I had a cheap axe once and it didn't chop very well so i replaced the head. That improved the performance so much so that I decided to replace the handle. With those two simple upgrades, I significantly improved the quality of that cheap axe. :)
I followed this video and got new strings for my $67 mendini cecilio violin and a fretboard. turned out my bridge was also in the wrong place. sounds WAY better now!! guys, it works!!!
Alison, you have done more for my amateur violin playing in 3 days than the years they have been in my guitar studio. Thanks for all of the tips and ideas. I'm actually learning to play it. 👍🏼
love what our online teacher said the more you Play the warmer the Sound gets... Ha Ha I wonder is Alison trying to get us to practice more?Lol at any rate Shes right!
In fact I heard an episode of Rachel Barton PInes podcast where a luthier said that the sound is best when the violin is brand new and the sound quality degrades mostly within the first year noticeably.
After getting interested in listening to Linsey Stirling and wanting to learn violin, your videos have been a lifesaver. By the way, I"m 53 and starting to learn.
I promised myself to start learning a new instrument this year. I decided Violin and I came across your videos super informative thanks for all of them!
You are hands-down the best violin tutor and I love your videos, older and newer. You are such a massive part of my life and I thank you for it. Thank you so much for teaching me to play the violin!
Here I am again watching your videos. I started playing Aug 2016 and now buy broken violins and fix them. My favorite one is one of the first fixed violins made by Suzuki in Nagoya Japan. It is dated 1970. The scroll was broken through a peg hole and back was splitting off the body. I fixed it and now it is better than all the rest including the German and Czech made. Keep up the fine tutorials.
Hi. I am an absolute beginner on the violin and have just ordered one for xmas. In preparation I have watched a series of your violin videos and I suspect before I get my violin that I will have watched ALL. I just want to say "Thank You" the information here from your experience is just great.
It's really true how warming up an instrument can change its sound. I play the flute currently, and practicing it a bunch made it sound much clearer than when you just wake up in the morning and haven't played it in a while.
YOU ARE AN AMAZING TEACHER~ after I got my very first violin I immediately watch your videos and they are amazing. Thank u so much. Im a 17 year-old violin beginner btw and im your fan. LOVE YOU :*
possibly, you wouldn't need to rosin your bow every day, perhaps once per week or even 2 weeks. If the bow is making absolutely no sound and is skidding, then you need more rosin. Other than that i doubt its your bow. In fact as you are over rosining your bow, thats probably where the scratch is coming from also. Dont apply any more rosin until a week and see what its like then.You then only need a few swipes of more rosin and thats it. You keep it topped up.
If you want something like a Strad without the brand name you are looking at about $100,000 and upwards. Personally I would buy a Stentor II if i were a beginner. Once you get into the silly price range then brands do not exist so much, but it becomes more on taste and personal preference. I suggest a Stentor II as they are one of many brands that are for beginners, but are great.
Fantastic video and advice. Regarding keeping and playing the violin in the proper tuning, (A440), so that the violin is "convinced" to play in tune, probably has to do with the atomic and molecular level. The atoms of the molecules of the wood are always vibrating on their own, then when the violin is played causing the strings to vibrate, thus causing the wood to vibrate, causes the atoms to be "trained" to play in that specific tuning. Just throwing around some ideas. Peace, and keep up the great work.
Fiddle players shave their bridge down and flatten it slightly to make double stops easier. You can also affect the tone by adjusting your tailstock. You can shorten the loop at the peg to give a darker tone, and lengthen the loop to make it brighter.The soundpost should be located under the foot of your bridge nearest the E string. The grain of the soundpost even needs to be aligned properly. This is typically done with the strings off so the post position can be set as perpendicular as possible by viewing it through the peg hole. This whole setup should be done by an experienced violin luthier.
1st thing I did was buy extra strings just in case one broke, they only cost 5-10 so they were not very high quality. But NOW i know what to look for!!! THANK YOU!!!
Allison is so right. You tube can teach you so much on what you can do. I bought a Cecilio cvn 500, which according to Allison is around the intermediate quality. I replaced the strings with a set of perlon core strings, redressed the nut and deepen the slots, I sanded the bridge so that it rested on the natural shape of the front plate and lowered the action to 3mm on treble and 4.5mm on the bass side, bought a new bow, and finally moved the sound post two millimeters closer to the bridge treble side which gave more volume and brightness. It sounds great and will sound even better when it opens up a bit.BTW, it wasn't the first violin that I had own.
I've been playing cello for about 7 years now and I am quite accomplished with that so I decided to take up the violin so last year I bought a CVN-500 (COURTESY OF YOU!) and I'd say it's time for an upgrade! Thanks so much for everything Allison! Definitely loved my CVN... Great beginner violin!
I am an instrument technician here in Massachusetts in America and I am glad t see your accurate and well presented video on a talk I often give to new violin owners, myself.
You can put nice strings on a cheap violin as it will make the violins tone clearer and meatier and they will play smoother. I would go for Dominants as they are all good all rounders. Anything else may be wasted unless you have a nice violin.
i dont know what its like so i cant really say. im afraid. Its not always about the age, but the tone and sound. Start playing it and you will know whether you like it or not. YOu may need to take it to a violin repairer if its old to get it restored properly.
I live in an area that can get pretty humid and my group will be performing at a number of music festivals this summer. I wound up buying an MV300 last night on a whim and hopefully it will be OK for actual professional playing with a good set of strings, proper bridge work and sound post adjustment. Frankly, I'm frightened of taking my good violin and playing outside under a roof in really humid weather or even in the rain. Projection isn't a concern because of the sound system. Thank you, because I chose this beater violin because of your videos.
THANK YOU Alison - what GREAT tips to improve the sound for a beginner - i actually bought a whole kit/set to start and was hitting a wall with the sound - UNITIL i brought a NEW $200 Pernambuco bow ! WOW - i will never use the sythetic bows again -i feel like a real violin player now - everyone spends so much time talking about the violin and little did i know the BOW , and strings would IMPROVE my playing SO much. But thank you for the other tips i didn't know there was a "sound post" inside and not to take the bridge off - wow that helps a lot - i dont want to make that mistake - very helpfull Thanks for all your help
hi, not all Pirastros are great, but you have to experiment. It depends on what your violin sounds like in the first place so what strings suit mine, may not suit yours. You can get different strings to suit and bring out tones of different violins. If you are unsure of this, Dominants are middle of the road in terms of tone but are still used by professionals.
I got a cheap violin from Amazon in the US. I popped the G string twice! When I replaced the string it was crazy the sound I got out of it! The more expensive string was a good buy! Everyone knocked it in the review but we took it to a music store and the repair man said it was a good violin! I was so relieved because I was worried. Now for the Bow! I have to save for that!
