I want to learn to play the violin. Any suggestions on how to buy a violin and how to teach yourself violin?
I picked up the violin a few years ago, and as everyone has told you – you really do need a teacher. Even if it’s only a for a few lessons at the beginning – your intonation, fingering, and bow hold will be crucial to your success, and you don’t want to pick up bad habits if you ever want to play with a group. Get a teacher! As for getting a violin, I strongly suggest renting one from a local shop for a few months first. Would you go buy a car if you had never driven one before? Of course not. You wouldn’t know what a good car sounds like, handles like, should drive like. Same with a violin – before you make the investment in a decent instrument, you want to know what you’re looking for. Expect to pay upwards of $300 for a decent student instrument. Don’t skimp on it – a cheap instrument will often be poorly constructed out of cheap materials, go out of tune early and often, and have cheap steel strings. This will only hamper your progress and serve to frustrate you instead of inspire
