Should we rent or buy?

If your child is just starting lessons, please refrain from buying or renting a violin beforehand. Your child will earn their violin during the first month or two of lessons; the violin is an exciting reward for their hard work and emotional investment. If your child is ready to get their first violin, keep reading below.

Families of younger students generally choose to rent their child’s smaller-sized violins in the early years, and purchase a violin once their child is ready for a full-size. Most shops allow you to use a significant portion of your rental money toward the purchase of an instrument. There are two significant advantages to renting: 1) It is more flexible; for example, if an issue with the violin becomes apparent, you can simply trade it in for a different one; and 2) The rental cost often includes insurance for accidental damage to the violin and bow.

Families committed to long-term study may choose to buy rather than rent an instrument. This can be more economical over the long term. Most shops will credit you the full price of your current instrument when you go to purchase your next instrument. If you choose this route, you will need to invest time and energy in selecting a good-quality instrument which last your child until the next violin size. Make sure to buy instrument insurance (here) or add the violin as a rider to your home insurance policy. (The latter option is more limited, since the value of the violin may be lower than your deductible.)

Keep in mind that if you trade in your instrument later to a different shop, you may receive a lower trade-in price than what you originally paid. While sometimes this trade-off is worthwhile, it is to your advantage to choose an excellent shop that will be able to support your child’s needs over many years.

Instruments purchased online

Under no circumstances should you buy an instrument on Amazon or Ebay, unless you are a knowledgeable violinist and know how to tell a good instrument from one which is poorly made. The new instruments available through these channels are generally made from cheap materials, resulting an an inadequate sound. Generally the bridge is too thick, the strings are too high off the fingerboard, and they are impossible to tune. These violins will not be adequate for even a beginning student.

The antique instruments available through Ebay or Craigslist may have significant and costly repair issues, which offset the lower up-front price.

It is fine to purchase an instrument through a reputable online dealer, such as Johnson String Instruments or SHAR. In general, though, the many good shops in town offer instruments at excellent prices, with the advantage of having a supportive relationship with the shop for any issues which may arise.

Levels and Prices of Violins

(updated 2018) If your child is just starting out, you should be fine with an instrument in the $650-$850 range (for a full-size instrument), with a $150-$250 bow. Students who are moving into early advanced playing will need an instrument in the $2000-3600 range, with a $350-$500 bow.

Once a student begins playing the major romantic concertos, they will need to begin looking at instruments in the $6,000-11,000 range, with a $600-$1500 bow. This will serve them well for competitive high school and pre-college playing. If a student plans wishes to pursue music performance they will probably eventually be looking at instruments from $11,000 – 40,000 range before graduating college. Soloist-quality instruments go from $65,000 and beyond.

When purchasing an instrument in these higher price ranges, you should generally try instruments at several shops to provide a larger selection to choose from. In the highest price ranges, this may include shops in other metropolitan areas.

Testing a Violin

The price of a violin is determined by three things: 1) The reputation of the maker, 2) The rarity of instruments by this maker, and 3) Sound and playability. Hand-made instruments tend to appreciate over time, while mass-produced instruments generally decrease in value. Unless you are an investor, the most important feature of a violin is how it sounds, and whether the unique sound of the instrument matches your own taste and personality.

The sound under the ear is different from what listeners will experience, so always bring along another violinist to help you try violins. One of the assistants at the shop may be able to play some violins for you, but you will generally get a deeper personal investment from someone who has committed to help you make this important choice. You and your partner can alternate roles, with you playing for them and vice versa.

Before you go to the shop, prepare several VERY short, memorized passages (10-30 seconds) of songs you are comfortable with, in several contrasting styles: lyrical, Baroque, classical, and virtuosic. Keeping the segments short allows for a fresher memory when you compare the two instruments.

When testing a violin, play with a good quality bow with ample rosin. Play each “test” passage on each of two violins, so you can directly compare their performance (be sure to remain quiet between passages, so the sound stays in your ear). When one instrument consistently out-performs another, ask the shop to put back the one that you have ruled out. Then begin the same process with another pair of violins.

Here are the most important suggestions as you try violins:

1. Make sure to compare many instruments, including a few instruments in the price range just above your chosen price.
2. Play open strings loudly to test the instrument’s resonance and volume potential.
3. Make sure that notes across the fingerboard (played consecutively) create perfect fifths. This reflects the carving of the nut, as well as bridge alignment.
4. Play ascending notes on each string (shifting up high on each string), at full volume, moderate speed (one note per bow), to make sure that all of the notes play well.
5. Play several THREE-octave scales in contrasting keys, using your typical fingering (i.e. across all the strings), full volume, medium-slow speed (2 notes per bow). Listen for the consistency of sound as you go among the ranges (low, middle, high and very high). Notice any notes that lack resonance, or have a hoarse quality.
6. Choose one of your memorized passages (lyrical, Baroque, classical, and virtuosic) and compare it on two violins.
7. Repeat this back-and-forth process with each of your musical passages, eliminating violins as you rule them out.
8. Once you have chosen a couple instruments, ask the shop if you can take these out on approval. During the week ahead, spend in-depth time getting to know each instrument individually, playing several full hours on each. This allows you to discover the unique ways that each one responds.
9. Compare the instruments in several settings (again with a partner) to hear their acoustical properties: a practice rooms, living room, and recital hall.
10. Bring your chosen instrument to your violin teacher before making the purchase. You can often take two or three violins out on approval.

I am always glad to meet students at the violin shop to assist them in trying instruments and bows. When our schedules do not align well, it may be more convenient for me to go to the shop separately and select some instruments I recommend, and you can choose from among these. My time spent at the shop is billed at my regular studio rate.

Trying out a bow

Finding a bow to match a violin is like choosing a spouse. A particular bow may be excellent, yet not resonate well with your violin. For this reason, the violin should be chosen first, then the bow chosen to match.

For advice on choosing a bow, please click here.