19/9 – Everything You Need To Know Before Learning Violin

Everything You Need To Know Before Learning Violin

Learning the violin is a lengthy but rewarding process that develops with the correct instruction, from wobbly, off-pitch notes to melodious forms.

But learning any instrument can be difficult, especially if you’re new to music or go into the process totally blind—that’s why we’ve put together a guide of everything you should know before you learn the violin.

 

What Is a Violin?

The violin is the smallest and highest-pitched instrument in the string instrument family. The modern violin has been around for roughly 500 years. It was said to have been designed in the 1500s by Andrea Amati.
Violins are very complex. Over 70 different pieces of wood are put together to form the modern violin and the accompanying violin bow typically contains 150–200 hairs. The craftsmanship that goes into creating these instruments has been admired for centuries. But how is a violin designed?

Scroll

The scroll of the violin is purely decorative and provides no actual impact on the sound the violin will produce. In Baroque times, a beautiful or complex scroll was considered a mark of craftsmanship. In reality, it’s just an ornately carved curve of wood atop the pegbox. But it definitely lends to the violin’s signature look.

 

Tuning Pegs and Pegbox

The tuning pegs are inserted on both sides of the pegbox and are used to tune the instrument, allowing the strings to be tightened to raise the pitch or loosened to lower the pitch of a string. While they need to move to tune the instrument, they also need to stay put once correctly tuned. There are four pegs, one for each string.

 

Neck

The long protruding parts along which the string run is referred to as the neck. It plays a major role in supporting the strings and holding their tension. The neck also supports the fingerboard. This will be the part of the violin that beginners handle while they struggle to sort their hold or fingering technique.

The length of the neck will change dependent on the size of the violin and should be accessible by your child’s hand easily if it is the correct size.

 

Fingerboard

The strings are stretched over the fingerboard at the top of the violin body. This is where the violinist will press down on the strings as they play to create different notes.

 

Strings

There are four strings on a violin and they are tuned in fifths. From lowest to highest, the scientific pitch of the strings is G3, D4, A4, and E5.

 

F-holes

The F-holes allow transmission of the vibration of the air inside the instrument to the outside. The role of the f-holes is to allow resonance and flow from inside the air cavity. The size typically correlates to the body and length of the violin.

 

Bridge

The bridge arches up from the body of the violin and stretches the strings taut across them at high tension to produce the sound.

 

Tailpiece

Below this is the tailpiece. The main function of the tailpiece is to connect the strings to your instrument. They also have a minor effect on the sound and playability. If a tailpiece is of good quality and installed in the proper position, it can make an instrument more responsive.

Tailpieces are available in one of the three common models: the ‘English’ (peaked, roof-like shape), the ‘French’ (elegant and rounded shape, and the ‘tulip’ (wineglass or tulip shape). These model differences don’t significantly impact the sound but the length of the tailpiece and its position does.

 

Fine Tuners 

Fine tuners can be added to the tailpiece which allows the strings to be set at the proper distance between the bridge and end of the string. This difference has a subtle effect on the overtones. Student instruments always have tailpieces with built-in fine tuners.

 

Chinrest

The chinrest is placed next to the tailpiece. It allows the instrument to be supported between the chin and shoulder, leaving the left hand completely free to play.

 

Bow

A violin bow is consists of four main parts: the stick, the hair, the screw and the frog. The stick of the bow is traditionally made from wood but can also be manufactured from carbon fibre. The stick is the main structure of the bow and is attached to all other parts.

The bow hair is usually made from genuine horsehair. The hair is stretched between the bow tip and the frog which holds it in place. To create a good sound when the bow is moved across the strings, the hair must be under tension. This is controlled by the twistable screw at the base of the bow.

 

What Are Violins Made From?

Modern electric violins are sometimes created from acrylic or kevlar. However, acoustic violins are always made from various species of wood.

