For decades the Gliga family has been producing some of the finest violins, violas and cellos evermade and now this kind of handmade workmanship is directly available in Canada. Once only via direct shipping, Gliga has now opened a new violin store in Vancouver, BC offering a wide selection of beautiful stringed instruments that inspire musicians to play better because they love the way they feel in their hands.

For over 10 years, Canadians who wished to purchase the world class craftsmanship of Gliga violins had to view their prized instruments via the web and wait with baited breath as their personal viola or violin was carefully shipped from the main violin store from the Pasadena, CA store. But at long last the music lovers of Northern America can actually see, feel and hear all the wonders that are a Gliga stringed instrument. Specializing in Violins, Violas and Cellos, this is a music store right in the heart of BC, where dreams of concert halls and thunderous applause greet each young player as the walk in and are greeted by magnificent examples of old world traditional violin making with all the technical advances of modern day manufacturing.

Here is just one Google review left by one happy Gliga customer, and the list is much longer: “I want to thank you for helping my daughter on the purchase of her new violin.You made all the difference in the world with your expert knowledge and sincere advice. The whole experience could not have been better. Your violins are definitely great value and especially quality. With such excellent products and service to match there is no other place I would purchase from in the future. Many congratulations on your expansion to Canada and I wish you every success in the future.” Sincerely, Thomas, Jessika and Cynthia

Gliga violins are made from the very woods that the great masters made their stringed instruments so many years ago. Harvested from the Italian Valley of Transylvania, the unique Carpathian spruce and flamed maples woods are carefully selected for their color, tonality and rich grains that make each Gliga viola, violin and cello an instrument worthy of the first chair in any orchestra. But the use of these fine woods are only part of the story because the highly trained master luthiers of the Gliga family of artisans still employ the ancient techniques in crafting new violins that are inspired by the designs of the greats like Guarnerius and Stradivarius.
Even as modern day adhesives and glues can help bring this ancient stringed instrument into the 21 stcentury, the use of traditional finishes, applied with pain staking patience and care help create a violin fit for the next generation with the heart and soul of generations of the past. Gliga violins have been played by many of the great violin player and of the great yet to be. The universal appeal of these instruments is the handcrafted construction that produces richness in tone and vibrato equal to many much more expensive stringed instruments. With Gliga viola, cellos and violins, it’s not just the years of expertise in traditional craftsmanship or the special materials used or even the finishes that glow with an iridescence that make good players great and great players magic; the real secret to the Gliga family of incredible violin productions can be distilled to one word – PASSION.
Come visit the Gliga violin shop in Vancouver, BC and the violin store in Pasadena, California and discover your own inner violin virtuoso.

Gliga's 20th Anniversary

A young girl eyes the line of violins that hang across the wall, her vision transfixed by the gleam that shimmers off of the highly polished wood. Her breath is momentarily taken away by the color of fire, so deeply embedded within the grain of each instrument; it enraptures her with dreams of her solitary figure standing at center stage, a spotlight illuminating her gentle face as she takes her bow and with delicate force, glides it across the strings. As the hairs of the bow strike the strings, notes of perfect tone and timbre resonate throughout the auditorium, filling the audience with a sense of wonder and joy.

The young girl smiles to herself, turns to her parents and points: “That one!”

Her parents acknowledge her choice, satisfied that her selection is one of excellent quality and that it has already inspired her to greatness. The price is right, too.

The sounds of music are never far from the ears of one of the world’s premiere craftsmen in the ancient art of stringed instrument production. It is within the head and hands of the maestro himself, Vasile Gliga, that real magic happens each day. His workshop in Romania, under his strict and keen guide, produces thousands of some of the finest violins, violas and cellos the music world has seen. Each one carefully made to create such a richness in tone, is seems the instruments emit flavors of multi-dimensional symphonic tastiness a 5 star gourmet chef would be envious.

