Want to buy fiddle..

[casualmusic]

Originally Posted by bkepler

... Search this section as I, and others, have written pretty extensively about beginning violins (I’m still enjoying my Glasser Carbon Composite fiddle). A couple of points I’ll reiterate here are, don’t skimp on the bow. Really. Plan to spend at least $80 on a decent bow...

Hi Jerry.

I've just atarted and got these useful items:

- Rubber mute that fits over the bridge and is a kindness to everyone in the vicinity, player included.

- A package of musician ear plugs for the ear next to the sound holes. I found the loud volume rather painful. Violin players at the music store and bluegrass club admitted to being a bit deaf in the ear next to the fiddle.

- Fingerboard removable overlay with very faint raised fret lines. This is like violin braille or training wheels for rookies to learn by feel where fingers should be for each note. This startup shortcut means you can concentrate much more on the bowing technique to get a good tone. Instructor says peering at fingerboard stickers distorts body position. Inexpensive from Peter Stoney at frettedfiddle.com.

- Fiddle capo as a jamming shortcut until I learn to transpose between keys. Also from frettedfiddle.com.


If you've bought or rented you can ignore this:

- Everyone said the bow is very important. My $100 carbon fibre bow has less bounce and a better tone than the fibreglass bow included in the violin kit. It stores the second slot of the violin case.

- Renting is great advice. But my bad, I got a great deal on a new outfit and won't worry much about damage or loss while travelling.

- Asked the sales person to play violins to hear which sounded nicest. Avoided those that were shrill or thin. Decided on one with a full tone and growl like those I liked at the bluegrass club.

- Was told to buy a step or two higher that can be easily resold to someone ready to upgrade. Makers have series 0xx, 100, 200, 300, premium name a, premium name b, etc. Can get good intermediate grade at 200 or 300 series. I'd ask jam partners about local favourites and recommendations.

- If I like fiddling, the next will be the affordable carbon fibre Glasser for worry free play outdoors.

Cheers

.

[LadysSolo]

Originally Posted by casualmusic

- Fingerboard removable overlay with very faint raised fret lines. This is like violin braille or training wheels for rookies to learn by feel where fingers should be for each note. This startup shortcut means you can concentrate much more on the bowing technique to get a good tone. Instructor says peering at fingerboard stickers distorts body position. Inexpensive from Peter Stoney at frettedfiddle.com.

- Asked the sales person to play violins to hear which sounded nicest. Avoided those that were shrill or thin. Decided on one with a full tone...

- If I like fiddling, the next will be the affordable carbon fibre Glasser for worry free play outdoors.

Cheers

.

Thank you for the raised fret line overlay idea. I didn't like the fingerboard stickers idea, and as a mandolin player, this helps (since mandolins and violins are tuned the same.) But mandolins have frets, and I think that would help a lot! And as you mention, sound is important - my second (good) violin (the first was a gift from a supportive significant other - cheap but the gesture was much appreciated) I bought at auction after the seller's granddaughter played it - it sounded wonderful! Paid $150 for the violin, bow, and case! (I got a steal!)

[casualmusic]

Originally Posted by LadysSolo

I didn't like the fingerboard stickers idea, and as a mandolin player, this helps (since mandolins and violins are tuned the same.)

Yup. As a very late starter I would never attempt the violin without that fret line overlay.

BTW it is easy to have frets installed installed on a violin fretboard (shhh). There is debate on violin forums pro and con, practical vs sacrelage. Apparently it may impede some advanced glissando technique but doubt I'll ever get that good!

Cheers

.

[Mandobart]

Originally Posted by casualmusic

Yup. As a very late starter I would never attempt the violin without that fret line overlay.

BTW it is easy to have frets installed installed on a violin fretboard (shhh). There is debate on violin forums pro and con, practical vs sacrelage. Apparently it may impede some advanced glissando technique but doubt I'll ever get that good!

Cheers

.

A huge part of violin is vibrato, accomplished by rocking the finger and hand front to back. That won't work with frets. And though I've never seen a violin (or viola, cello or double bass) with frets, I doubt its "easy" to install frets on one due to the extreme arch of the bridge and fingerboard (its not a fretboard, it has no frets). Don't over think the violin. Thousands of very young children learn to play it every year without the hand strength, coordination or previous experience of an adult.

[frankmcr]

Putting frets on a violin changes the tone completely.

Like the difference between a fretless banjo & a fretted banjo.

[cu4life7]

Plus all of the slides in both bluegrass and old time fiddle are so great on the violin. Don't fret. Just learn the right way. Play the mando if you need frets

[Gabby84]

Originally Posted by Mandobart

I started on violin as a kid and kept at it. I play classical and bluegrass. About 5 years ago I got into viola, then 5 string viola. Then 5 string octave viola and now 10 string Hardanger viola fiddle.

The 5 string intrigued me. I fell in love with the viola when i was 9. I heard it’s notes and knew I had to learn. How was the learning curve with the 5 and the 10?

[Mandobart]

Originally Posted by Gabby84

The 5 string intrigued me. I fell in love with the viola when i was 9. I heard it’s notes and knew I had to learn. How was the learning curve with the 5 and the 10?

5 string viola is just a longer scale violin with a low C. All I had to "learn" is the muscle memory of the notes being spaced out more than on a violin. I'm not very good at reading alto clef yet (grew up sightreading treble) but I mostly play folk, bluegrass, Americana by ear anyway. The 10 string Hardanger viola is a 5 string viola with 5 sympathetic understrings, so fingering is the same as my other 5 strings. There are dozens of different Hardanger tunings in use, but for now I'm in standard.

[Gabby84]

Originally Posted by Mandobart

5 string viola is just a longer scale violin with a low C. All I had to "learn" is the muscle memory of the notes being spaced out more than on a violin. I'm not very good at reading alto clef yet (grew up sightreading treble) but I mostly play folk, bluegrass, Americana by ear anyway. The 10 string Hardanger viola is a 5 string viola with 5 sympathetic understrings, so fingering is the same as my other 5 strings. There are dozens of different Hardanger tunings in use, but for now I'm in standard.

Thanks for the info! I enjoyed trying to figure songs out by ear to play on viola. Reading alto clef will just click at some point. At least, that’s how it is going for me learning treble clef. It clicked after awhile of reading and playing the guitar.

[The Bard Rocks]

Originally Posted by Mandobart

A huge part of violin is vibrato, accomplished by rocking the finger and hand front to back. That won't work with frets.

Curious - why not? I regularly do it with with my guitar.

[PiousDevil]

Originally Posted by The Bard Rocks

Curious - why not? I regularly do it with with my guitar.

What you are doing is more akin to bending than the slides and delicate rocking vibrato of a violinist. Vibrato on a fretted instrument will never be as nuanced as a fretless.

[Mandobart]

Originally Posted by The Bard Rocks

Curious - why not? I regularly do it with with my guitar.

Vibrato on a fretless instrument is accomplished by moving the point where the string contacts the fingerboard, subtly altering the pitch above and below the main note. On a fretted instrument the string can only make contact on a fret. Many guitar players (myself included) make a vibrato motion with the left hand when playing a sustained note. If you end up bending the string side-to-side you may alter the pitch. Likewise if you have light strings and high frets such that you can still raise the pitch after the string contacts the fret by mashing the string all the way into the fretboard (stretching the string similar to a bend). In both of these examples you're only able to alter the pitch above then back to the base note, not above and below.