The type and quality of wood used to construct a violin is the most important factor in creating an instrument’s sound. Most violins use similar types of tonewoods such as spruce tops and maple neck, back and sides. The quality of the wood can vary between instruments which is reflected in the price difference.

The top of the violin body (around the soundboard) is usually made from spruce. This is because it is naturally stiff and dense. The strength of the wood means that it can be carved delicately but keeps its shape and the denseness creates a better resonance.

There are several species of spruce used for violin tops and the quality of the spruce significantly determines the price of the instrument. Wood from trees grown in colder climates are denser, more resonant and more desirable and allowed to age for a long time, the is denser and stronger.

The fingerboard and pegs are usually made of ebony as they can withstand the constant were caused by the violinist’s fingers and the tuning process.

 

Is the Violin Difficult to Learn?

The sky is the limit for what you can learn and where you can go with your musical skills. Getting better at the violin is all about dedicating time to practising and the more practice that’s done, the faster your skills will increase.

A violin is a multi-dimensional instrument and requires adjusting to a position that many people find uncomfortable. The co-ordinating for finger movements and bow motion can initially be alarming and difficult to master.

To help learn these skills faster, beginner students can find a teacher suited to their schedule and experience level to aid progress.

What to Consider When Buying a Violin?

Caswells understand that buying a violin is a big deal, particularly for beginners. That’s why we’ve written all about our top tips for buying a violin. However, here are some top considerations for the buying process:

 

Price

Budget is always going to be a big part of buying a violin. For a beginner, pouring a large amount of money into an instrument might not be the best idea—especially if it’s your child or student who is still growing into their violin.

Quality violins do come at a price but that doesn’t mean cheaper violins are bad. In fact, for a beginner, a lower-priced option is often a better solution as they’re still working out the basics.

 

Electric or Acoustic?

Acoustic violins are the better choice for beginners. Beginner violinists are expected to learn so many new things when they pick up their new instrument and need to absorb as much experience from the process as they can. An electric violin removes a huge part of the information from the process: the tone.

The acoustic is far louder than an electric under the ear and has a much richer and deeper sound. When learning specific sounds and pitches, this is a much clearer way of learning tones. Moving the bow and compressing the strings is often hard enough for beginners!

 

Size

Violins come in many sizes. Those musicians that are 11 and older will typically use a standard, full-sized violin. For children, there are smaller sizes.

There are two ways to measure a young player for a violin. Extend the student’s left arm fully away from their body and measure from the base of the neck to either the wrist or the centre of the palm. The neck-to-wrist measurement will suggest the most comfortable size for the student. The neck-to-palm measurement will imply the largest instrument a child should play.

 

Violin Size Chart (Arm Length)

Sizes very approximate

Inches	Size
23	4/4 (full size)
22	3/4
20	1/2
18-1/2	1/4
16-1/2	1/8
15	1/10
14	1/16
13	1/32

 

 

Buying vs Renting Your Violin

If you find yourself thinking of buying a larger violin that your child can grow into …stop yourself right there. This can actually hinder their advancement and enjoyment. It will make playing difficult and uncomfortable but can also cause physical strain. Renting is a great solution to the growing musician who will need to continuously upgrade their violin size.

Violin rental can also be a great choice for those players who are still undecided. It’s a perfect option for avoiding investing large amounts of money on an instrument you aren’t yet dedicated to.

Buying a violin is a great lesson in responsibility for your child but young musicians can also be fickle. The best time to buy a violin is often after a year or two of playing once they have proven their dedication.

For older beginners, purchasing an instrument can be a good investment. When cared for properly, a violin can last for several lifetimes.

 

Violin Accessories

Whether you are renting a violin or buying one, there are a variety of necessary accessories that can be purchased alongside the instrument to enhance the experience.

Violin rosin is a material applied to bow hair to increase the friction of the bow across the violin strings. Violinists need a harder or medium resin for their instruments to create the best sound.