From the Transylvanian forests in the Gurghiului Valley, also known as “the Italian Valley,” comes a very prized wood of resonance spruce and flamed maple (sometimes known as curly sycamore), that possesses rare acoustic properties that have been proven over time to be the premier choice for the instruments’ tops and backs. This is essential because as the vibrations of the strings course through the sound holes they strike the violin’s back and bounce forward again. The wood must have a certain type of fiber in order to produce the right kind of tone, vibrato and pitch which is sent outward through the top openings and into the ears of the listener.

For 20 years Vasile Gliga has created his masterpieces with the maples and spruces of the Italian Valley. He has lived in this wooded region and has gazed upon their beauty so often that he is able to view a felled log and visualize how many instruments he will be able to produce from it. But materials are but one half of the equation for the creation of the perfect stringed instrument.

Celebrating 20 years of musical mastery, Gliga Violins produces more than just beautifully artistic stringed instruments; they inspire musicians to play better and create joy for those fortunate to listen. From the earliest birth of his first violin in home in post-communist Romania, Mr. Gliga has been on the forefront of innovation while maintaining the tradition of the masters in both technique and materials.

Skilled in the traditional manufacturing of violins, cellos and violas, Vasile Gliga keeps one foot in the old world with his mastery of ancient wood crafting techniques but has incorporated modern applications in a seamless process so as to preserve their classical structure and harmonic resonance. Gliga produces instruments in the Guarneri and Stradivarius styles to accommodate varying musical styles. The Gliga line of contemporary violins has a full line of stringed instruments – cellos, violas and violins – for the beginner, student, professional and maestro levels. Each violin, viola and cello are crafted for exquisite tone and richness and infused with the passion Mr. Gliga has felt since the days of his very first creation. Every musician who has held one of Vasile’s creations instinctively understands the Gliga violins are made to produce music from the heart.

As the Gliga family celebrates 20 years of producing some of the finest stringed instruments created, the words of world famous violinist Yehundi Menudin are a testament to Vasile’s skill and dedication to his craft. In his personal letter to Gliga, one that holds a place of honor at their headquarters in Reghin, the virtuoso expressed his feelings for the experience of owning and playing a Gliga violin.
? “Dear and very fine craftsman … I shall treasure the instrument you made …”

Whether your tastes and talent favor the Stradvari designs that captivates the listener with a mellow warm sound full of resonating tones and soaring pitches perfect for the classical compositions or a more earthy sound generated from the Guarneri styles that lends itself perfectly to country and folk music, Gliga creates violins that are a real treasure.

Like many enthusiastic musicians who want to play classical music in an orchestra and are looking for a concert violin, you may already know that not all instruments are equal. Two instruments may look perfectly alike, but when you play them, you discover that they feel and sound differently. Also, two violins priced the same may sound differently. Good master violin makers will use woods and techniques in the crafting that result in finished violins having excellent resonance and tone, consistent from an instrument to another. Due to the fact that violins are hand made, consistency in sound quality is something very hard to achieve.

Like everything that is human made, violins are subject to imperfection. The maker’s talent & skills on top of high quality materials used in the manufacturing process will produce performance violins that will allow accomplished musicians shine. Many people believe that only by playing many different instruments and having a discerning musical ear is it possible to appreciate the difference in sound quality that you get from a high quality violin; but that is not always the case. Quality is easily recognized even by non-experts. A beginning violin student will sound much better if using a high quality performance violin.

When you buy a Gliga violin, you are buying a performance violin that has been crafted to exact specifications and high quality standards. In an recent interview, master violin maker Gliga said that these violins are constantly tested during the construction process and they will not reach the next level in the production cycle unless all the previous manufacturing requirements have been successfully met. The European handmade violins made in Romania have earned a great reputation all over the world due to their exceptional sound qualities and playability. You cannot get the same quality and attention to detail when an instrument has been mass produced by machining. Handmade violins hold their market value much better and if later on you plan to sell them for whatever reason, you will be able to ask the same price you once paid to acquire them.

