I've been playing the piano for 4 years now and am wanting to try the violin. The nearest

certified teacher is 45 minutes away, however, getting there should not be a problem. The

problem is, what sort of violin should I be getting for just starting out? I'm serious about

this so I don't want an extremely cheap one (or extremely expensive.) So what brand,

models, and price ranges should I be looking at? Or just in general - good starter violins.

Please help. ^_^

HuggyBear.

Hello, HuggyBear! I was the opposite of you several years ago -- had been playing violin for 4 years and wanted to try my hand(s... :P) at the piano. Although it may be tempting to get a cheap violin on ebay or the like, I recommend against it. I have bought two violins from ebay for mere decoration before, and they may be pretty (they're painted violins), but they sound like junk.

The best recommendation I can give to you is that even if you don't get a top-notch violin, really splurge on strings. Great synthetic strings can make your violin sound pretty decent, even if it isn't a Strad. (I'm currently using Thomastik Vision Titanium Soloist Violin Strings, which I like, though for a beginner I might recommend trying Thomastik Dominant strings, which many beginners seem to like.

As for a beginner's model/brand... I might recommend that you look into getting a Klaus Mueller brand violin. They have several models; as far as quality, they rank thus: Prelude, Etude, Etude Deluxe, Maestro, Maestro Deluxe, and so on. The Etude Deluxe (or even better, the Maestro Deluxe) would be a pretty good starting instrument, and will run about $200-350 with a case, bow, etc., depending on where you shop around.

If you're willing to spend a bit more, another good beginner's brand is Hans Kroger, which is just one notch above the Klaus Mueller, though they are more in the ~$500 range.

Lastly, make sure you get a good-quality rosin (my favorite is Tartini, though a lot of my friends swear by Dominant) for your bow, as this also determines a great deal about how your instrument will sound.

Good luck starting the violin, and if you're looking for beginner sheet music, pm me for some suggestions! :)

Thanks a lot for all that information Gnomish! I'll look into all of the brands, etc. that you mentioned there. I don't mind spending anywhere from $200-$800 on a starter violin, I'll just have to shop around for a while. I never knew the bow even changed the sound! Interesting. Anyways, I will probably PM you for beginners sheet suggestions - if thats ok with you. ^_^ Thanks for all the help.

HuggyBear.

Actually I got my violin on e-bay- you just have to be VERY carful and picky about what you even look at and have to be willing to wait for the right one. mine is and Ernst Heinrich Roth violin and is a copy of a stradivarious. it sounds REALLY good and I probably got it for under it's real value. (it was around $2,000) but anyways back to e-bay. you always have to look at their return policies, some of them have recordings.(mine did) and you can tell if the seller knows anything about violins by what they say about it. make sure they talk about the sound! and always look at the sellers feedback. you can always ask questions too!

If you are just starting it might be a good idea to get a cheap one-around$500 should be ok) and then upgrade once you get better. that is what I did.

well I hope this helps you .

Lightning Gem

Bows make a huge difference! The violin you buy will come with a bow, however I highly suggest buying a better bow seperatly. Or may be get the seller to swap the bow and pay a bit extra. I like to keep two bows, since I know some day I am going to accidently break my better bow... *cross finger*

Also, I think with bows, you really need try it locally because the balance is very different from bow to bow.

hi. i have played the violin for umm.... oh yeah! 10 years lol.:heh: I would suggest talking to a violin teacher or have him/her come with you. They would probably know more about which violin is better.