Are there really some violin techniques that is difficult to do on a "not-so-good" violin? What are they, and what do we need to look for in a violin to make learning those techniques easier?


unless you can play well enough or know something about violin making, it will be very difficult to tell. Not so good violins can be violins that’s only badly set up. This can be corrected by a qualified luthier. But violins that’s not so good due to poor construction or bad material would be difficult to correct. There are so many technique that can be hindered by a poor instrument. Double stops is hard to execute if the bridge is not correctly done. Lower position playing is uncomfortable if the nut is too high. General playing is affected if the fingerboard rotation is wrong, or fingerboard is too straight or too curved. I can go on and on.

reply to some of your comments:


"" Very informative. Would you advise getting the violin and bow separately for beginners or just get a fixed beginner outfit? ""

Its not possible to answer this question here because every shop equip their set up with different quality bows. There is no industry standard unfortunately. You need to talk to the shops and compare. Most of the bows that comes from violin factories fail my QC. I don’t buy from them any more. I need to order from bow makers; and even that is not good enough. We need to check every single stick and prepare the stick when customer buys them. That means recheck the curve and tighten the hair using spirit lamp. Its a lot of work for us but small things like this make a real difference.

Becareful not to be taken in by sales talk such as, Pernumbuco wood is better, brazil wood is cheaper etc. Really a LOT of unplayable bows out there (the wood is too soft for comfortable playing). I have customers showing me expensive pernumbuco bows that they purchased only to walk away disappointed after trying out stronger bows. I usually recommend strong and hard stick for beginner because they need to learn the basic. As you progress and depending on the style of playing being develop by ones teacher, you can progress to stick of varying hardness. But still, there is a limit to how soft a bow should be. My rubbish bin is a guage for such bows, they always end up there.

simple tips on choosing a cheap violin:


so much as been written all over the net about this topic, but let me repeat some of the more useful tips.

1) There’s a difference btw a cheap violin and a unplayable violin. A well set-up and adjusted violin can be better for a beginner than a more expensive used instrument that require adjustment.

2) If you do need to buy the cheapest possible violin, then its better to forget about good tone but focus on functionality. The violin MUST function, otherwise you can’t learn bcos it cannot be played properly.

3) What do you mean by ‘Function’? Well it simply means that a) can tune the violin properly b) don’t loose tuning quickly c) NO intonation problem d) must be able to press on the strings to execute each note comfortably e) No buzzing noise when you execute the notes f) can play each string without touching other strings g) and finally a strong straight bow that can be use with ease.

4) Other things to look out for: Pegs must be able to turn smoothly. Pegs must be able to hold the strings in tune. Fine tuners on the tail piece must work. Bridge and nut height must be properly adjusted. If these terms are too technical, let me know and I will elaborate. Even if you don’t know anything about violins, you can easily check on the points above yourself.

4) Bows: this is so important I reserve a whole paragraph for it. Sellers try to keep cost low by inserting crappy bows into the set. You really need a bow in working order or u will struggle to learn. A bow that is straight, hard enough and have reasonable quality horse hair is essential.

some fundamentals in violin will be very helpful. But viola not quite the same as vioin. Even bowing technique between violin and viola is not the same. So for violin players to convert to viola, relearning new things is a must. Also its difficult to find a cheaper small size viola that sounds like a viola!

this is a very difficult question because its scope is too wide. If you google the net for an answer, you will come across such a wide array of anwer its mind boggling. Your situation (teacher making a lower apprasial than purchase price) is all too common. I see it all the time. Sometimes, its the opposite; they will say your violin cost double than what you paid for. before we can go ahead and write another answer to this question, consider my observation


1)A lot of teachers and especially musician choose instrument using their heart, not their mind. They will choose something they like, which is usually close to what their own instrument.
2) Looks DOES matter. A lot of customers come to me and say they dont care about looks, just want good sound. But my observation is subconciously, players will reach for an instrument which look appealing to them when they try an instrument!

3) when player comment on the price of an instrument, they need to play it right? I have notice that players of different training and background will appraise violins differently. Afterall, they play differently and have different technique, musical interpretation etc

4) these 3 key people all price instrument using different criterial, thus creating this effect. They are: a) violin maker b) dealer or shop owner c) consumer such as teachers or musician

There are a lot more to be said and discuss. I’ve started another tread so you can go in there to ask more questions.

let me get the ball rolling for some discussion:


Some customers come into my shop and ask me which are totally hand made violins and which are the machine made ones. This question really made me ponder for an accurate answer in the beginning.

All violins are technically made by hand, even the so call machine made ones. Why so? Many procedure in the manufacturing process can only be made by hand. As a matter of fact, for a so call machine made instrument, most of the process needs to be made by hand. An example, the fitting of pegs and strings has to be done by hand. The insertion of the sound post (that little piece of wooden stick you see inside the instrument) has to be done by hand. The installation of the bridge (that flat piece of wood which rest the strings) has been done by hand. I have seen more good quality machine made instrument than hand made instrument! Some businessman simply hire some low skill workers and make every single part by hand, even varnish by hand and sell their violins. But the end result is just a crude instrument with poor tone at best. However, a good factory with a production line can churn out much better quality violins and in greater numbers too. Why? They have good CNC machine to ensure every part is made to spec with little or no variation. In this way, a cheaper and better sounding instrument is perfectly possible. I found out recently that even some supplier who are selling so call "hand made" instrument are beginning to rely more on CNC machine to make certain parts. From the technical and business aspect, it makes a lot of sense. For the buyer, well, some of you may be disappointed to find that out!

came across this forum and thought it would be useful to share some fun facts about the violins. If you find these informative, I will write more about other facts, perhaps on how to choose a violin.


Do You Know That
1) A lot of Italian violins are not made in Italy - even if the certificate say so (sign by maker)?
2) Some very pricey old violins are not made by the said maker but have been certified as original?
3) Chinese violin are not Chinese, German violin are not German…hmm how strange. Dont understand? probably need to elaborate on this one.
4) European makers are now ordering from China and selling under their own labels? Chinese makers are also ordering from Europe and selling under their own label in China. How strange!
5) There are made in singapore violins?
6) A piece of maple for making the back of the violins can cost RMB2 or Euro 500?
7) varnishing a violin by hand can take a few hour or more than 100 hours.
All violin should technically be term "hand made". "machine made" is just not technically accurate.
9) Violin can be made from Plywood and still sounds GOOD!
10) your $1K violin may be really worth $10K; and vice versa.

some 10 fun facts that just randomly came to my mind.

By the way, I own a violin shop. However, to be completely neutral, I will not reveal the name of my shop so that discussion and opinion will not be bias. I thought it would be good to share some facts and knowledge here, as I have been getting a lot of funny questions from parents. There seems to be a lot of inaccurate information out there (due to marketing on line) or people unknowingly sharing inaccurate info. Hope this will be a fun way to help all parents.