Hey,

Just a quick violin post, before I go to bed...

When would you say is the right time to upgrade from a baisic violin to one more expensive?

Though I have only been playing 6 months and am only grade 2 standard (though haven't taken exam), I have around £300 of unspent christmas money and was thinking about using this money to upgrade my violin.
Right now, I am using a stentor student violin which cost around £95. I do often wonder what a more expensive violin would be like to play, though I have been holding back on buying a better violin until I have taken grade 3 or 4 in the summer.
If I were to upgrade, what price would you think reasonable? And how bigger jump, from the £95 violin I have now, would you make? I love playing violin and have no intention of quiting, so I would be willing to make a substantial leap.

Do you think this is the right thing to do? Is upgrading now too soon and waiting until I'm more advanced a better option, I think it might be?

Thanks, goodnight...
LG

Well, I don't think it's at all necessary to upgrade yet - the stentor will quite happily see you for a good while. However, if you really want to upgrade, a gliga gems would be a nice violin to play on and, with the proper set up, would be perfectly suitable all the way to grade 8. I wouldn't saddle yourself now with anything more expensive than that because as your playing skills develop, so will your tastes in sound, feel etc and you may find you made the wrong choice.

My advice in a nutshell: you don't need to upgrade yet, but if you truly want to just for the sake of it, get a gliga gems.

Good luck!

Allan

Hi Lisa-guitar

I've been playing for about 6months too and according to my teacher I'm playing grade2/3 music. I'm going to do grade 2 in June and am just loving playing!

I bought a Zeller when I started and I've just up-graded to a Gliga Gama. I've done this partly because the Zeller was too 'chunky' for my hands (full-size) so I'm trying out a Gama full-size and also a Gama 7/8 size at the moment. I've been told the Gama will take me up to grade 8 quite easily.

Compared to the Zeller I think the Gamas I've tried sound more refined and my teacher says it will be more responsive to dynamics and stylistic subtleties as I improve as a player. Also they improve with 'playing in' so I'm expecting the tone to deepen and mature the more I play it. I've been told that 6months down the line it will sound less 'new' and more 'filled out' so that will be good although I already think it sounds sweet. I'm buying my violin from the lovely folk at http://www.elidatrading.co.uk/gliga.htm

Sound-wise I've been told the Zeller would have taken me up to grade 5-ish but I wanted to change to something a bit more refined because the Zeller felt and looked like a beginners violin. I chose the Gama because it was within my budget (from christmas and birthday money too ) and I think it looks and feels really smart.. but I was also told that the Gems can go to grade8 too. I know a lassie with a Gems and it looks very smart although I haven't heard it or tried it.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do - are you going to take the grade 2 exam? I'm doing fine with the pieces and the scales but I'm dreading the 'nerves' Actually I really like the pieces!
Best wishes,
Lottie

I started the violin the October before last, on a borrowed Antoni that cost my sister £35 from e-bay - and I spent another few quid putting some new strings on it, which radically improved its sound.

My husband bought me a Gliga Gems 1 outfit for Christmas that year, and the improvement in the sound of the instrument and therefore my motivation was enormous. The outfit cost £300. And I've had a number of people say how much they like the sound of it.

Since then I've put different strings on it (Dominants for GDA, Hill special E) which improved it again, and last week I upgraded the bow, which is another radical improvement. It's amazing how different strings and a different bow can improve things, without having to buy a new instrument.

I think the set-up I've got now will take me from my current borderline grade 3/grade 4 for at least another year to 18 months, and probably beyond that towards the higher grades eventually. If (sorry Amanda, when) I reach those giddy heights, I'll be thinking of an upgrade, but not yet - I don't currently need the added variety of tone colours a better instrument would make as I haven't yet found out how to produce them.

So I think that if you want a new violin, go for it. But look at whether you can get more from your current one by smaller changes too.

Cheers

Katyjay

What is different about your new bow? (I also have a Gems)

W

Wood rather than carbon fibre - quite a bit stiffer and a little heavier. I discovered I can do dynamics with it I can now do diminuendo all the way to silent without anywhere near as much juddering.

Sounds expensive.. I think I would like a heavier bow...

W

'Tis second hand.

This is something I never though about doing, but it sounds as if it would be well worth looking into. Thanks Katyjay! By the way, if you don't might me asking, how much did you pay for your new bow?

£125

I don't know whether I will be taking grade 2 or 3 in the summer, definatly one or the other, it just depends on where my playing is at. Right now, I'm teaching myself Pachelbel's canon in D (I think that's around grade 3, it's hard, but fun!!), along with other peices my teacher has given me.
Good luck with your exam! I'm certain if you find the pieces and scales fine to play now, they'll be easy by the time your exam comes.
As for nerves don't even think about that now, the exam is along way off giving you pleanty of practice time. I'm taking my grade 5 theory next week and my grade 5 classical guitar the week after and I suffer with nerves, but once I get into the exam room I'm more focused on what I need to play, or the questions I'm being asked than my nerves ! From what you've told me, I'm sure you'll do very well and pass with good marks!

Oh, and thanks for the advice...I don't know whether I'm going to upgrade yet, or as Katyjay was saying, see what I can get out of a new bow, or strings etc. on my current violin.

Second-hand??!! It's a good quality 'old' bow if you please , stamped (if you look carefully) near the frog, with the name H.Fleury. It probably dates from the late 19th early 20th century.