Getting a violin for lessons can be slightly intimidating if you don’t know anything about the violin in the first place.
When looking for the right violin to use, there are four things you should know and consider before committing to an instrument.
We hope these tips will leave you feeling more confident on what to look for before you start your violin lessons!
1. Renting a Violin
Renting a violin is an easy way to get started if you or a child are just looking to try out the violin for a period of time.
Some of these music stores that typically rent out violins also offer a rent-to-buy program. A rent-to-buy program means that you will make payments like you are renting the violin but you really have the intention of buying the instrument in the end. This can be an excellent option of you
Renting Violins for Lessons in Sacramento, CA
If you live in the Sacramento, CA area, it is possible to rent a violin through a music store such as Kline music or Tim’s music.
Renting Violins for Lessons in Your City
If you don’t live in the local area, google “violin rentals” or “music store” or “violins in [name of your city]”. See what results pop up on the first page and start searching that way!
2. Buying a Violin
When looking to buy a violin it’s good to look at certain things to check the instrument out before buying it.
The last thing you want is to invest your money in something that doesn’t serve you well!
Or worse, you don’t want to buy a violin that in the end will cost you even more to fix or change!
Here are a few tips and tricks for things to look at or ask about when getting a violin for lessons and making that purchase!
Before You Rent or Buy: 4 Things You Should Know
- Look over the whole body to see if there are any nicks or chips in the finish.
- Make sure the tuning pegs are functional and easily moveable to make tuning easier. If the pegs aren’t sized properly the shop might be able to resize them. It’s a very easy fix for the shop.
3. It’s also good to check the sympathetic resonance of the violin before walking out the door with it.
Sympathetic resonance is when you play one string and another string vibrates and makes a sound even if you’re not playing it.
You don’t want this. It means that your violin is playing its own sounds while you’re trying to play other sounds yourself!
This is how you can test this by playing a first finger “A” on the “G” string and seeing if it makes the “A” string vibrate (or any string vibrate for that matter!)
We included the image for your reference for how to play an A with your pointer finger on the end string.
4. Every violin is different so some will fit other people’s hands or shoulders differently that’s why it is valuable to play and hold the violin before buying.
If you are a brand new violin student about to start violin lessons for the very first time and aren’t sure what a good fit is. That’s ok! You will learn with time those kinds of nuances. Just invest in something basic and give yourself that time to learn before trading in your basic violin and leveling up to something more nuanced!
You can also check out a store’s return policy and have your violin teacher take a look at your instrument and give you their feedback on it!
So let’s take a moment to mention return policies:
When Buying a Violin Consider the Return Policy
Another thing to consider when getting a violin for lessons is the return policy and warranty.
Say you purchase a violin, you try it out at home or with your teacher and for some reason it isn’t for you, then making sure there is an option to return would be a good idea! But it is a good idea to actually see the violin and play it a bit before buying it.
In regards to warranties, accidents do happen so ensuring that there is some sort of warranty in case it does get dropped is recommended.
Side Note to a Violin on Amazon
Getting a violin for lessons on amazon is an option as an entry-level violin. One of our adult students bought one and we were pleasantly surprised at the quality for the price!
We now recommend it to all of our new violin students, children and adults, coming into our studio. It’s such an easy one to get for those who have no idea what to buy!
Learn More About Our Violin Lessons!
