# From guitars to violins, what should I buy?



## Holicx (Nov 18, 2012)

Hey guys, I decided to get a violin and start to learn how to play the damn thing. I've been playing guitar for 12 years now and also play bass,drums & piano. What violin should I buy considering I have no experience on it or any other string instrument like it.


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## MaxOfMetal (Nov 18, 2012)

The cheapest setup you can find. There are plenty of guys on eBay selling cheap <$100 Violin outfits (Violin, case, bow, rosin, etc.). 

My fiance plays Violin, and really, those cheapo sets will start you off decently.


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## troyguitar (Nov 18, 2012)

I paid $20 for mine. Cheaper than 1 lesson 

Whenever I get to that point that I can actually play it worth a damn I'll buy something nicer but there's absolutely no need to yet.


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## SirMyghin (Nov 18, 2012)

Lots of earplugs, for everyone around you, until you can bow.


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## MaxOfMetal (Nov 18, 2012)

SirMyghin said:


> Lots of earplugs, for everyone around you, until you can bow.





Until you can bow right, no one within earshot will even be able to hear you.


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## SirMyghin (Nov 18, 2012)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Until you can bow right, no one within earshot will even be able to hear you.



Thought the ran over cat was due to bad bowing?


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## MaxOfMetal (Nov 18, 2012)

SirMyghin said:


> Thought the ran over cat was due to bad bowing?



More like bad everything. 

The Violin is a very treble heavy instrument. Even proper "playing" can give you those drawn out, painful highs.


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## Cdub (Nov 18, 2012)

I got a $100 outfit. Perfect for learning, although I ultimately dislike the violin. Just like a Guitar, you won't be satisfied with a budget instrument, but you don't want to spend $1000 on an instrument you can't play.

I thought it would be simple. Played Guitar ten years, I'll play a violin in ten minutes!

Nope.

It's really different. It takes time to get comfortable with it, and you'll need privacy to get the feel of it. You can totally do awesome stuff with a violin,, though. Super fast fretless slides for one thing.

And mine is totally playable. It's not like a plastic Disney princess acoustic Guitar that doesn't tune right. Violin is super fun, and should come pretty quick if you're familiar with drop tuning. Every interval is like a 2 note power chord


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Nov 18, 2012)

Cheap violins: Violin

Save up for a decent bow. There are some cheapish carbon fibre bows out there.

I'll sell you my All For Strings books if you want.


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## Edika (Nov 18, 2012)

I would suggest to buy a silent violin and a not very expensive one. Like so you can practice without annoying anyone and by reducing the volume of in your headphones so the really high pitched noises you make won't wreck your nerves. Also buy a shoulder pad because it is really painful to hold the violin with your chin without it.
The violin is very particular instrument and has nothing to do with guitar. Proper stance and technique makes a world of difference between sounding like you are torturing a cat or sounding like playing an instrument. I did violin for five years in grade school and junior high. If I had bought a shoulder pad, had a silent violin and a good first teacher I might have continued playing.


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## Trespass (Nov 19, 2012)

A silent violin will go a long way.

You won't be too embarrassed to practice.


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## Vostre Roy (Nov 19, 2012)

I've done the opposite (from violin to guitars back to violin), as everyone said, you certainly don't need an high end violin, at least until you learn how to bow. Even on an high end violin, it'll sound painful to anyone in the hearing area . Don't worry though, once you begin to control your bow, the fun really begin


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## Andromalia (Nov 19, 2012)

You don't need a silent violin, just get a...a....thingie you put over the bridge to muffle the tone (english word escapes me)
That will make your first screech-screech less painful for everyone. 

I don't know how it works in the US, but in europe you can rent violins pretty easily if you're in a school, allowing you to practice on an entry level one and still have a decent instrument for exams.
Keep in mind that violins do not reall have a standard size either, some are a bit smaller/bigger, like, say, guitar necks. It's therefore important to get one you're comfortable with.
Positioning is much more important than in guitar, so do take lessons especially at the start.


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Nov 19, 2012)

Andromalia said:


> You don't need a silent violin, just get a...a....thingie you put over the bridge to muffle the tone (english word escapes me)



Practice mute.


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## Holicx (Nov 19, 2012)

Now im even more excited to get a violin haha I wanna annoy the hell out of my roomate. Im a med student so i really dont like bringing my guitar to my apartment, so though my free time spend it on learning the violin and weekends dedicated to my guitar playing 
My buddy told me to get a 4/4 violin, don't know what it means, plus is there any brands out there that decent quality with a good sound or tone idk, and what type of bow should I buy? Like I said, im a noob on this


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## Mr. Big Noodles (Nov 20, 2012)

Violins come in a variety of sizes. The larger the violin, the greater the acoustic resonance and such (at least that's what "they" say). 4/4 is a full-size violin.

More info: How to determine the right size violin to buy?


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## Kwampis (Nov 20, 2012)

I'm a mostly-lapsed viola player. I can't recommend any brands really, but I would recommend renting or renting-to-buy if that's an option. You can get a much nicer instrument that way without paying too much, and you don't lose anything if you decide that you don't like the instrument in the long run.

I also really strongly recommend taking some lessons when you start out at least. Violin is a very unforgiving instrument. Correct form and posture is much more important for the sound than it is for guitar, and a good teacher can make a world of difference. If you're at all serious about the instrument, a good teacher will be a godsend.


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## Edika (Nov 20, 2012)

Usually the 4/4 size is the size for adults. It's like the size for classical guitars. I have a Chinese made classical violin that has a rather good sound. It wasn't that expensive when I bought it in grade school but it did it's job well. I also tried to buy a silent violin and I ended up buying an electric violin that has an acoustic construction without the f holes so it is quite loud .

It will take quite some time to be able to appreciate the sound of your violin, because for a novice a 100$ violin will sound the same as 5000$ violin. When you get to a certain level and decide you want to keep playing then you can invest in something better. However if you can't support high pitched sounds I would recommend the viola or, if you can handle the size, the cello. They have different tunings with the viola being one fifth below the violin and the viola has a bit of different bowing technique.


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## Andromalia (Nov 20, 2012)

A 5K$ violin _is _a cheap violin. A professional grade instrument made by a good-but-not-that-big-a-name living luthier will be around 20K. (and last a lifetime, violonists don't change violins as collector maniacs guitarists change guitars. Once you found your instrument it's for life, usually.
My father is currently selling his viola, it's 350K&#8364;, 17th century made etc. He was a solist in Opéra de Paris (not that city in the US, ffs, the real one  ) and he didn't own the most expensive instrument in the orchestra by far...


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## Trespass (Nov 21, 2012)

About the above comment on a practice mute, it's basically a big block of pot metal that goes over the bridge, heavily dampening the transfer of vibrations.

It will about halve the volume, and suck out a lot of highs and mids. However, that amount of volume can still be embarrassing, especially for a trained muso who knows how bad they sound.

Get a silent/electric violin.


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## troyguitar (Nov 21, 2012)

I like playing with just the mute, but then again I live by myself so I only hurt my own ears


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