Thank you very much for the lessons an advices! I'm 50 y.o. beginner, autodidact and started 3,5 years ago with electric guitar, and now I got a cheap electric violin. Although not gifted, I'm very interested and having lots of fun practicing. Greetings from Germany!
Alisson, Thanks for the video! based on this, 2 months ago i decided to change the strings and bridge of my Viola, The luthier that was putting the strings noticed that the sound post was not on the right place, he moved it and placed correctly and the instrument now sounds incredibly amazing! I cant describe the change i noticed, it was a whole diferent instrument. Those tips helped me a lot! Thanks!
Having trained as a luthier and played flamenco guitar for a number of years before deciding to pick up a cheap £30 violin out of curiosity I would say the following. Assume if spending under £50 on an instrument that is shipped halfway round the world after being "set up" is not ready to play out of the box. I would highly recommend having the soundpost and bridge set up properly, before you start playing the instrument as playing with these in the wrong place has a very similar effect to playing out of tune on a new Violin while it is warming up. Also worth mentioning check your tuning pegs fit properly and are not slipping or sticking if they are try a bit of peg compound this will usually work minor miracles on an instrument. If that does not work bring it to a luthier, it should not be too expensive as pegs are cheap and the work is not overly complex if you have the correct tools.
Thank you for this , I got a new bow with better hair, new dark rosin and put on new better quality synthetic core strings with the help of your how to change strings video for my daughters student violin and put the finger tape in exact position by using a tuner down the neck and it did make a difference. Much more enjoyable. Now I’m convinced I need one my size and I must learn with my daughter. Such a wonderful instrument.
Discovered this after getting a Theodore violin for £45, a Hidersine bow for £18.75, an Aubert adjustable bridge for £18 and Helicore strings (for country music). Result - a blast! Plus soundpost tools - no harm in messing around with a cheap violin - could save you money in the long run. Also I filed the nut down because it was too high. And ditch the Chinese rosin for Hidersine or similar.
have just put my set of pirastro tonicas on my student violin and wow its been 20 mins and im very impressed, think they might take a while to settle but they are so comfortable under your fingers and very responsive... definitely worth the change. Thanks Alison
Tiffany Swanson it obviously wasn't the most beautiful sound on the planet but for 34 dollars it works amazing. It held a tune well, it didn't sound scratchy unless you made it sound that way. I eventually upgraded and I bought a body (which I later found out was a student workshop project lol) that was 80 dollars and shaved the pegs down myself and bought all the pieces (even the chinrest) and it works amazing for such a cheap project. (End price was around 120$)
Wow amazing great job and I have not one idea on how to play violin so I'm in for a surprise lol... Thank you for the response much appreciated ! Hope my strings are decent so I can see if I like it before spending more on better ones ..
Very good, covering all the main points. Appreciate your help with this. I also would recommend that cheap violins may have pegs that stick or cannot be tuned easily... to take them out and scrub the contact surface with regular blackboard chalk... this will make them turn and adjust properly and hold tune also.
I cant as it differs for each violin. Its why the cheaper the violin, the worse its all set up. You need to either just practise adjusting your arm to find the angle of each string or get a better violin which is better set up.
I changed the strings to the Dominant strings and you were right. It sounds lovely now, and less of a scratching sound. Also just practicing tons more has helped to warm it up to a slightly nicer tone as well. I purchased a Helmke in 2005 and just now decided I would start to learn how to play. LOL... Thank you!
Thanks so much for all your help and advice Allison! There is one thing I recently found out I thought you and your following might be interested in: There is one situation where the expensive strings are worth it on a cheap violin! I got a second hand violin for $85(Canadian) (the bows had to be repaired so the seller came down, it was evaluated at $160Can) and the strings had recently been replaced but I am not sure what brand they were but I would say they were medium quality (all had blue thread if you know what brand that would be). When the E broke I replaced them with Pirastro Chromcor (they cost $50Can) and I noticed a slightly better sound (mostly with my A string); but when I played with my Ultra Practice Mute is when I noticed the real difference, and what a difference it was! The sound quality did not diminish in the least, something I was always annoyed and frustrated with with the old strings, I could switch between mute and no mute with ease, and my "ear training" was no longer hindered by using the mute. So I would say if any of you have to play regularly with a mute get more expensive strings, it will be worth it!!
Change your strings one at a time to keep some sound post pressure. If you remove them all the sound post may fall out. If the soundpost is a little on the long side, it fits tightly and won't fall over. But it chokes the tone. So just a very close fit and shaping for soundpost is best. But it needs string tension to stay put. A good professional setup can make all the difference in the world. I found some titanium replacement tailpiece guts on the internet made by Stradpet. And they also make titanium fine tuners. They really do add a little something to the tone of the violin. Almost like the change you get when putting on new strings.
I took my violin to a luthier when the neck broke off (for the second time!); he took the back off to put a screw through the neck-block into the neck. While he had her open he reshaped the bass bar, made a few minor adjustments, and moved the sound post and WOW! What a difference! I would really recommend talking to a luthier, at least to adjust the sound post. I actually had the sound post come out twice before and once I could not stand the sound of any "G" after one replacement and after another reset the middle "C" drove me crazy. Luthiers are amazing!!
I said earlier that I got a cheap Mendini, and Just by hearing it I thought I had wasted my money, however, I got a new bow, Stravilio strings (originally Cecilio strings) , D'Addario Kaplar rosin and then sanded down my own bridges and it made a WORLD of difference! I mean the bow alone really was so much BETTER than the one that came in the case that I'm ready to throw it out! But you could tell the difference just by putting different strings on...and the BETTER bow helped just as much. So now I'm happy with my investment. =)
That's interesting. I just got a Mendini. I think it's a good Violin for the money. I need to pimp it up, with new strings & bow...I never heard of sanding the bridge? What does that improve? What kind of new bow did you get?
I just got a bow off of amazon, it was only around 13$ www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002EAHOJE/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 the bridges that come off of amazon come larger than what you get in your case. You can sand the wood down to the shape you prefer. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003HPMQDY/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
And if you're just learning the notes, I'd suggest practicing songs that you already know what they sound like just to memorize the fingerings. I prefer Disney, you may want to get a solo book with a CD (everyone learns differently). Only work on a few measures a week. Perfect practice makes nearly-perfect playing. =)
this is a GREAT video! I didn't even know there was a sound board in there. That bridge caused me trouble putting on new strings because they kept falling off the bridge. Thank you for the tips!!!