Gliga violins have been used by virtuoso violin players and beginners alike. The expertly tuned plates for optimal sound, and premium tone woods used in the construction of these fine violins, set them apart from all the others. When a Gliga Violin is made, it is with the aim of being used as an orchestra violin. This means that it must reach self-imposed high standards of playability, performance and projection. These handcrafted violins come in different colors, shades of varnish, and finishing styles to suit various individual aesthetic taste. The colour and finish although varied for different tastes are also of fundamental importance for the soloist violin player who is performing both for acoustic quality and visual beauty.

Gliga violins can be bought directly from their Canadian store at www.violinslover.ca or from the US store at www.violinslover.com .

If you are shopping for a beginner or student violin and have a limited budget to work with, which forces you to look for an inexpensive violin on sale, do not worry; you are not alone. Many violin lovers who wish to venture themselves into the wonderful world of violins or who already belong to this world, but need a new violin, choose an instrument that matches more their budget than their playing skills.

Fortunately, that no longer has to be the case; modern violin makers like Vasile Gliga found a way to produce affordable violins without compromising the quality. No matter what performance level you are at, you can find the right violin for you in Gliga’s store, and the price tag won’t drain your bank account. Gliga instruments have earned a world wide reputation for their excellent price/quality ratio, making them the most affordable violins on the market, while preserving the high standard in sound quality that Gliga instruments are known for.

Usually, beginning players do not want to spend much money on their first violin, and will settle for an inexpensive violin. Parents, when are shopping for their kids’ first violin, won’t make a huge investment either, and will look for violins on sale. If the kids show interest in the instrument and prove having tallent and desire to learn, then they become serious about buying them a higher quality instrument and replace the cheap violin that they have originally bought.

You might be tempted to start your search for an inexpesive violin by typing in Google “cheap violin for sale.” You will be delivered a quite impressive results set almost instantly. There are thousands of websites that respond to your search for a “cheap violin.” Now let’s analyze these websites. What do they mean by “cheap violin”? Is it about quality or it is an expression of low pricing? In most cases, cheap violins mean low quality violins. The word “cheap” has a negative conotation attached to it and respectable violin stores will avoid calling the instruments they carry “cheap violins”, no matter how low they are priced.

Next, you might be tempted to search for “violins on sale“. Well, this does not sound as bad as “cheap violins”, does it? Cheap violins project the image of low quality violins, while violins on sale make you think of an opportunity of paying less for something that is worth more. A violin sale is normal in the life of any store, and we too, offer many promotions over the year. The Gliga violin store offers generous discounts to repeat customers or to those who purchase more than one instrument. A discount violin is not perceived as a “cheap violin.” Cheap violins might be a reflection of a compromise in the quality of the instruments, while discount violins are a reflection of a price reduction, the quality not being affected.

If you enjoy listening to the sweet sounds of the violin and decided to give it a try and see if you can enlighten your ears with sounds made by you, welcome to the wonderful world of violins. You are probably in search of a beginner’s violin, and that is how you landed on this page. Welcome and have a very pleasant stay! This blog is dedicated exclusively to violins and you will find here information about everything that relates to violins: violin lessons, violin stores, learning how play the violin, violin makers, violins for beginners, professional violins, etc.

So, you decided to learn how to play the violin. The first step would be finding a violin teacher in your area and buying an instrument. Besides a deep desire to discover the wonderful world of violin music, this is all you need for beginning violin lessons. Most adult players need a 4/4 size – also known as a full size violin. Petite adult players with small hands and arms find it hard to handle a 4/4 violin, and they will choose a 7/8 size violin. This violin is slightly smaller than the full size violin, and petite musicians find it more comfortable to handle. If you are in search of a beginner’s violin for a child who is interested in learning how to play the violin, you have to pick a size that will accommodate the child’s size. Violins come in several sizes – 1/32, 1/16, 1/10, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 – and they are specifically adapted for the ergonomic variations that are required for the players in each age group.

