitamin string quartet". The Album is "the string quartet tribute to guns and roses". If you want to hear it, it’s on emusic. Go to track, type in sweet child of mine and scroll down.

try here-
http://words3music.100free.com/sheets.html
http://www.tuneheaven.com
http://pianotte.szm.com/
http://www.music-buzz.com/showthread.php?t=7848

My friend chiped my violin, it’s my full sized, so my violin for life, and it’s very precious to me, so of course I was a little bit upset to see the damage, but I heard you can get chips repaired, and I was wondering how good they are? It’s a chip around the edge, and the varnishing has a few different gradients in lines through it. Would a repair make it un-noticeable that it was chipped? or just fill in the shape? Also, how do they do it? is it with a filler, or do they actually put a piece of wood in?

Chips, dings, dents, and scratches are unavoidable, and they give character to the instrument. Unless it is a seriously large chip, the repair will probably consist of blending color into the wood and sealing the surface with wax or varnish. Unless there is a significant damage and structural reason to make that sort of repair, it’s best to leave it as is. Using filler, wood putty, or gluing in another piece of wood would alter the tone of the instrument.

He told me he wants to be a conductor when he grows up or a musician. He asks for a new instrument every year so far we have electronic drums, acoustic guitars,xylophone, standard drum set with cymbals and a keyboard and a recorder. This year he wants either a violin a trumpet or a clarinet what is the better choice? I will tell you that he currently only has lessons on the recorder and thats at school other than that he just fiddles with them.

What about a keyboard that can sound like other instruments at the touch of a button? That would give him a bit of a selection if he gets bored with the same sound after a short time.
I bought my eldest son a good keyboard about 6 years ago and he’s had more pleasure from that than almost anything else..he downloads sheet music from the computer ( there are quite a few free sites for this! ) and teaches himself how to play the songs in different instrument modes.
If your little boy has his mind set on one of these three instruments you mentioned, then I think the clarinet might be best. Apparently it’s a little bit simpler to play than the other two….but if he just fiddles around with the instruments, he might lose interest in a particular one!

I am 18 years old and one of my dreams in life is to play the violin. I am quite good at playing other instruments but was never given the chance to demonstrate my abilities on a violin. What types of violin and where can I get one for a reasonable price?

Go to a shop that specializes in violins and similar bowed instruments (viola, cello and bass), and let them help you pick out an instrument.

Brand names don’t matter as much with violins as they do with guitars, bass guitars, drums and so on, and if you go to a violin shop you can often find a decent used instrument for less than a comparable new one. As for "types" of violins, all you need to know is, you want an acoustic one to start with, not an electric.

Choosing the right bow is as important — or more important — for a beginner than the fiddle. You can spend as much, or almost as much, on the bow as you do on the violin. If you have limited funds, you’d be better off buying a cheap fiddle and a decent bow, rather than a good violin and a cheap bow. A decent bow is well-balanced, not too heavy or too light for you, and feels like an extension of your hand. A bad bow is the opposite — poorly balanced, the wrong weight for you, and feels like you have to fight with it to get it to do what you want. Learning to play the violin is hard enough even with a decent bow — trying to do it with a bow that won’t cooperate just makes it that much harder. Again — a good violin shop will have a selection of bows for you to choose from and will help you pick out one that will work well for you.

I saw some violins on ebay for $50. That’s pretty cheap. The feedback was all positive, though. I used to play violin as a child, but lost the skill later. Should I go ahead and purchase a cheap violin to practice on or spend more on one that might be more worth it?

Are there any violins that are pretty good that I can spend around $150-$200 on until I can afford a better one?

Thanks for any advice

I suggest you find a reputable store that sells moderately priced instruments. They will let you play several so you can tell if they have the tone you want.

I would advise NOT buying a musical instrument online. There is no way to tell if the instrument is "dead" or "live" on the internet.

Yes, it is sometimes possible to pick up a good instrument cheaply, but be sure to play it first. Be sure you have choices.

I’ve seen some reports of good, cheap violins coming out of China now. Perhaps you can find a brick and mortar store that stocks them.