Cheap Violins Options

[jojo]

Ok, you could take a tougher stance. You are the parent, he the child. If he wants to start violin, tell him he needs to start with a rented one and have lessons with a teacher for a period of time. If he refuses, fair enough. Doesn't want it enough at this time. Maybe wait til he is a bit older.

He shouldn't start without a teacher. No two ways about it. If he does you will be wasting the money you pay for a cheap violin because it will take him God knows how long to unlearn bad habits.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/rofl.gif) aesir, he's 18!!! even I could probably not do that and I am known to be one of the toughest parents in the neighbourhood (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[aesir22]

Ok, you could take a tougher stance. You are the parent, he the child. If he wants to start violin, tell him he needs to start with a rented one and have lessons with a teacher for a period of time. If he refuses, fair enough. Doesn't want it enough at this time. Maybe wait til he is a bit older.

He shouldn't start without a teacher. No two ways about it. If he does you will be wasting the money you pay for a cheap violin because it will take him God knows how long to unlearn bad habits.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/rofl.gif) aesir, he's 18!!! even I could probably not do that and I am known to be one of the toughest parents in the neighbourhood (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

What I mean is, if he isn't willing to compromise, he doesn't get the funds for a violin lol

[jojo]

Ok, you could take a tougher stance. You are the parent, he the child. If he wants to start violin, tell him he needs to start with a rented one and have lessons with a teacher for a period of time. If he refuses, fair enough. Doesn't want it enough at this time. Maybe wait til he is a bit older.

He shouldn't start without a teacher. No two ways about it. If he does you will be wasting the money you pay for a cheap violin because it will take him God knows how long to unlearn bad habits.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/rofl.gif) aesir, he's 18!!! even I could probably not do that and I am known to be one of the toughest parents in the neighbourhood (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

What I mean is, if he isn't willing to compromise, he doesn't get the funds for a violin lol

ok I get you:
parent 'ok, so you want to start violin, that's cool'
teenager 'yeah, but I ain't going to no teacher' (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) (joke)
parent 'that's fine, so I take it you'll buy the violin yourself then as I have no money to buy it for you (wink wink)' (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)
teenager 'WHAAAAAAT/??? but you said you would!!!'
parent 'I might make an effort and buy you one with my savings but only if you have a teacher as I really believe you cannot learn properly without one, but if you think you can that's fine, you can buy yourself a violin and do it the way you think it's right' (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[aesir22]

Perfect!! And not at all scripted (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) We should add 'shocked expression' and 'repremanding shake of head' to the mix, make it a proper play (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Columbusrat]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

aesir22, normally I'd be with you 100% of the way, but his 'issues' involve social anxiety, so the idea of playing in front of someone else strikes terror into his heart! The deal is that he will pay the cost of a really basic violin, and I will pay the extra necessary for him to have something worthwhile, so he can get a genuine feel for whether he wants to continue or not. I doubt he'd ever play for anything more than personal pleasure so the odd bad habit isn't a tragedy, though I'm already nagging him about the dangers to his muscles.

We've decided on the £105 student violin from Gear4music, and hope it turns out to be a reasonable compromise. Just maybe, he'll get enough out of it, and gets over his problems, that he decides to take lessons at some point in the future, though I wouldn't count on it.

I can't wait for his brother's reaction - he hasn't a musical bone in his body and complains enough about the piano playing (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif)

Thanks everyone for your advice - it really has helped. I may come back in a couple of weeks and tell you how he's getting on (if I haven't left home by then....).

[aesir22]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

aesir22, normally I'd be with you 100% of the way, but his 'issues' involve social anxiety, so the idea of playing in front of someone else strikes terror into his heart! The deal is that he will pay the cost of a really basic violin, and I will pay the extra necessary for him to have something worthwhile, so he can get a genuine feel for whether he wants to continue or not. I doubt he'd ever play for anything more than personal pleasure so the odd bad habit isn't a tragedy, though I'm already nagging him about the dangers to his muscles.

We've decided on the £105 student violin from Gear4music, and hope it turns out to be a reasonable compromise. Just maybe, he'll get enough out of it, and gets over his problems, that he decides to take lessons at some point in the future, though I wouldn't count on it.

I can't wait for his brother's reaction - he hasn't a musical bone in his body and complains enough about the piano playing (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif)

Thanks everyone for your advice - it really has helped. I may come back in a couple of weeks and tell you how he's getting on (if I haven't left home by then....).