We all know how confusing buying a violin is. We are surrounded by literature about violins in any direction we look; we find it in libraries, newspapers, magazines, bookstores, music stores, specialty violin shops , and on the Internet; try looking up “violin for beginner” or “beginner violin“, and Google returns thousands of results in less than one second. That is quite a large result set and all you need is one instrument. No wonder adult beginners and parents of younger violin beginners alike get so frustrated when they have to decide on which violin to buy. Usually, the teachers will step in and help the students and the parents make a selection. Most violin teachers usually know the local music stores that sell violins for beginners in Vancouver and they would provide good advice on what beginners’ violin is best for a child or adult beginner violinist. Violin instruction is widely available everywhere, as many music colleges, private music school, and independent music teachers offer classes on how to play the violin.

The word “violin” comes from the Latin word “vitula” meaning stringed instrument. It was popularized in its modern form in 16th century in Italy with further modifications in the 18th century. Due to it’s appealing design and wide and easy access to the raw materials is made of, wood, the violin became the object of interest of many artisans all over the world. Violin makers are called luthiers, and they specialize in crafting these fine instruments. For the violin beginner there is often a romantic attachment to the instrument itself due to its beautiful history. This has been the content of movies and books such as “The Red Violin”, where a violin travels the time and carries within the souls and the fate of those who played it. There is something mystical and mysterious about violins, and that goes beyond the angelic sounds that this musical instrument produces. No doubt you will find these stories quite inspiring and make you or your child want to learn violin playing.

Learning violin is not as difficult as you may think. Sure, like learning any instrument, it takes a certain amount of dedication and practice. The beginner violin player often starts young, however young age or childhood is not a prerequisite for enjoying this beautiful and elegant instrument. Adult beginning violin players are more numerous than one might think. There is really no age limitation when it comes to starting to learn how to play the violin. Beginners violin classes are offered in every town; just have a look online on sites such as Craig’s list or Yellow Pages. We also have an extensive directory of violin teachers in Vancouver and if you need a recommendation, we would be glad to put you in touch with a reputable violin teacher in your area.

If you are serious about beginning violin lessons and are ready to buy your first violin, my recommendation is to go with a Gliga Violin. Gliga violins can be bought directly from their Canadian store at www.violinslover.ca or from the US store at www.violinslover.com . My recommendation for a child is a Gliga Genial 1 instrument, and for a dedicated adult beginner violin player a Gliga Gems 1 violin. Gliga’s Gems 1 violins won the "Best Beginner Violin" award in 2010. You can read this story at http://www.bestcovery.com/best-beginner-violin.

Most beginners will learn with an inexpensive violin outfit that includes violin, bow, case, and shoulder rest. It is a good idea to start on one of these “cheap” violin models as it will work out as a massive expense should you decide that the violin is not for you. There are plenty of different models out there to choose from, but a good one to start with is the Gliga Genial 1 beginning student violin, which comes complete with high quality ebony tuning pegs, fingerboard, tailpiece, and chinrest. The standard Genial 1 violin is set up with Romanian Steel strings and a standard tailpiece with 4 fine tuners.

As you progress you will need to up grade your model to meet your needs. If you are preparing to take your grade exams then good string quality is essential. If you progress beyond grade 5 then you will need a violin has the right equipment to ensure that you are not held back in any way. At this stage I recommend the Gems 1 level. This is an advanced level instrument, which will last you for a long time. The Gems 1 violins are superior to those listed under the Genial 1 and Gems 2 levels by the wood quality and aesthetic value, manufacturing process, finishing style, and accessories. All these elements are of superior quality, which have a direct influence on the quality of the sound.

If you are looking a cheap way to start of your musical career then you could try buying a second-hand student violin. This may save you some money but you do need to make sure that it is good condition and that it is set up correctly otherwise you may spend more money correcting it.

If you are a motivated adult player, who knows exactly that the violin is something that will stay with you, then I recommend going straight with a higher quality instrument, and more exactly Gliga Gems 1 – advanced level violin. A better quality instrument will help you develop a better sound understanding and make progress faster and will, also, motivate you to practice more. You will hear better sounds coming out of your violin, which does not happen that quickly at the beginning.

