How to Choose a Violin

Learning to play the violin is a difficult, though rewarding, challenge. One way you can make it easier and more enjoyable is to make sure you buy a violin that fits you, sounds good and is in good shape. If you are not familiar with the instrument, either bring someone along who is, or make sure that there is a strings expert in the store where you buy the instrument.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Decide whether you want to buy or rent a violin. You may want to rent a violin for a child, since children grow out of them rapidly, and the sound quality of small violins is generally poor. To measure for size, place your chin on the chin rest and wrap the fingers of your left hand around the scroll at the end with a slight bend to the elbow.
2. Consider the price you are willing to pay. The cost may not represent the quality, especially in the case of a used violin. The wood used in mass-produced violins is generally of a poor quality and is not well seasoned. A hand-made violin is often quite expensive, but it may be an excellent instrument, regardless of the age. You should also consider the resale value.
3. Be sure the instrument is properly set up. This means that the pegs are easily turned but do not slip, the bridge is not warped and fits properly against the curve of the violin's "belly" and the strings are properly placed both in the distance between each one and the height above the fingerboard.
4. Examine the wood that the violin is made of. A good quality violin is made of several types of wood. The top of the violin should be a thin-grained spruce; the fingerboard and pegs ebony, while the sides and back ought to be made from well-seasoned maple. Italian violins are known to be among the best in the world because violin making is still less commercialized there.
5. Play a variety of violins before you choose which one you want. Violin-making is certainly not a perfect art and each one sounds different. A good violin will be louder than a more poorly made one, but it is ultimately up to you what kind of sound you want and what kind of fit you are comfortable with.