This is a bowed string instrument with four strings that are generally tuned in perfect fifths; it is the smallest member of the string family, which is also made up of the viola and the cello. Sound is produced by drawing what is known as a bow across one of the four strings or by plucking the string with a finger.

One of the brilliant features of the violins is the fact that they are available for various skill levels and age groups. This allows children from the age of three to take up and learn the violin. Children do however grow out of violins at a surprisingly fast rate. While some stores allow buyers to take back to the violin shop the instrument purchased from them and trade it in for the next size up, some others do not. If you consider a trade up in the future, it is a good thing to talk about this with your seller before making a purchase. Not all music stores allow trade ins.

There are around nine different sizes of violin, which are known as student violins. These range in size is made to accommodate players of all ages. For example 1/32, 1/16, 1/10 and 1/8, are all suitable for three to five year olds. For six to ten year olds you are able to get hold of a half size violin before working up to a full size, which is generally suitable for 12 year olds up to full adults. The student violins that you work your way through depends on arm length and your overall size. Basically, you want one that you feel the most comfortable playing. If a 1/2 violin usually fits a 6 year old, it does not necessarily means that will fit you, too. You may have smaller or bigger arms then average, which means that you will need a different size than what the standard indicates. In many cases, when a student reaches around the 7th grade, he/she will generally require a full size (4/4) instrument as opposed to a fractional one.

Once you have a strong idea of the size you are looking for, you can set out to buy a violin; but where do you start with this? Well, basically there are three main choices open to you: you can either visit a violin shop in your area, buy a violin from the Internet, or you can opt to purchase the a custom made instrument directly from a luthier. The latter is often the choice of more advanced and experienced violinists, as they are more sophisticated in their choices and they reached that level of musicianship that allows them to feel the quality of their violin and justifies the large expenditure associated with the purchase of a custom made violin.

If you are opting to buy a violin from a online music store, then it is a good thing to buy a violin outfit. The outfit contains a violin, a case, and a bow. Not all violins include a case and a bow. So, if it is not mentioned on the website, don’t assume these items are included by default. You should ask the seller about the case and a bow, to avoid an unpleasant surprise. It is important to test the instrument before committing to the purchasing it, so make sure the instrument comes with a trial period when you can test the instrument for sound performance.

The most important thing to keep in mind however, whether you want to buy a student violin or a more advanced one, is don’t buy one that you either don’t like or have doubts about. Sales people can influence your decision, but deep down in your heart you know the truth. Consult with your violin teacher or with a friend whose opinion you trust, but first of al trust your guts. Always make sure you test the instrument out and you are happy with the sound, as there is nothing worse than playing a violin that you don’t really feel comfortable with!

Taking violin lessons from an experienced violin teacher will help you with passing the first few steps, which are usually the most difficult. Acquiring good violin books and other instruction materials will help you with practicing and learning faster the violin notes. A beginner’s violin usually won’t sound very good in the hands of an inexperienced musician. Actually no violin will sound good if handled by an untrained individual, this being the reason why the violin has earned the reputation of being the most difficult of all instruments. Beginning violin players have always been intimidated at the beginning by this myth and here is where the didactic skills of the music teacher come into play. The support and the guidance from a professional musician, who is ideally also a great teacher, has always proved to be very helpful to the beginner violin player, who is trying to decipher the secret code behind the four strings and who is at the beginning of a difficult path in developing skills for producing beautiful sounds.

The first violin lessons will usually be focused on the position of the body while playing the violin, the ear training, and the bowing. The difference between noise and music stays in the rhythm; if we give noise a certain rhythm, it becomes music. The purpose of the ear training stage is to help the beginning violin student understand rhythm, which will further be emphasized in the bowing phase. The first few beginning violin lessons revolve around mastering the bow movements on the four strings and understanding of rhythm dynamics. In this stage the instrument is really not that important. In some people’s opinion, the first instrument in a beginner violin player’s life is not essential; some people believe that in this stage, the student violin player is not able to make the difference between a good sounding instrument and one whose sound performance is questionable. This is why a violin for student or beginner use is usually low priced, and its quality level does not quite meet the highest standards. The best beginner’s violin will be an instrument whose quality will allow the student to use it for at least one year, without feeling the need of an upgrade.

In most cases, it is a good idea to stay away from spending large amounts of money on a beginner student violin. A high quality violin is not a good investment if the prospective violin student is just flirting with the idea of playing the violin, instead of being absolutely into it. Some people lose motivation and interest somewhere on the way and give up very soon, without getting to the point where they are able to feel the value of such a good sounding instrument. Again, at the beginning of the violin playing career, the violin fingering and the overall playing might not be at all that great and the player might not be able to tell the difference between a good sounding and a very good sounding instrument.

Investing in a better quality instrument, such as a college student violin, has of course its advantages. A higher quality instrument is a very good investment if the prospective violin player is absolutely sure that he/she will stay with the violin for a long time. Buying a very good violin from the beginning will help with developing a very good sound perception and understanding from an early stage, increase motivation, and save the student from a future expenditure, because no upgrade will be needed anytime soon.