The way the violin/viola "warms up" over time is very similar to the guitar, which is caused by the wood grain opening up after a lot of use, allowing the sound to better resonate throughout the wood. There are now machines some companies use that sort of lightly vibrate the instrument for some time to help open up the grain and get that sound right from the shop.
Its fine. I promise. Dominants are great to put on student quality violins as are Pirastro Tonicas - which may be a little cheaper if im not mistaken. They both have a generic all round nice tone that will suit ANY violin but they wont bring out any particular feature as they will only do that on more expensive violins so thats why anything better than Tonicas or Dominants are a waste of money in my opinion of course.
Thank you for your response. It put my mind at ease. I liked your tutorial of Silent Night. I'm going to practice so I can play it for my family at Christmas. :)
Hi, I have to say, I have watched all of your video's and would like to say thank you, I have kitted myself out with everything you have suggested, and am now all ready to go. Very clear information, very well explained, and a great help to all beginners like myself. Keep up the good and great work, and I will be looking out for anything else you upload :)
These are great suggestions! As far as strings go, I personally prefer Zyex by D'Addario over the Dominants. They cost roughly the same (35-40 USD from the online violin shop I use) and perform very well on lower quality violins. Not to mention, they had a much quicker "break-in period" which is always good for beginners! ;-)
Got mine for 72$ student quality but sounds antique! Lovely rich tones and fantastic wood. Will buy dominant strings, thanks for the tips! Cheers from the Philippines~
I randomly decided one day that I was going to learn to play Violin (this was 2 years ago) and nothing happened because I got lazy and I've just gone "ok no more time to learn and teach myself" I got my violin of eBay for $200 and the Bow got broken (gotta love toddlers) so I went and bought a bow for around $50 it's so much more lightweight and easier to hold it's brilliant.....my actual point though was these videos are fantastic and just what I need to start learning/teaching myself
full size violin arrived today and yes big noticeable difference,but as always when tuning the A string snaps.. (did on my other one too) and that was using fine tuners and electric tuner.. but ill be patient and wait for new better set to come through... thanks again Alison
no, the tone becomes rounder and richer. I have had my violin taken away by Russell who gives it its yearly maint and once over, and he gives me my old violin back that i part exchanged and had to 15yrs so i have something for a week and because its been sitting in his shop unplayed, i notice the sound has become 'cold' and i know this because it was by best friend for 15 years.
Hi Alison, thank you for your videos. I decided to follow your advice here and set out to get a new bow, rosin and strings for a student violin that I purchased. I told the music shop I went to I was a beginner, I mentioned your gold flecked rosin; to cut a long story short I was treated as if I was an encumbrance. I assumed that something like a good quality bow would come in packaging, the shop assumed I had my violin case. I was told what rosin 'everyone' used. He seemed to agree with my decision on a set of dominant strings however I also bought a mute as I am staying in halls and amazon were out of the one you reviewed and the cheap one I had that looked like it was useless. When asked to describe it to the shopkeeper he told me I had purchased the wrong thing, I had bought an orchestral mute and he tossed a small black thing with 3 prongs on the counter and said that was a student mute. Totally confused now! Thankfully I'm moving, I'll still keep following your friendly online lessons, but I know at which music shop I won't be upgrading my violin!
Christine Gage hmm, i sorry about your experience - sadly some music shops do 'insist' they know everything about the violin and the accessories than you do and when you start telling them what you want, they assume you have just blatantly gotten the information 'somewhere' off the internet! As for bow, I would have gone to a violin luthier who sells bows, not a shop that sells substandard bows off the shelf. If the shop were serious about selling bows, they would have sent you away with a bunch for you to choose from. The rosin is totally your choice and there are loads to choose from. As long as you dont get a cheap nasty one, you will be fine with whatever you got. As for the mute you bought, it wont really do you much good as you needed an Ultra Practice mute to really dampen the sound to the level you want it at. The mute you have bought is also more of an orchestral mute - not one that will decrease the sound of the violin so that no-one will hear you. I would wait till Amazon has one in stock, or try somewhere else online.
Thanks for that Alison. Getting my new dominant strings put on tomorrow. Will post my attempt at 'Twinkle twinkle little star' when the dog doesn't run away or howl along to my standard to playing.
playing nice violins makes them sound better. the vibration throughout the body creates friction in the shellac (finish), and actually changing it and thus the tone. shellac is an insect poop! it's naturally colored but it is sold with stain mixed in with it. Applying shellac well is an art. Luthiers usually go to a 'finishing' school for a few months just to start out.
A fresh set of quality strings is the simplest, cheapest and most productive upgrade you can do on ANY instrument. The stock strings that come on most student models are usually junk. Even a higher-quality instrument can benefit from a string change because the strings that came on it are probably oxidized and dead from just sitting around. Dominants are a good choice of strings. A tad pricey but well worth it. They work extremely well whether you play classical, jazz, country, bluegrass or anything else.
Dallas Cheked Pretty well summed up what i said in my vid and i agree. Its nearly always better to spend a bit of extra money on strings and not invest that in a better violin as some people have commented under this video - it doesnt always mean that the violin will be better when the cheaper one with better strings.
Hi, your best bet is to ask a violin dealer as im not the right person to ask. I know very little about the actual violins themselves as im a player and teacher so you need to speak to someone who deals in violins and antique violins. Sorry.
Yes, this has been a great help. I have the Cecilio acoustic electric violin (painted white). It was a Christmas present. I still need to change out to Dominant strings, but I have changed the shoulder rest and the chin rest. I didn't like the ones that came with it. Yesterday we were in a larger city and we visited a wonderful music store and I came home with a new bow (two thirds the cost of the violin). The one that came with the violin doesn't even loosen and tighten properly. All these things can be transferred to a better violin... Eventually!
note to my fellow Americans: she's speaking with a British accent... so we know she's telling the absolute , unvarnished truth. ;p no, J/K but, seriously we all love it, and your videos are priceless, dog yelping & all. You do a wonderful service to the musical world: thank you! I'm just about to pull the trigger as we say, on a cheapo violin..then onto 'pimping' (that never gets any easier to say)
Omg, you definitely do not stress the rosin enough. I mean, I might be wrong here because I’m only going to buy a new rosin tomorrow (the pirastro tonica cause it goes with my strings) but I just cannot deal with my current rosin, I constantly feel scratchy and never know whether I’ve got the right amount of rosin. Obviously, I just might lack some skills here and am expecting too much from a simple rosin, but I used to play a different violin a couple if years ago, before taking a rather long break, and that violin was a borrowed one with full equipment and I do remember having some trouble with the right amount of rosin but I was certainly not as unhappy as I am right now. Might come back and correct myself if I’m still that unhappy after getting a new rosin though.