When buying a student violin you need to make sure that it is either set up properly or you know someone who can do this for you. Many beginners struggle to learn on student violins due to lack of setting up on the suppliers behalf. If the student violin is not set up properly then you run the risk of producing poor sound and incorrect notes.

However, if you buy your student violin from a specialist then you can be sure that it has been set up properly. The ViolinsLover Shop has a great range of violins for beginners and whether you are after an instrument for an adult player or a child, you can be sure to find something to fit your needs. They will make sure that you go away with exactly the right size violin for you and you can be sure that the instrument is of the highest quality around and with a proper setup.

Gliga’s violins are all professionally set up by a professional luthier at no additional cost. The setup includes all necessary adjustments that will enable the violin to deliver its best quality sound and they include pegs, strings, bridge, and soundpost adjustments. The reason of the set-up is that these instruments have travelled a long way from Romania to the United States and Canada, and all the parts that are subject to set-up are not fixed to the body of the violin. These parts are the sound post, the bridge, the pegs, and the strings. They may have slightly moved during the shipping, and the setup ensures that they are where they are supposed to be. Also, certain elements may have been affected by humidity and temperature changes, and during the setup all necessary adjustments are made to bring them back to the standard condition. The ultimate goal of the set-up is to ensure that the instrument delivers a great sound and playability.

It is important to get your first violin right as your choice may have a huge impact on the quality of your playing and your attitude towards the instrument. Get it right and you will treasure your first violin for many years to come as the instrument that set you on your musical journey.

To make sure you get the best, visit the ViolinsLover Shops: the Gliga Violin Shop in Los Angeles and the Gliga Violins Shop in Vancouver, Canada.

Answer:
A violin is destined to be a master, a professional, an advanced, a intermediate or a beginner’s school violin from the beginning. It all starts with the selection of the wood. We know which violin we will make from a certain piece of wood since the moment when we unload the logs from the truck. Actually, sometimes, we know it since we buy the wood, without seeing it. Wood that comes from a certain part of the country, from a certain mountain, from a certain altitude, from a certain side of the mountain, usually qualifies for a certain quality level. All these attributes dictate the quality of the wood, which is reflected in the price of the wood. Higher quality wood is more expensive, and this is one of the reasons why a maestro violin is more expensive than beginner’s or an advanced level violin for example. I took some extreme quality levels, but there is a distinct difference in the quality of the wood between all levels.

There are over 200 stages that a simple piece of wood has to go through in order to become a violin. Like trees and like people, each violin is unique. Science will explain the uniqueness of each violin very easily: wood is an anisotropic material, which means that it does not have the same properties in all directions. Also, the wood has unique and independent mechanical properties in the direction of the 3 perpendicular axes, longitudinal, radial, and tangential, which makes each centimeter of wood from the same trunk different than the next one, in all three directions. The sound produced by a piece of wood is affected by its dimensions, density, humidity content and mechanical properties. As a result, each piece of wood has its own unique acoustical properties, which will make each violin a unique entity.

So, after having said all this, the next step that influences the price of the violin and the sound of the violin is the drying up phase. Wood is dried differently for each quality level, in both drying up method and length. The slower the drying up, the better the quality of the sound is, but, at the same time, the more expensive the stage.

The other factors that influence both the sound quality of a violin and its price are the quality of the varnish, the quality of the accessories, and most importantly, the skill level of the people who actually build the violins. People with more experience and talent will deliver better finished products, but they are getting paid higher salaries.

In short, costs and quality really go hand in hand, and there is a very close connection between the price and the quality of a violin. Everything can be very easily explained and justified.

Anatomy of a Violin

More Resources on Violin Parts and Diagram  

The combination of woods that is used at the manufacturing of the string instruments, and particularly of the violins, is as follows:

• resonance spruce (Latin name: Picea Abies (L) Karst)
• mountain maple (Latin name: Acer Pseudoplatanus L.)
• ebony (Latin name: Diospyros sp.)

The resonance spruce is used for the top plate of the instruments, the bass bar, the blocks, the corner-blocks, and the sound post.

The maple wood is used in the production of the back plate of the instruments, the neck, the ribs, the bridge, and sometimes the accessories.

