What You Need to Know About Purchasing the First Full Size Violin
(General ideas also apply to viola, cello, and bass.)
Q. Should we purchase an instrument on-line or out of a catalogue?
A. No. There are many "bad" instruments out there. Without hearing and seeing the instrument first, never purchase one in this manner.
Q. How much should we spend on an instrument?
A. Generally, a decent instrument costs at least $1000 for violins and violas, $1400 for celli, and $2,000 for basses. Instruments that are "deals" from uncertified dealers are almost always poor quality instruments.
Q. When does my child need a full-size violin?
A. When a young person can extend his left arm out under a full size violin, wrap his hand around the scroll and have his middle fingers point down into the peg box, or even extend into the peg box, he or she is normally ready for the full size violin. Most often, this point occurs somewhere in the course of the fifth through seventh grade. If the child is having to cramp the fingers of the left hand together in order to play in tune, or the elbow seems more sharply bent than it was at the beginning of his or her use of the ¾ or ½ size violin, it would be a good time to ask the teacher to check the child for a larger size instrument.
Q. Should we choose the same quality of instrument to purchase in full size that we rented in the smaller sizes?
A. Generally not. Instruments which are available in the fractional sizes (3/4,1/2,1/4,1/8,1/10.1/16) even if there is a full-size version available, are most often intended for beginner use. When it is time to choose the full-size instrument, it is also time to equip the student for a very important time of skill development. The instrument’s quality and volume of tone as well as response are important to the advancement of the player’s technique. The full-size instrument chosen at the beginning of the middle school years should have the capacity to support the player’s best efforts and potential through high school, assuming an average player’s development. Should your child show signs of artistic level achievement, a more rapid replacement of the first full-size instrument will probably be necessary.
Q. Which is better, old or new?
A. New is usually better for the middle school to high school player. Despite the romance of an old instrument, they are often more difficult to maintain because of their tendency to open at the seams and develop cracks. Artist players frequently have older instruments, but they are accustomed to and budgeted for the on-going maintenance required. Another problem is that it is often difficult to appraise their actual value for sale and resale.
Q. Even though I’ve heard that the older the instrument the better the tone?
A. Actually, stringed instruments have been made in many different grades of quality for hundreds of years. The “cheap” instruments made a hundred years ago are still “cheap” in construction, tone, and appearance today. It is, however, true that well-made fine instruments do improve with age as they season. Fine instruments today are made of seasoned wood that “plays in” quickly and continues to improve.
Q. What do I look for in order to judge the quality of a violin (also for viola, cello, bass)?
A. There are several indicators to help you judge the relative quality of a stringed instruments. Perhaps the easiest to see is the “flame”. The horizontal bars of light and dark under the varnish and in the wood itself are called “flame”. Generally, the more densely flamed the back, neck, and sides are, the more expensive the wood. Be careful, however, to avoid instruments where the flame has been artificially created in the finish, rather than being in the wood itself. One can tell the difference by looking at the back and slowly lowering and raising the scroll end, keeping the chinrest end still. The flame should appear iridescent. That is, the dark bars become light, and vice versa. If the dark bars stay dark and the light bars stay light as you move the instrument, the flame is painted.
The fittings, (pegs, tailpiece, and chinrest), are usually made of ebony. Better grades of ebony have a tighter grain, the very best being so close-grained that it may appear to be perfectly smooth. Streaks of brown, acceptable on the fittings beginner instruments, are not typical of the finest grades of ebony. The grade of ebony is usually consistent with the quality of the instrument. Fittings with decorative inlays, or even rarer woods, such as rosewood and boxwood, are often used in higher grade instruments, but they can also be used on lesser instruments to enhance their perceived value.
Q. What about the bow? I understand there are several bow stick materials and even different kinds of bow hair.
A. There are four main types of bow stick material: fiberglass, Brazilwood, Pernambco wood, and graphite. Fiberglass bows are terrific for beginners. They don’t break easily and are economical. In fiberglass bows you find a choice of synthetic hair or genuine horsehair. The horsehair is a better choice. The tone is better and it helps the player to learn the feel and response of better bows which always have genuine horse hair. Brazilwood is the next step up from fiberglass. It gives some of the response and tone quality of the more expensive pernambuco bows, but at somewhat less the cost. Pernambuco is the wood used for the best bows. It comes from a very small group of species in the ash family that grows in Brazil. It has strength, resilience, liveliness and controllability all at the same time. Graphite bows are a relative newcomer, and have the feel of a good wood bow, with less cost and more durability. They are available in different quality grades ranging from student to professional. A Coda bow is good for students, as is the Holtz brand. Austin's Violin Shop in Sugar Grove carries both. (For more information go to www.codabow.com) The bow cannot be underrated in its importance in contributing to the overall technique and tone of the player.