Update: got my rosin on now and it sounds so much better!!! First off, it’s much easier to apply and I actually feel like I have the right amount of rosin on my bow now, and then the sound is so much fuller and louder!! I mean, I still make a ton of mistakes, but it still sounds so much better now!!!
I found out what changes the violin when you play it is that the vibrations open up the wood pockets of the violin. I bought a few old antique violins that have not been played in years they just sat in attics. I played them and within one month of playing everyday the violin sounds so good its warmed up. I think like a lot of things the wood has a defense thing to close up. take a look at my videos for proof I wish I had a before and after video but I only have after vids because I was not good enough to crank out a nice song. I have a hopf with a tiny bas bar and some how it still sounds better than a lot of high price ones.
Today I dumped the chin rest. I mainly did it because I'm left-handed, the seller had suggested a new chin rest and to also fix the strings for left-handed playing. But my brain and I agree, that the bass should remain on the left and descant right, as we know from the piano. From the beginning, I chose to play left-handed, with the G string on the left, and the chin rest was just ballast. Now, after you warn, thick layers of rosin-snow would effect the sound negatively, I assume, the chin rest probably might as well, so that was another argument. Frankly, I didn't dare to admit this change here, but after reading on the history of the chin rest; there's even a stronger argument: In 1715 I'm not supposed to have a chin rest. LOL Surprising was a little tag on the bottom of the chin rest: It was made in DDR, which had ended to exist decades ago. So STAGG is attaching very-very old chin rests.
The varnish will affect the tone, but thats all i know. Your questions is better directed to a violin dealer/repairer as this is out of my area of knowledge being a teacher and player im afraid. sorry
Replacing tailpiece? I bid and won a violin on Amazon and ended up having to learn to play it. I played a cornet in high school so I wasn't a total novice. After several months the tailpiece broke and discovered it was plastic or composite. I replaced it with an ebony tailpiece and noticed a better sound. For awhile I still sounded terrible, but it sounded better. So a new tailpiece, especially one less likely to snap into two pieces improves the sound AND gives a boost to confidence as you continue to practice!
A very thick tortoiseshell hard finish on a violin is tonal death. As with cheap guitars manufacturers will go overkill on the finish and in fact even spray on a thick poly coat of clear in order to assure the instrument can last its Warranty date and withstand harsh shipping and warehouse conditions.
I bought a $50 (Mendini Cecilio) violin, about the cheapest they make 'em. The biggest thing I recommend doing is adjusting the nut of the violin. Ultracheap violins, at least the ones I've seen, have very high nuts to help mask defects in the fingerboard. This makes playing near the nut very difficult and certain notes unplayable. Of course this is better if done by a luthier, but the nut really needn't be more than a millimeter high so I say remove most of it yourself.
I can testify that after getting better rosin (Melos rosin) along with Pirastro Tonica strings on my MV 400 and a new carbon fiber bow, it made a significant difference! Of course it doesn't sound as mature as my friend's $900 violin but it performs much beautifully now.
I think it would be really interesting to watch a video about demos before and after changing the strings and the bow, etc. To see how the sound changes and whatnot! I would love to watch that
I have thought about doing this and I did test it out several years ago, but the sound on the video just doesnt pick up the differences like it would if you were there in the room and that was with using top end pro audio equipment. Its more about the feel and playability also which of course I cant convey through the video. I thought it pointless as folks would just complain they couldn't hear a difference lol
That makes sense, thank you for responding! Also, is there a way for people to contact you for help regarding personal learning of the violin? I don't have a teacher and I feel like I'm having some issues.. thank you!
It does sound weird but it is absolutely true - the fiddle sound changes over time as it "warms up." I seldom buy expensive strings - I pay one dollar per string and they last at least four years. As for the bow, I've never paid more than 20 bucks for any bow - they're all the same as far as I'm concerned. My fiddle is on the expensive side and so it sounds pretty good but especially as my bow arm is truly superb. Work on your sound - the tools don't matter that much. Work on rhythm too. Those two things plus scales, scales, scales - that's all you need.
I have the cheap china one,,, had it for 22years... actually it’s not bad, but now is really bad,,,, and I agree with you, the more you play, the violin sound better.., now people think I actually own an expensive violin. But if I ever wanna go professional to play in an orchestra I should get a good expensive violin... my China one good for everyday training...
I see people on Amazon saying that the violin they bought is crap because it doesn't work. Guys, its called ROSIN!
1/3 didn't use rosin
1/3 don't know how to set up a violin
1/3 is the competitor
@@meercreate lmfao
Honestly!
the tuners on cheap instruments can easily slip constantly putting it out of tune
@@phililpb if you put rosin on the peg it will stick. But just a little because too much and you won't be able to turn it at all.
I don't even play violin, I just really like watching your instructions and learning new things....
Thanos P I know! :D
+Thanos P lol i do but not seriously. i play piano :D but its so fun to watch
+Maggie Moo me too
+Maggie Moo I play piano too! But I'm terrible. It's better to watch talented people do stuff on youtube...
Why isnt it better to be good yourself, you could produce beautiful music on your own and enjoy your own content.
I had a cheap axe once and it didn't chop very well so i replaced the head. That improved the performance so much so that I decided to replace the handle. With those two simple upgrades, I significantly improved the quality of that cheap axe. :)
PMSL. The simple jokes are always the best : )
A variation of Trigger's Broom joke on OF&H
Why do only fools and horses work? La la la la, lala lala la!
And you get a FREE* cheap axe
Bob Jones wtf this is about upgrading you violin not how to be a better lumberjack.
I followed this video and got new strings for my $67 mendini cecilio violin and a fretboard. turned out my bridge was also in the wrong place. sounds WAY better now!! guys, it works!!!
Alison, you have done more for my amateur violin playing in 3 days than the years they have been in my guitar studio. Thanks for all of the tips and ideas. I'm actually learning to play it. 👍🏼
love what our online teacher said the more you Play the warmer the Sound gets... Ha Ha I wonder is Alison trying to get us to practice more?Lol at any rate Shes right!
+Eudora Price you will be thanking me later...lol
Lol! I thank you now!!!!Hugs!!!
In fact I heard an episode of Rachel Barton PInes podcast where a luthier said that the sound is best when the violin is brand new and the sound quality degrades mostly within the first year noticeably.
After getting interested in listening to Linsey Stirling and wanting to learn violin, your videos have been a lifesaver. By the way, I"m 53 and starting to learn.
7 years ago but how did it go?
I promised myself to start learning a new instrument this year. I decided Violin and I came across your videos super informative thanks for all of them!
Its mainly the wood and then the craftmanship, but a pure combination of both really.
I want to make a store called strings and things
I could draw the sign.
