It’s happened. Your child signed up for orchestra and you’ve never played, nonetheless held a violin in your life. That’s okay, we got you.
When entering the violin market for the first time, it’s hard to know where to start, especially when purchasing an instrument for your child. These few directives will help you feel confident when browsing our large instrument selection.
FIRST OFF, DON’T BE TOO CHEAP
With violins ranging in price from $75 to $2 million, what should you, a brand-new violin shopper, expect to spend for a good quality student violin? We say, for a starting player, between $400-600. While there are a lot of cheap instruments being hawked online, the old adage applies here: “you get what you pay for.” A cheap violin makes an already challenging skill even harder to learn. So, give little Susie a break, and start her off with a decent instrument from a reputable brand (our favorites are Scott Cao, Howard Core, and Krutz).
GET THE RIGHT SIZE
The size of the violin is another important aspect. Aside from price, style, shape, fit or size matters greatly. You might be asking why, or maybe under the impression that one-size-fits-all. However, this is not true. In fact, the size of the violin is totally dependent on your child’s arm length and has nothing to do with skill level. You can size your child for a violin by measuring their arm length. Check out our detailed sizing guide to determine which size to get.
MAKE SURE IT’S SET UP PROPERLY
Often, you will hear violin dealers talk about the violin setup. Do not fret. Violin setup refers to the final adjustments made to the violin before it is ready to play. These adjustments are extremely important as poorly setup violins are difficult to play and tune, while a properly set violin will bring out the instrument's beautiful tone and be much easier to maintain. Additionally, it can be very time-consuming and frustrating for your child’s instructor to attempt to tune a poorly setup instrument before a class or lesson. Read about the elements of a good setup here.
Violin Pros Is Here to Provide Your Student With The Best Fittings Available
Okay, mama, you’re off! With your new-found knowledge, you can now browse our student outfits with confidence, select the perfect instrument for your child, and begin a new journey into musical mastery. If you would like additional information to make a more informed decision, (because making online purchasing mistakes is seriously the worst, don’t I know it) please check out our other helpful articles here. Finally, you can always count on our trusted experts to provide your students with the perfect fitting and to answer any other questions that you may have.
Need to talk to someone? Give us a call at 800-380-5979 (Open Tuesday-Saturday).