What does a beginner need?

[liuzi0512]

My 9 yo daughter is starting violin this week with Boulder Suzuki Strings. she'll use a loaner for the first couple weeks until I decide what to buy or rent. In some ways, I'm of the school of thought that says the child needs to continue to play a musical instrument since I have never met anyone who regrets it. Her teacher, though, suggests renting since kids do quit, or damage the instruments.

I know very little about violins, having played the flute myself, so I read up a little here on what you all said makes for a good instrument. I looked on ebay at those "cheap ebay" violins people have suggested I avoid- there certainly are some inexpenisve violins out there sold by Mendini and Great-tunes but they claim they have "your" criteria (but make me suspicious since the "buy it now" is $50 but they say retail is $400) , and the ones that ViolinsLover.COM Store sells look pretty decent, according to the criteria set out here, but then < http://www.opentip.com/musical_instruments.html > looks pretty good too...

then I also think of the first flute I owned- not a very good one and I didnt' play it well, but that had more to do with the fact that I was a slacker as a kid- I played it well enough, considering, but oh, did I appreciate my good quality flute when I got it. My daughter will outgrow this violin and if I can save half the cost of renting in
the year or so she has it, well, it isn't a bad deal, I suppose. so- will I hate something I get off ebay? I'll certainly understand if no one wants to talk about their cheap deal from there online, so feel free to mail me about it. :-)

Erica

[klaukholm]

I would talk with the teacher at the suzuki program and ask for a way to rent.
You really don't want to buy until you are talking about a full size instrument.
Save the money and spend more when that day comes. At the beginner level you will not advance faster with a better violin as long as the one you have is set up well. I would rather spend the money and take the rental violin to a violin shop or luthier for a new bridge, strings and planeing of the fingerboard.

Maybe you can talk her into the viola as sher gets older - great instrument and we need more violists.

[chrisp2u]

Originally Posted by liuzi0512

and the ones that ViolinsLover.COM Store sells look pretty decent, according to the criteria set out here, but then < http://www.opentip.com/musical_instruments.html > looks pretty good too...

My wife always said she wanted to learn to play violin, so a couple years ago I bought her one. After a ton of online research, I settled on one of the GEMS 2 models from violinslover.com. I don't know too much about violins, but it seems to be a very well-made instrument, and has great resonance/tone.

In fact, the teacher that my wife ended up going to who has been playing forever and typically plays some $20k violin was so impressed with it that she wanted to know where I got it from so she could recommend it to her other students. Even with ordering just over a week before christmas, the service was great and they got it to me in time and with no issues. Came with a nice case, and a decent bow... ready to play for less than $400. I was very impressed.
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c

[chrisp2u]

Oh yeah, and I have to ask... what does this have to do with computers? It's in the "Music Computers" forum