Pedro Aguilar I’ll buy as long as your stuff is good priced
Store near me is called town end strings and things
Pedro Aguilar
Go you
I would go there
went to a ophthalmologist, turns out im fine
You are hands-down the best violin tutor and I love your videos, older and newer. You are such a massive part of my life and I thank you for it. Thank you so much for teaching me to play the violin!
Here I am again watching your videos. I started playing Aug 2016 and now buy broken violins and fix them. My favorite one is one of the first fixed violins made by Suzuki in Nagoya Japan. It is dated 1970. The scroll was broken through a peg hole and back was splitting off the body. I fixed it and now it is better than all the rest including the German and Czech made. Keep up the fine tutorials.
Hi. I am an absolute beginner on the violin and have just ordered one for xmas. In preparation I have watched a series of your violin videos and I suspect before I get my violin that I will have watched ALL. I just want to say "Thank You" the information here from your experience is just great.
It's really true how warming up an instrument can change its sound. I play the flute currently, and practicing it a bunch made it sound much clearer than when you just wake up in the morning and haven't played it in a while.
From You teaching and playing, I understand "your violin is your life". Thank You for your invaluable services in the world of violin music.
I love hearing "pimp up" in a classy British accent. It's really funny.
I changed the tail piece on an old Karl Knilling violin I have from ebony to a composite tail piece and the tone improved MASSIVELY!!
YOU ARE AN AMAZING TEACHER~ after I got my very first violin I immediately watch your videos and they are amazing. Thank u so much. Im a 17 year-old violin beginner btw and im your fan. LOVE YOU :*
possibly, you wouldn't need to rosin your bow every day, perhaps once per week or even 2 weeks. If the bow is making absolutely no sound and is skidding, then you need more rosin. Other than that i doubt its your bow. In fact as you are over rosining your bow, thats probably where the scratch is coming from also. Dont apply any more rosin until a week and see what its like then.You then only need a few swipes of more rosin and thats it. You keep it topped up.
If you want something like a Strad without the brand name you are looking at about $100,000 and upwards.
Personally I would buy a Stentor II if i were a beginner.
Once you get into the silly price range then brands do not exist so much, but it becomes more on taste and personal preference. I suggest a Stentor II as they are one of many brands that are for beginners, but are great.
Fantastic video and advice. Regarding keeping and playing the violin in the proper tuning, (A440), so that the violin is "convinced" to play in tune, probably has to do with the atomic and molecular level. The atoms of the molecules of the wood are always vibrating on their own, then when the violin is played causing the strings to vibrate, thus causing the wood to vibrate, causes the atoms to be "trained" to play in that specific tuning. Just throwing around some ideas. Peace, and keep up the great work.
Shaking my head. Do you science, man?
Fiddle players shave their bridge down and flatten it slightly to make double stops easier. You can also affect the tone by adjusting your tailstock. You can shorten the loop at the peg to give a darker tone, and lengthen the loop to make it brighter.The soundpost should be located under the foot of your bridge nearest the E string. The grain of the soundpost even needs to be aligned properly. This is typically done with the strings off so the post position can be set as perpendicular as possible by viewing it through the peg hole. This whole setup should be done by an experienced violin luthier.
Oh, the cheap E strings tends to break all the time. I broke two in a row, one day after another ):
Erico Fadel my A string is very hard to tune I dont know why
Phamme Rushdan for me the G string is the worse. Try to apply chalk to the pegs and force them to the pegbox.
1st thing I did was buy extra strings just in case one broke, they only cost 5-10 so they were not very high quality. But NOW i know what to look for!!! THANK YOU!!!
Foreign languages are dangerous. I saw "pimp" and I thought: "She teaches how to rent your cheap violin?"
Allison is so right. You tube can teach you so much on what you can do. I bought a Cecilio cvn 500, which according to Allison is around the intermediate quality. I replaced the strings with a set of perlon core strings, redressed the nut and deepen the slots, I sanded the bridge so that it rested on the natural shape of the front plate and lowered the action to 3mm on treble and 4.5mm on the bass side, bought a new bow, and finally moved the sound post two millimeters closer to the bridge treble side which gave more volume and brightness. It sounds great and will sound even better when it opens up a bit.BTW, it wasn't the first violin that I had own.
i like how the focus is just perfect for the "please subscribe" behind her :D....... yeah... i subscribed v.v
I've been playing cello for about 7 years now and I am quite accomplished with that so I decided to take up the violin so last year I bought a CVN-500 (COURTESY OF YOU!) and I'd say it's time for an upgrade! Thanks so much for everything Allison! Definitely loved my CVN... Great beginner violin!
how is your violin now I am curious about the cecilio cvn 500, and also what strings do you have
I am an instrument technician here in Massachusetts in America and I am glad t see your accurate and well presented video on a talk I often give to new violin owners, myself.
You can put nice strings on a cheap violin as it will make the violins tone clearer and meatier and they will play smoother. I would go for Dominants as they are all good all rounders. Anything else may be wasted unless you have a nice violin.
i dont know what its like so i cant really say. im afraid. Its not always about the age, but the tone and sound. Start playing it and you will know whether you like it or not. YOu may need to take it to a violin repairer if its old to get it restored properly.
I live in an area that can get pretty humid and my group will be performing at a number of music festivals this summer. I wound up buying an MV300 last night on a whim and hopefully it will be OK for actual professional playing with a good set of strings, proper bridge work and sound post adjustment. Frankly, I'm frightened of taking my good violin and playing outside under a roof in really humid weather or even in the rain. Projection isn't a concern because of the sound system. Thank you, because I chose this beater violin because of your videos.
I did the same thing today
THANK YOU Alison - what GREAT tips to improve the sound for a beginner - i actually bought a whole kit/set to start and was hitting a wall with the sound - UNITIL i brought a NEW $200 Pernambuco bow ! WOW - i will never use the sythetic bows again -i feel like a real violin player now - everyone spends so much time talking about the violin and little did i know the BOW , and strings would IMPROVE my playing SO much. But thank you for the other tips i didn't know there was a "sound post" inside and not to take the bridge off - wow that helps a lot - i dont want to make that mistake - very helpfull Thanks for all your help
I WILL say the most improvement to the violin sound you can do is to adjust the soundpost and bridge position.
Exactly my thought!
hi, not all Pirastros are great, but you have to experiment. It depends on what your violin sounds like in the first place so what strings suit mine, may not suit yours. You can get different strings to suit and bring out tones of different violins. If you are unsure of this, Dominants are middle of the road in terms of tone but are still used by professionals.