The ebony is used at the production of the accessories: fingerboard, pegs, chinrest and tailpiece.

Master Gliga Violin

In Vancouver the appearance of exceptionally finely crafted stringed musical instruments will soon be available at Gliga’s newest location in Vancouver, BC, giving Canadians a taste of what the rest of the world has been experiencing for years; the magnificent hand craftsmanship that is the Gliga violins, violas and cellos.

The Gliga violin shop in Vancouver will be offering the unique hand-carved instruments just as they have done in the United States since the year 2000. All Gliga violins are made from the same Carpathian spruce and red flamed maple found solely in the “Italian Valley” of the Transylvania forests. Only the finest of dense homogenous woods are chosen from Romania’s 150 year old forests that surround the city of Reghin. For those who are new to the violin world, Reghin is to Romania what Cremona is to Italy: the city where the greatest violins of the world are born. While Cremona is famous for Antonio Stradivari, Reghin is famous for Vasile Gliga, a contemporary violin maker who does not stop to surprise his followers with the perfection of his art works.

The elder craftsmen discovered long ago how the spirit of these forests, when fashioned into a Gliga violin, would produce unparallel richness of tone and timber. Each Gliga violin is created using the ancient master techniques for a superior sound and feel once only afforded to the status of a Guarnerius or Stradivarius violin.

Vasile Gliga is the highly respected and sought after violin maker that has combined his traditional Romanian family techniques with modern manufacturing technology, giving Gliga violins unimaginable artistic integrity and musicianship. The making of a Gliga Violins in Vancouver is a far cry from other assembly line stringed instruments – typical of low priced instruments, which have inferior tonal quality and very limited visual appeal.

Under the intense scrutiny of Vasile Gliga himself, Gliga Violins are meticulously hand constructed and finished, with premium materials ensuring a perfection and attention to detail that is ingrained into each treasured instrument and is the hallmark of a Gliga violin. The all consuming passion for making the finest violins the world has seen at affordable prices is what has made Gliga Violins renowned throughout the International musical community.

Today’s musicians can find an wide array of unique items including pyrographed, fine rare art, 5 stringed, electric and even left-handed instruments. All Gliga violins in Vancouver can be purchased complete with case, bows, musical stands, strings, tailpieces and much, much more. Every Gliga instrument is given a 7-day trail period and 7-day money back guarantee providing the buyers with complete confidence in their musical purchase. It is really easy to shop for a handcrafted Gliga violin, viola, or cello, by either coming into the soon-to-come violin shop in Vancouver, the violin store in Los Angeles or in one of their online stores.

The Gliga professional and student violins, violas and cellos are made with the finest materials, traditional craftsmanship, infused with a great passion for music and a love of the musician who plays these wonderful musical instruments.

1. The Maker
2. The Wood
3. The Varnish
4. The Size
5. The Price

1. The Maker: Where is the violin of your interest made and by whom? What is the reputation of that particular violin maker and for how long has he been in the violin business? Are there any buyer reviews available online? There are several forums, blogs, and review websites available on the Internet that should make your research very easy and bring out the truth about the violin maker you are interested in. If you choose to buy a violin online, extend your research and try to find out what the reputation of the online violin store is. Try to contact the store via phone, email or filling in a form that is available online and see what kind of response you get; try to see how fast, how friendly, how accurate, how knowledgeable, how useful the response you got was. All these elements of the online communication should give you clues about how your overall violin buying experience is going to be. I have recently tried to get an opinion on two violins from two different violin makers, and the response I got from a music store was this: “…the sound of a violin, as you know, is not standard. Each violin has its own tone and sound, and even the instruments made by the same maker, with wood from the same tree, can have a very different sound. Nothing compares with a violin made in a traditional European violin workshop. Europe has a great history and tradition in violin making and also has the best wood in the world. There is no accident that the most famous violins in history were made in Europe…”

