Violin Buying Guide

Parts of the Violin

There are a few parts of the violin that you need to be familiar with so you can determine the quality and sturdiness of each part.

• Chin Rest: Self-explanatory…where your chin rests when you play.
• Bridge: The strings rest on this piece. It sends the sound down to the F-hole.
• F-hole: It's an 'F'-shaped hole near the bottom of the instrument. The sound comes from here.
• Strings/Fingerboard: The strings make the note when you pluck it and the fingerboard is where you place your fingers to create different sounds.
• Tuning Pegs: At the top of the violin are the tuning pegs which adjust the pitch of the string.

Violin Buying Guide: Determine Your Budget

Making a budget is the first step for almost any major purchase. Do you want a brand new one? Could you make do with a used one? Are you just learning or are you experienced?

• Student violins tend to be cheaper because of the materials used and the amount of time used to construct it.
• Professional violins are made from fancy woods and will cost from thousands to tens of thousands of dollars.
• If you are just starting out or thinking about learning the violin, you may want to go with a student violin just to be sure you want to stick with it. There are additional costs to learning a new instrument, the biggest being lessons.

Sizing

Take your outstretched hand and measure from your neck to your palm.

• If your length is 23 inches, then you need a violin sized 4/4 (full size)
• If your length is 22 inches, then you need a violin sized 3/4
• If your length is 20 inches, then you need a violin sized 1/2
• If your length is 18.5 inches, then you need a violin sized 1/4
• If your length is 16.5 inches, then you need a violin sized 1/8

If you have an odd measurement not listed, ask the advice of a violin teacher, someone who makes violins or even the clerk who sells violins.

Visit the Store

Now it's time to go to the music store to try some one for size. The upscale shops usually require an appointment so call your local store to see if one is needed. Shopping for a violin is sometimes compared to shopping for jewelry. If you don't know anything about the industry, you might be sold on something that is out of your budget or even something inferior they are trying to push. Not all music stores are like this but listen to your gut because you'll get that distrusting feeling.

Try the violins like you would clothes. Find something that fits and don't let the salespeople pressure you. This is a big purchase and you want something that is comfortable and feels right.

Bring Experts

You don’t have to go by yourself. Bring a violin teacher to give you advice on fitting and the quality of the construction. Someone else you can bring along if you don't know a violin teacher is someone who plays the violin so that they can test the strings and sound quality. They can be your violin buying guide when in the store.

Violin Accessories

A violin buying guide would not be complete without accessories you can purchase.

• Bows: How can you play the violin without one? You can get fancy metal ones or traditional wooden ones.
• Music Stands: Get one to conveniently hold your sheet music.
• Carrying cases: If you tend to travel (and you will if you are taking lessons), then you need a protective case. Your expensive ones probably will come with one, but your used violins won't necessarily. That's to keep cost down.

Basic Advice

Most of the advice listed above can be used for purchasing many types of instruments like horns or pianos. Set a budget, know the basics, and bring an expert.