I got a cheap violin from Amazon in the US. I popped the G string twice! When I replaced the string it was crazy the sound I got out of it! The more expensive string was a good buy! Everyone knocked it in the review but we took it to a music store and the repair man said it was a good violin! I was so relieved because I was worried. Now for the Bow! I have to save for that!
Thank you very much for the lessons an advices! I'm 50 y.o. beginner, autodidact and started 3,5 years ago with electric guitar, and now I got a cheap electric violin. Although not gifted, I'm very interested and having lots of fun practicing. Greetings from Germany!
Alisson, Thanks for the video! based on this, 2 months ago i decided to change the strings and bridge of my Viola, The luthier that was putting the strings noticed that the sound post was not on the right place, he moved it and placed correctly and the instrument now sounds incredibly amazing! I cant describe the change i noticed, it was a whole diferent instrument. Those tips helped me a lot! Thanks!
ivan de jesus oreamuno canizal welcome
Having trained as a luthier and played flamenco guitar for a number of years before deciding to pick up a cheap £30 violin out of curiosity I would say the following. Assume if spending under £50 on an instrument that is shipped halfway round the world after being "set up" is not ready to play out of the box.
I would highly recommend having the soundpost and bridge set up properly, before you start playing the instrument as playing with these in the wrong place has a very similar effect to playing out of tune on a new Violin while it is warming up.
Also worth mentioning check your tuning pegs fit properly and are not slipping or sticking if they are try a bit of peg compound this will usually work minor miracles on an instrument. If that does not work bring it to a luthier, it should not be too expensive as pegs are cheap and the work is not overly complex if you have the correct tools.
Thank you for this ,
I got a new bow with better hair, new dark rosin and put on new better quality synthetic core strings with the help of your how to change strings video for my daughters student violin and put the finger tape in exact position by using a tuner down the neck and it did make a difference.
Much more enjoyable.
Now I’m convinced I need one my size and I must learn with my daughter.
Such a wonderful instrument.
my violin was $44 that includes the violin, bow, case and rosin
is it good whats it made out of ?
HØWŁ ^
from where? And how good is it?
Mine cost around $55 with extra strings. (Ph price : P2500)
Wtf
Totally. Only throw them away if the ones you are replacing are rubbish - otherwise always keep as spares so you dont get caught short.
Discovered this after getting a Theodore violin for £45, a Hidersine bow for £18.75, an Aubert adjustable bridge for £18 and Helicore strings (for country music). Result - a blast! Plus soundpost tools - no harm in messing around with a cheap violin - could save you money in the long run. Also I filed the nut down because it was too high. And ditch the Chinese rosin for Hidersine or similar.
have just put my set of pirastro tonicas on my student violin and wow its been 20 mins and im very impressed, think they might take a while to settle but they are so comfortable under your fingers and very responsive... definitely worth the change.
Thanks Alison
I got my first violin for 34 dollars 😂
Don't worry 😂 me too
Jackson Catlett same 😂 it works fine tho
Jackson Catlett how did that work? I just bought unbranded one for 29 on eBay
Tiffany Swanson it obviously wasn't the most beautiful sound on the planet but for 34 dollars it works amazing. It held a tune well, it didn't sound scratchy unless you made it sound that way. I eventually upgraded and I bought a body (which I later found out was a student workshop project lol) that was 80 dollars and shaved the pegs down myself and bought all the pieces (even the chinrest) and it works amazing for such a cheap project. (End price was around 120$)
Wow amazing great job and I have not one idea on how to play violin so I'm in for a surprise lol... Thank you for the response much appreciated ! Hope my strings are decent so I can see if I like it before spending more on better ones ..
I love how talking while holding a violin close, causes it to ring slightly from your voice vibrating the strings.
Very good, covering all the main points. Appreciate your help with this. I also would recommend that cheap violins may have pegs that stick or cannot be tuned easily... to take them out and scrub the contact surface with regular blackboard chalk... this will make them turn and adjust properly and hold tune also.
yes you can mix and always good to keep spares.
I cant as it differs for each violin. Its why the cheaper the violin, the worse its all set up. You need to either just practise adjusting your arm to find the angle of each string or get a better violin which is better set up.
I changed the strings to the Dominant strings and you were right. It sounds lovely now, and less of a scratching sound. Also just practicing tons more has helped to warm it up to a slightly nicer tone as well. I purchased a Helmke in 2005 and just now decided I would start to learn how to play. LOL... Thank you!
Thanks so much for all your help and advice Allison! There is one thing I recently found out I thought you and your following might be interested in: There is one situation where the expensive strings are worth it on a cheap violin!
I got a second hand violin for $85(Canadian) (the bows had to be repaired so the seller came down, it was evaluated at $160Can) and the strings had recently been replaced but I am not sure what brand they were but I would say they were medium quality (all had blue thread if you know what brand that would be). When the E broke I replaced them with Pirastro Chromcor (they cost $50Can) and I noticed a slightly better sound (mostly with my A string); but when I played with my Ultra Practice Mute is when I noticed the real difference, and what a difference it was! The sound quality did not diminish in the least, something I was always annoyed and frustrated with with the old strings, I could switch between mute and no mute with ease, and my "ear training" was no longer hindered by using the mute. So I would say if any of you have to play regularly with a mute get more expensive strings, it will be worth it!!
Cheap things for everyone!
Thanks for the video.
Change your strings one at a time to keep some sound post pressure. If you remove them all the sound post may fall out. If the soundpost is a little on the long side, it fits tightly and won't fall over. But it chokes the tone. So just a very close fit and shaping for soundpost is best. But it needs string tension to stay put. A good professional setup can make all the difference in the world. I found some titanium replacement tailpiece guts on the internet made by Stradpet. And they also make titanium fine tuners. They really do add a little something to the tone of the violin. Almost like the change you get when putting on new strings.
I took my violin to a luthier when the neck broke off (for the second time!); he took the back off to put a screw through the neck-block into the neck. While he had her open he reshaped the bass bar, made a few minor adjustments, and moved the sound post and WOW! What a difference! I would really recommend talking to a luthier, at least to adjust the sound post. I actually had the sound post come out twice before and once I could not stand the sound of any "G" after one replacement and after another reset the middle "C" drove me crazy. Luthiers are amazing!!
I said earlier that I got a cheap Mendini, and Just by hearing it I thought I had wasted my money, however, I got a new bow, Stravilio strings (originally Cecilio strings) , D'Addario Kaplar rosin and then sanded down my own bridges and it made a WORLD of difference! I mean the bow alone really was so much BETTER than the one that came in the case that I'm ready to throw it out! But you could tell the difference just by putting different strings on...and the BETTER bow helped just as much. So now I'm happy with my investment. =)
That's interesting. I just got a Mendini. I think it's a good Violin for the money.