On the topic of violin bows, you obviously can’t play the violin without one. As a beginner, you probably won’t need the qualities of a fine and expensive bow. To start with, you simply need a bow with a strong stick and a good camber (curve)—a bow that’s not too heavy or light and with proper balance.

At Caswell’s, we provide a wide range of violin accessories to accompany your student’s development.

Want to keep your violin safe while travelling or need somewhere to store it? Consider investing in a better violin case, although all student instruments come with case and bow as an outfit.

Instrument insurance is also useful to have, and home contents insurance is usually sufficient. Student instruments, however, are of little value and generally less than the insurance excess.

If your violin is valuable, a specialist musical insurance is inexpensive and often costs less than adding your instrument to your home contents insurance, and if you make a claim, your home contents no claims discount won’t be affected.

 

Tips From Professional Players

Sometimes the best way to learn is to learn from the best! That’s why we reached out to the lovely people at Ariella Strings to see if they could offer any advice for young players just starting out.

Ariella Strings is a family business, run by husband and wife team, Cheryl Agnew-Bass and John Bass. They have been professional musicians for 30 years and studied their instruments at top UK Conservatoires. The wonderful ensemble of staff at Ariella Strings are passionate about making people’s wedding days the most memorable with their beautiful musical talents. And they’ve got an abundance of awards to show for their time in the industry.

So here are their top tips for parents with children interested in learning the violin.

 

Logistics and Time

Does your child WANT to learn? You may think this is a strange question to ask, but a child whose heart is not in it will probably not want to practise. Practising the violin should not be a battle of the wills or a chore. Learning an instrument should be enjoyable. Do you have the time to devote to encourage your child’s practice? Any child learning an instrument needs parental support at home and encouragement to practice.  Make sure you have a dedicated space for your child to practice in that will be uninterrupted from the daily “runnings” of a family home.

 

Kind of Lessons

Decide if you want your child to be taught at school or if you want to pay for private lessons. Be careful that you understand what kind of lessons your child will be having. School violin lessons can be cheaper than learning with a private tutor as a lot of schools offer group lessons for their students and this helps spread the cost. Individual lessons offer a more personal service.

 

Safety

If you decide you would like your child to have private lessons make sure you choose a teacher with proper qualifications. The internet is full of advertisements for violin teachers and not all of them suitably qualified. Not all will be professionals. Ask about where they studied and what qualifications they have. Make sure they have a valid and up to date DBS certificate.
You may also like to check if they hold Public Liability insurance or belong to either the Musicians Union or the Incorporated Society of Musicians.

 

Instrument Purchase

If possible, never buy an instrument online without having seen it. So many students end up with inferior instruments because they have been bought randomly and cheaply off the internet. If you cannot physically get to a music shop to buy an instrument, make sure you use a reputable retailer (e.g. Caswell’s) who stocks a good range of instruments. Also, make sure that the staff have the correct experience and training so they can guide you to the right violin for your child’s needs!

 

Ongoing

You will need to have your child properly measured for an instrument before they start lessons. This is something your child’s tutor can help you with. As your child grows, so will the size of their instrument. It is so important that the instrument size is correct. Children struggle with technique if the instrument they are playing is too big or too small. A wrongly sized instrument can hinder progress and make learning difficult.

 

Summary

Learning the violin will take time. Buying or renting the violin is almost the easiest part of the process but it’s definitely an essential one. That’s why you need to have the best chance at success by choosing an instrument from Caswell’s.

Caswell’s Strings is one of Britain’s oldest mail-order companies specialising in instruments and accessories for the violin family. We ensure every instrument from entry-level student violins through to professional instruments are correctly set up. This includes but is not limited to shaping and cutting the bridge, fitting the pegs and checking the fingerboard. This ensures optimum performance and playability.

So if you’ve got a child that’s desperate to start playing, or you’ve taken an interest in learning a new instrument yourself,  look no further.

Visit us in our Banbury store and try the instruments for yourself or get in touch on 01280 707 140 or sales@caswellsstrings.com and we can help you decide what is best for you.