2. The Wood: the wood used in violin making is of vital importance for the sound of the instrument. I would say with a high degree of confidence that the European wood is the best when it comes to instruments that need high quality resonance wood. Violins are traditionally made of flamed maple and resonance spruce. This is the traditional combination that most violin makers use. The top of the violin is made of resonance spruce. The back, the sides, and the neck of the violin are made of famed maple. The accessories (chin rest, tailpiece, pegs, and fingerboard) are made of ebony. The wood must be naturally dried up, in the open, to naturally achieve the perfect internal balance that will prevent the violin from cracking in the future. Wood is a material that changes its dimensions based on fluctuations in external temperature and humidity conditions. Here is an excerpt from an email I got from a reputable violin maker: “The wood we use at the construction of our violins has been dried up for several years, out in the open. It witnessed the succession of the four seasons several times and was exposed to direct weather, temperature, and humidity changes for a very long time. In hot summers the wood lost water and lowered its dimensions. In rainy autumn days, it absorbed water from the air and increased its dimensions. In cold winter days it froze, and preserved its dimensions, trying to find balance. After a few cycles of successive dimensional changes, the wood got to the point where it reached an internal balance, and all internal tensions at the molecular level disappeared. If there were any tensions in the wood that would cause cracks, those would have affected the wood in the manufacturing process, when the wood was severely “abused”. It almost never happens that a finished violin experiences cracks due to wood aging. Cracks can appear by exposing the instrument to sudden and extreme changes in temperature and humidity, but those changes should be really extreme to favor such an extreme response.”
3. The Varnish: String instruments in general, and violins in particular, can be finished with either nitro or oil varnish. My recommendation is to choose the violins finished with oil varnish. While the nitro varnish is sprayed on the violins, the oil varnish is applied manually, with a brush. The varnish is applied in several coats, regardless of the nature of the varnish. Before applying the next coat, the previous one has to dry completely. The difference between the oil varnish and the nitro varnish is that the nitro varnish dries up very quickly, and the next coat is applied within 10-20 minutes. The oil varnish takes longer to dry out, up to 24 hours, and after each coat, the varnished is leveled with a very fine sand paper, operation which ensures a homogenous distribution of the varnish and a perfect adherence of the varnish to the body of the violin. No air particles are allowed in the varnish applied on top of the violins, and the sanding phase ensures this. A violin can have 8-10 coats of oil varnish applied to it, but they all are extremely thin and light. The oil varnish has overall superior qualities. It has a better resistance and behavior in time. The oil varnish is very elastic and can take the dimensional changes of the wood very well. The nitro varnish, due to its limited elasticity, will crack if exposed to sudden changes in temperature and humidity. For example, if a violin finished with nitro varnish is stored in a room where the temperature is very high, the wood will dry out, which means it will loose water, and its dimensions will reduce. If a violin finished with oil varnish is stored in the same room, under the same temperature and humidity conditions, you will not notice anything. The oil varnish will follow the same pattern and will adjust its size accordingly. Unlike the oil varnish, the nitro varnish, due to its lack of elasticity, cannot lower or increase its dimensions, and it will simply crack.
4. The Size: Violin are made in several standard sizes that will accommodate violin players of different ages and arm lengths. In order to establish the correct violin size that you need, you need to extend your right arm and measure the length from your neck to the middle of your palm.
   Here is a chart that will help you determine the correct size, based on your measurement:

   Arm length	Recommended Violin Size
   23″ or more	4/4 (full size)
   22″	3/4
   20″	1/2
   18″	1/4
   16″	1/8
   15″	1/10
   14″	1/16

5. The Price: The price is not always a reflection of quality in the violins’ world, and I am sure all violin owners have come to this conclusion. Here is how the same violin store that I quoted above explains the pricing difference between the several violins they carry in their store: “The difference between the several violins in our store stays in the quality of the wood, the workmanship, and the set up. The price is a reflection of all factors, summed up. The better the wood, the workmanship, and the set up, the higher the sound quality, and the higher the price. We go progressively from $100 violins to $2,000 violins, to cover a very broad clientele, with different playing skills, sound quality needs, and budgets.”