I need to pimp it up, with new strings & bow...I never heard of sanding the bridge? What does that improve? What kind of new bow did you get?
I just got a bow off of amazon, it was only around 13$ www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002EAHOJE/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
the bridges that come off of amazon come larger than what you get in your case. You can sand the wood down to the shape you prefer. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003HPMQDY/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
And if you're just learning the notes, I'd suggest practicing songs that you already know what they sound like just to memorize the fingerings. I prefer Disney, you may want to get a solo book with a CD (everyone learns differently). Only work on a few measures a week. Perfect practice makes nearly-perfect playing. =)
lol yes agreed, but my arm is not long enough im afraid lol!
Anyway, luckily it doesnt need to be perfectly in focus as its still watchable!
this is a GREAT video! I didn't even know there was a sound board in there. That bridge caused me trouble putting on new strings because they kept falling off the bridge. Thank you for the tips!!!
The way the violin/viola "warms up" over time is very similar to the guitar, which is caused by the wood grain opening up after a lot of use, allowing the sound to better resonate throughout the wood. There are now machines some companies use that sort of lightly vibrate the instrument for some time to help open up the grain and get that sound right from the shop.
Its fine. I promise. Dominants are great to put on student quality violins as are Pirastro Tonicas - which may be a little cheaper if im not mistaken. They both have a generic all round nice tone that will suit ANY violin but they wont bring out any particular feature as they will only do that on more expensive violins so thats why anything better than Tonicas or Dominants are a waste of money in my opinion of course.
Thank you for your response. It put my mind at ease. I liked your tutorial of Silent Night. I'm going to practice so I can play it for my family at Christmas. :)
:)
Thanks for posting. Very instrumental in my wife's learning process. Lol.
medium is fine unless you are professional or want a different tension for any other reason.
D'Addario Helicore strings are also pretty good (at least for students) and they work well when electrifying an instrument (if you do).
thanks Alison, I had bought a cheap violin and just improved the sound by changing the bridge awesome idea thanks again!
Beautiful and smart, perfect combination i must say
Just bought a mendini mv400 and am trying to learn to play, so thank you for the help! You're my favourite reviewer and tricks/tips UA-camr.
Hi, I have to say, I have watched all of your video's and would like to say thank you, I have kitted myself out with everything you have suggested, and am now all ready to go. Very clear information, very well explained, and a great help to all beginners like myself. Keep up the good and great work, and I will be looking out for anything else you upload :)
These are great suggestions! As far as strings go, I personally prefer Zyex by D'Addario over the Dominants. They cost roughly the same (35-40 USD from the online violin shop I use) and perform very well on lower quality violins. Not to mention, they had a much quicker "break-in period" which is always good for beginners! ;-)
Got mine for 72$ student quality but sounds antique! Lovely rich tones and fantastic wood. Will buy dominant strings, thanks for the tips! Cheers from the Philippines~
I randomly decided one day that I was going to learn to play Violin (this was 2 years ago) and nothing happened because I got lazy and I've just gone "ok no more time to learn and teach myself" I got my violin of eBay for $200 and the Bow got broken (gotta love toddlers) so I went and bought a bow for around $50 it's so much more lightweight and easier to hold it's brilliant.....my actual point though was these videos are fantastic and just what I need to start learning/teaching myself
full size violin arrived today and yes big noticeable difference,but as always when tuning the A string snaps.. (did on my other one too) and that was using fine tuners and electric tuner.. but ill be patient and wait for new better set to come through... thanks again Alison
£120 ish - having said that, it does depend on brand as I have played on some violin brands for well over £300 and they are terrible!
Oh.... I figured it was a tutorial on like pinstriping it and painting flames on it and stuff :-/ Good video anyway
no, the tone becomes rounder and richer. I have had my violin taken away by Russell who gives it its yearly maint and once over, and he gives me my old violin back that i part exchanged and had to 15yrs so i have something for a week and because its been sitting in his shop unplayed, i notice the sound has become 'cold' and i know this because it was by best friend for 15 years.
Hi Alison, thank you for your videos. I decided to follow your advice here and set out to get a new bow, rosin and strings for a student violin that I purchased. I told the music shop I went to I was a beginner, I mentioned your gold flecked rosin; to cut a long story short I was treated as if I was an encumbrance. I assumed that something like a good quality bow would come in packaging, the shop assumed I had my violin case. I was told what rosin 'everyone' used. He seemed to agree with my decision on a set of dominant strings however I also bought a mute as I am staying in halls and amazon were out of the one you reviewed and the cheap one I had that looked like it was useless. When asked to describe it to the shopkeeper he told me I had purchased the wrong thing, I had bought an orchestral mute and he tossed a small black thing with 3 prongs on the counter and said that was a student mute. Totally confused now! Thankfully I'm moving, I'll still keep following your friendly online lessons, but I know at which music shop I won't be upgrading my violin!
Christine Gage hmm, i sorry about your experience - sadly some music shops do 'insist' they know everything about the violin and the accessories than you do and when you start telling them what you want, they assume you have just blatantly gotten the information 'somewhere' off the internet!
As for bow, I would have gone to a violin luthier who sells bows, not a shop that sells substandard bows off the shelf. If the shop were serious about selling bows, they would have sent you away with a bunch for you to choose from. The rosin is totally your choice and there are loads to choose from. As long as you dont get a cheap nasty one, you will be fine with whatever you got. As for the mute you bought, it wont really do you much good as you needed an Ultra Practice mute to really dampen the sound to the level you want it at. The mute you have bought is also more of an orchestral mute - not one that will decrease the sound of the violin so that no-one will hear you.
I would wait till Amazon has one in stock, or try somewhere else online.
Thanks for that Alison. Getting my new dominant strings put on tomorrow. Will post my attempt at 'Twinkle twinkle little star' when the dog doesn't run away or howl along to my standard to playing.
playing nice violins makes them sound better. the vibration throughout the body creates friction in the shellac (finish), and actually changing it and thus the tone. shellac is an insect poop! it's naturally colored but it is sold with stain mixed in with it. Applying shellac well is an art. Luthiers usually go to a 'finishing' school for a few months just to start out.
A fresh set of quality strings is the simplest, cheapest and most productive upgrade you can do on ANY instrument. The stock strings that come on most student models are usually junk. Even a higher-quality instrument can benefit from a string change because the strings that came on it are probably oxidized and dead from just sitting around.
Dominants are a good choice of strings. A tad pricey but well worth it. They work extremely well whether you play classical, jazz, country, bluegrass or anything else.
