Hi guys,
I used to play Violin when I was 8 and got up to grade 2 (ish) level in the space of a year, but my teacher moved to france and i, subsequently, stopped playing.
This doesn't really have any connection to my question, which is this.
Is a Stentor suitable to re teach myself on?

Regards,

Mykk

In the early stages, I would say so, but if you get to a high standard, you may want a higher quality instrument.

Also, if it is your original violin, you may now ind it is too small for you, and you might need a larger one.

It is ok for you to play, unless as bobifier said it is a small size. However your wording implies you will be teaching yourself. I very much recommend you find a teacher.

I would be buying a full size instrument, and i would be teaching myself for the main part, but i do have some very close family friend who is a very accomplished Violinist and teacher who has offered to lend a helping hand.

I think all this has been said before on this forum but I'll say it again, cos it's all worth saying.

1) If you are after a relatively inexpensive good quality starter violin then you can't do much better than a Gliga. Many of us (hey yeh! I got one now...Jake!) on this site have Gligas (violins and violas) and I am sure everyone is extremely happy with the choice. Take a look at this site for prices, recommendations etc. They have an excellent tone and will see you up into the intermediate if not higher grades.

2) I know you have played before, and have a violinist friend, and this will help, but do please have lessons (especially as you restart). Two reasons...one; bad habits once formed can be very difficult to unlearn, and two; it is all to easy to get the posture slightly wrong, or your set up (shoulder and chin rest) wrong, and this can result in painful, possibly permanent, injury.

(I played a friend's viola last week for only about an hour, with his set up, and my shoulder still aches!!)

Have fun with your violin.

You really must have injured it somehow, Jane as this is by no means normal and I think you'd have to have been holding a double bass up like a violin/viola for half an hour before it could justify this amount of pain!

Anyway, to the question about Stentors. There's nothing wrong with Stentors, it kinda depends of what level of instrument you want. I've got a Conservatoire, (which is about equal to an 'entry level' Gliga for all you Gliga fanatics ) and is just fine for me at the mo. It's a reasonable sounding instrument and can be improved yet further with a new set of strings etc and will take me happily to upper-intermediate/lower advanced grades.

It depends very much on local availability and your budget. What standard of instrument do you want and how much are you prepared to pay? Stentor do higher level instruments too, but don't buy 'higher' than the Messina as they're all 3 three grades the same spec and are only graded on import according to cosmetic standards. My old teacher whose a pro violinist and sometimes played her viola in quartet work 'only' had a Messina viola. Depends on what you want and need from it.

I agree with Jane totally on getting a teacher though! Intonation is an especially big issue for us string players and a decent teacher will help with that, although I suppose some don't as I've heard some terrible 'off' playing from violinists who seem to think they're quite good and at a respectable standard. All down to VERY poor intonation, of which the players themselves seemed blissfully unaware, shocking enough! I know some decry taking exams, but I think most of us should as we get honest feedback on stuff like intonation from them.

Yes, I've heard some truly poor intonation from players who think they're the bee's knees. It can be painful, especially if the pieces they're murdering playing are really good music!

You've had the same experience as me then, Sarah! I'm just stunned that the player themselves simply cannot hear how awful they're sounding! Maybe some folk just shouldn't play the violin, no matter how much they like it. Or perhaps taking a few exams might help!!!!

I recently heard someone playing (in the loosest sense of the word...) the Massenet Meditation...

I've never been more tempted to rip a string off a fiddle and garrote someone with it

I do remember playing pretty badly as a child, but I also remember cringing because I could hear the icky-ness.

It does worry me that some people will play very high level pieces and not realise they're murdering the music

I do have to remind myself I'm lucky that I started as a child and that I was taught in such a way as to nurture a good sense of relative pitch. But at the same time I do wonder if some people ever listen to themselves playing...

I recall one pupil learning some Christmas carols. I said "It's C natural!" He replied in a disgusted "you must be an idiot" tone "I'm playing C natural!" At that point I began to realise he wasn't quite suited to the violin ....

Liz

Eeeek! These stories take one back to the primary school orchestra.....

What's the most scary is, if you were to tell someone who thinks they're good, but plays badly off tune, that their intonation was rotten, they'd look at you in blank amazement and wonder what was wrong with your hearing!!!

So, a clue for us all - if we're playing somewhere and can find a good moment to do so (an easy few bars perhaps), look at the audience and scan for anyone with a pained, but polite expression on their face. An even bigger giveaway is the folk laughing in embarrassment! I've seen it done when I was wearing my 'polite' expression and felt it keenly. I wasn't sure who I was most anxious for - the players who were making asses of themselves, those who gave in to the temptation to laugh in defiance of delicacy (!!!!! ) or the audience who had to tolerate it.

Oh, please someone tell me if you hear me playing off note. If I want to be a decent violist, I NEED to know, OK? Being a linguist (esp with my tonal language of Chinese) though, I have reasonably sensitive ears and that's helped. A background in detecting nuances in sounds has helped with the note as well. Wish my hands would co-operate more though!!

Ugh, someone needs to practise more......... (me, I mean!!)

............. .....................


I'm sure it must help a lot.

I have much better intonation with my ears than with my fingers - my ears can tell what's wrong but my fingers can't compensate well enough!

I am completely with Sarah on this. Yes, I can tell when I play out of tune and, when I'm at home, can do something about it. However, when nerves/panic kicks in and I end up holding the instrument in a death-like grip, I completely lose the ability to make the adjustment. Woodford audience please take note...

W

Much empathy, Willobie!