I would recommend then, purchasing some new strings for him. The ones you will get with it are LIKELY to be very poor. I put dominants on my violin, and it completely transformed what it sounded like.

[janexxx]

Thanks everyone for your advice - it really has helped. I may come back in a couple of weeks and tell you how he's getting on (if I haven't left home by then....).

Yes do let us know - and if we can be any more hlep (in the absence of a teacher (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) ) then just ask.

[ffliwt]

I suffer terribly with anxiety but i love violin so much that i will really push myself, i would play infront of 100000 people if i had to, yet i cant even learn to drive because of one person watching me. Which is something that baffles my doctors (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)
So it may be good for him to push himself (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) He could try trial lessons with different teachers until he finds one he's comfortable with. Me and my violin teacher get on so well, we are really similar and i'm 95% comfortable around her/playing infront of her.

[miffy]

I can understand the anxiety.
But, I wonder whether it would actually be better therefore if he started with someone before he'd had a go himself. That way, from scratch, he'd be doing everything for the first time under guidance, whereas if he'd been teaching himself for a while first, he may be more anxious playing in front of someone as there would be more to 'show', and more that he may feel he is being judged on?

Probably put very badly, hope you understand what I'm mean..sorry not too well today (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

[Columbusrat]

I hope you feel better soon Miffy (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) I know what you mean... I doubt he'll see it the same way, but it's a good point.

ffliwt, I've been driving for years, but still fall to pieces if I have to drive with hubby in the car (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blush.gif) He's convinced it's a ploy so that I get to drink. As if (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Blackbow]

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aesir22, normally I'd be with you 100% of the way, but his 'issues' involve social anxiety, so the idea of playing in front of someone else strikes terror into his heart!

I can relate to this. I have a 22 year old who panics if he has to go to the hairdresser or the doctor and has to be accompanied. If I did not accompany him he would in the first case just let his hair grow to his knees, and in the second probably just let his asthma kill him! This is not like an ordinary person who has "performance anxiety." People should be more understanding.

[aesir22]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
aesir22, normally I'd be with you 100% of the way, but his 'issues' involve social anxiety, so the idea of playing in front of someone else strikes terror into his heart!

I can relate to this. I have a 22 year old who panics if he has to go to the hairdresser or the doctor and has to be accompanied. If I did not accompany him he would in the first case just let his hair grow to his knees, and in the second probably just let his asthma kill him! This is not like an ordinary person who has "performance anxiety." People should be more understanding.

I personally don't think anyone here has failed to be understanding.....

[Blackbow]

This is not like an ordinary person who has "performance anxiety." People should be more understanding.

Let me explain what I meant by that. Columbusrat said that her son, (I am assuming Columbusrat to be female), is not up to/doesn't want to/won't/whatever - have lessons or even to go and try out violins. Since she has known her son for 18 years and we don't know him at all I think she probably knows what she is talking about and understand that those are facts and don't need discussion.

(My sincere apologies to Columbusrat if I appear to be trying to talk for her. To be fair she did not seem to be put out by the advice about lessons, that is just my opinion.)

[aesir22]

No one here said we know what is best more than the son's own parent. Christ, we only tried to offer a few suggestions to help out! Excuse us for reading more than just one thing in the original post. I suggest this stop now as it isn't fair to hijack a thread.

Columbusrat (I like that name lol) if you can possibly afford any higher, I could recommend the Hidersine Piacenza, which I have started on. It was less that £200, something like £165? If you don't want to go that high, I'd still recommend some better strings than the ones you are likely to get with the setup. I really can't stress how much they improve the tone of the violin. The dominants I bought cost about £30, and I consider it well well well worth the cost!!

There is a lot of discussion about how far starter instruments get you. I think some can get very far with them, but by the time you get to higher grades I have heard that the instrument won't do the player justice. Thats where better strings and a good bow could help out if you don't want to spend too high for another violin.

I had planned to get to grade 3 with the Piacenza then upgrade, but with the dominant strings and maybe a better bow later, my teacher has said I could go much further with it. But I'll probably still upgrade after grade 4 or 5 or so (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Saving first for a new piano next August, then the saving starts for a violin (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[MollyB]

The other benefit of getting better strings is that they wont hurt his fingers as much as the cheap factory strings. I'd forgotten to mention that when I posted earlier; but within 2 weeks of starting on my cheap violin, the strings had blistered my fingers so badly that it made it impossible for me to practice. I too upgraded to Dominants, and my, what an improvement!

Well worth the investment and you can sometimes find them on sale if you shop around online.