Dallas Cheked Pretty well summed up what i said in my vid and i agree. Its nearly always better to spend a bit of extra money on strings and not invest that in a better violin as some people have commented under this video - it doesnt always mean that the violin will be better when the cheaper one with better strings.
Hi, your best bet is to ask a violin dealer as im not the right person to ask. I know very little about the actual violins themselves as im a player and teacher so you need to speak to someone who deals in violins and antique violins. Sorry.
You’ve convinced me to try out the violin... I bought my first (fr your suggestion in other vids) and still learning from you vids. Thank you!
Yes, this has been a great help. I have the Cecilio acoustic electric violin (painted white). It was a Christmas present. I still need to change out to Dominant strings, but I have changed the shoulder rest and the chin rest. I didn't like the ones that came with it. Yesterday we were in a larger city and we visited a wonderful music store and I came home with a new bow (two thirds the cost of the violin). The one that came with the violin doesn't even loosen and tighten properly. All these things can be transferred to a better violin... Eventually!
Oh my gosh this is the best tutor video for my 100$ violin
the Bau dog - I liked it - don't worry about everything happens along your talking - it makes you real and nice . and we like it -
note to my fellow Americans: she's speaking with a British accent... so we know she's telling the absolute , unvarnished truth.
;p
no, J/K but, seriously we all love it, and your videos are priceless, dog yelping & all.
You do a wonderful service to the musical world: thank you!
I'm just about to pull the trigger as we say, on a cheapo violin..then onto 'pimping' (that never gets any easier to say)
Omg, you definitely do not stress the rosin enough. I mean, I might be wrong here because I’m only going to buy a new rosin tomorrow (the pirastro tonica cause it goes with my strings) but I just cannot deal with my current rosin, I constantly feel scratchy and never know whether I’ve got the right amount of rosin. Obviously, I just might lack some skills here and am expecting too much from a simple rosin, but I used to play a different violin a couple if years ago, before taking a rather long break, and that violin was a borrowed one with full equipment and I do remember having some trouble with the right amount of rosin but I was certainly not as unhappy as I am right now.
Might come back and correct myself if I’m still that unhappy after getting a new rosin though.
Update: got my rosin on now and it sounds so much better!!! First off, it’s much easier to apply and I actually feel like I have the right amount of rosin on my bow now, and then the sound is so much fuller and louder!! I mean, I still make a ton of mistakes, but it still sounds so much better now!!!
I found out what changes the violin when you play it is that the vibrations open up the wood pockets of the violin. I bought a few old antique violins that have not been played in years they just sat in attics. I played them and within one month of playing everyday the violin sounds so good its warmed up. I think like a lot of things the wood has a defense thing to close up. take a look at my videos for proof I wish I had a before and after video but I only have after vids because I was not good enough to crank out a nice song. I have a hopf with a tiny bas bar and some how it still sounds better than a lot of high price ones.
Today I dumped the chin rest. I mainly did it because I'm left-handed, the seller had suggested a new chin rest and to also fix the strings for left-handed playing. But my brain and I agree, that the bass should remain on the left and descant right, as we know from the piano. From the beginning, I chose to play left-handed, with the G string on the left, and the chin rest was just ballast. Now, after you warn, thick layers of rosin-snow would effect the sound negatively, I assume, the chin rest probably might as well, so that was another argument. Frankly, I didn't dare to admit this change here, but after reading on the history of the chin rest; there's even a stronger argument: In 1715 I'm not supposed to have a chin rest. LOL
Surprising was a little tag on the bottom of the chin rest: It was made in DDR, which had ended to exist decades ago. So STAGG is attaching very-very old chin rests.
hey alison your camera is focused or not but you are absolutely focused and thats what very important please keep it up and you look fab thanks
The varnish will affect the tone, but thats all i know. Your questions is better directed to a violin dealer/repairer as this is out of my area of knowledge being a teacher and player im afraid. sorry
“Don’t comment about the types of rosin, I’m putting up a separate videOOO” 😂 the timing of the back was perfect lol
no, dominants are £36 from amazon.
This is a joy for me , thank you very mush my friend.
Replacing tailpiece? I bid and won a violin on Amazon and ended up having to learn to play it. I played a cornet in high school so I wasn't a total novice. After several months the tailpiece broke and discovered it was plastic or composite. I replaced it with an ebony tailpiece and noticed a better sound. For awhile I still sounded terrible, but it sounded better. So a new tailpiece, especially one less likely to snap into two pieces improves the sound AND gives a boost to confidence as you continue to practice!
A very thick tortoiseshell hard finish on a violin is tonal death. As with cheap guitars manufacturers will go overkill on the finish and in fact even spray on a thick poly coat of clear in order to assure the instrument can last its Warranty date and withstand harsh shipping and warehouse conditions.
I bought a $50 (Mendini Cecilio) violin, about the cheapest they make 'em. The biggest thing I recommend doing is adjusting the nut of the violin. Ultracheap violins, at least the ones I've seen, have very high nuts to help mask defects in the fingerboard. This makes playing near the nut very difficult and certain notes unplayable. Of course this is better if done by a luthier, but the nut really needn't be more than a millimeter high so I say remove most of it yourself.
I can testify that after getting better rosin (Melos rosin) along with Pirastro Tonica strings on my MV 400 and a new carbon fiber bow, it made a significant difference! Of course it doesn't sound as mature as my friend's $900 violin but it performs much beautifully now.
I think it would be really interesting to watch a video about demos before and after changing the strings and the bow, etc. To see how the sound changes and whatnot! I would love to watch that
I have thought about doing this and I did test it out several years ago, but the sound on the video just doesnt pick up the differences like it would if you were there in the room and that was with using top end pro audio equipment.
Its more about the feel and playability also which of course I cant convey through the video.
I thought it pointless as folks would just complain they couldn't hear a difference lol
That makes sense, thank you for responding! Also, is there a way for people to contact you for help regarding personal learning of the violin? I don't have a teacher and I feel like I'm having some issues.. thank you!
Doggy made her smile
It does sound weird but it is absolutely true - the fiddle sound changes over time as it "warms up." I seldom buy expensive strings - I pay one dollar per string and they last at least four years. As for the bow, I've never paid more than 20 bucks for any bow - they're all the same as far as I'm concerned. My fiddle is on the expensive side and so it sounds pretty good but especially as my bow arm is truly superb. Work on your sound - the tools don't matter that much. Work on rhythm too. Those two things plus scales, scales, scales - that's all you need.
I have the cheap china one,,, had it for 22years... actually it’s not bad, but now is really bad,,,, and I agree with you, the more you play, the violin sound better.., now people think I actually own an expensive violin. But if I ever wanna go professional to play in an orchestra I should get a good expensive violin... my China one good for everyday training...