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The contributing factor in the change of my views is the quality of these instruments. Certainly there are still shoddy instruments, but there seem to be a lot of very nice instruments coming from China nowadays, which are beautiful to look at, play well, have no problems, come with a very attractive case and bow (also with no problems) and at reasonable prices. The bows come furnished with real horsehair; this once-dear stuff has now become so reasonably priced that one can hardly find synthetic hair any more.
NOTE: The advanced player, who is no doubt under the tutelage of an experienced teacher, doesn't need my help—aside from perhaps the admonition to play a lot of instruments in combination with bows, and find what pleases you the best, paying less attention to the price and more to the sound. Fine instruments are a major investment and many professional players spend decades paying off the instrument, acquiring it through a loan from a local musicians union or bank. Many players enjoy instruments given to them as gifts because of their exceptional abilities, but most players buy them or borrow them. As orchestras are ranked, in the top tiers the string professionals require instruments starting in the $30-$60K range.
(2) Requests to appraise an instrument.
This must be done by a reputable shop. I get
frequent requests about specific instruments, but that is not my area of expertise, and it cannot be done, people, over the internet without a direct examination from a reputable expert, which most violinists are not. Labels can and often are faked!!
People often write me about instruments with Stradivarius labels, violins which have turned up in an attic, closet, cupboard, or garage sale. The "Stradivarius" label often has a tiny copie de above the word Stradivarius, which means a copy of a Stradivarius, or an instrument built on that model. If repaired, these instruments may be good student instruments, but unfortunately, they're seldom or never valuable. What must be done in every case is to locate a professional repair person who can do an adequate appraisal.
(3) Are the violin and the fiddle the same instrument?
Well, yes and no, it depends. What it depends on is who's playing it, and in what cultural context you're speaking. Growing up in the midwest, I felt uncomfortable using the term fiddle, because what that meant, then, was country and western fiddle, and I wanted no part of that. However, you hear violinists of the highest calibre, like Stern and Perlman, for example, referring to the violin as a fiddle...but their cultural context is Eastern European, which included gypsy-like so-called "fiddle" music, which is not the same at all as the American genre. The instrument itself may be the same, though folk players of violin (and other players who are playing something besides art music) may take more liberties with respect to the way the instrument is held, its fittings, and so on. Aside from some small details, however, the instrument is pretty much the same; there is no separate genre, fiddle, which is not also a violin. I get asked this a lot.
(4) What's the difference between the violin and the viola?
The viola is primarily written in the alto clef (though high registers may be written in treble, like the violin).
The viola is a fifth lower in pitch than the violin; the lowest string on the viola is the C string. The viola's second string, the G, is the violin's lowest string. Violas have no E string, the top string on violin. The A=440 (the violin's second string), is the top string on viola.
Viola lines play a different role in classical music repertoire, and the viola section is a separate section in the orchestra.
Violas are as a rule more expensive as their counterparts in the violin, because violas are larger instruments.
Violins come in fractional sizes: 4/4, 3/4, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16. Violas come in inches: 16 1/2", 16", 15", 14", 13"
The 13" viola is the same size as the full size (4/4) violin, and so is good for students changing over to viola, or adding viola. Most adults play a 4/4 violin (or possibly the rare 7/8 if they're very petite); most adults play a 16" or 16 1/2" viola, though 17" and even I think 18" violas exist.
The violin and viola etude repertoire is much the same, with additional works in viola by Fuchs, Campagnoli and others. Some of the literature for violin has been transcribed for viola (and visa versa), but viola literature is quite different. See:
Advanced Viola Literature
Viola technique is somewhat different than violin; the viola requires a bit heavier bow, different fingering (more 2nd position, less higher positions, less 4th finger), and a wider vibrato (to name a few distinctions).
I have found that viola players can be intellectual, highly musical, and sensitive to the favor shown to violinists.
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Barrett, Henry: The Viola: Complete Guide for Teachers & Students
Dalton, David: Playing the Viola
Giorgetti, Ferdinando, Franco Sciannameo An Historical Introduction
Hoffheimer, Michael: Fiddling for Viola
Madden, Maxine: Sounds on Strings: Getting to Know Your Viola
Maurice, Donald: Bartók's Viola Concerto: The Remarkable Story of His Swansong
Menuhin, Yehudi and William Primrose: Violin & Viola
Stowell, Robin: The Early Violin and Viola : A Practical Guide
Tertis, Lionel: My viola and I: A complete autobiography
Williams, Amedee Daryl: Lillian Fuchs: First Lady of the Viola
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(5)
How can I determine if this violin or viola is the right size?
There are a number of ways of determining the correct size of violin or viola for the player:
Stretch the left arm under the instrument, and have the player wrap their fingers around the scroll. If the elbow is slightly bent but not too bent or too straight, it fits.
Stretch the left arm straight out under the instrument, and under the scroll, and if the instrument's scroll ends flush with the pulse, it is just right.
Most shops which sell instruments, and many violin teachers, have the Vio-meter (pictured, below). You can go into the shop and have them measure the player, or if you need to do this frequently, you can purchase a Vio-meter ($20 plus $5.00 shipping). Please contact us if you would like to purchase this item.
Size charts:
- Size Chart for Violin, Viola, Cello
- String tensions and string length (footnote at bottom)
- Violin bow length
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Approximate sizes for violins
- Violin Sizes and Purchases
- Violin Construction Facts
- How to Determine the right size of violin to buy?
- Sizes for student violins and violas (measuring by yardstick)
Note: Violins come in fractional sizes: 4/4, 3/4, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16. Violas come in inches: 16 1/2", 16", 15", 14", 13"
The 13" viola is the same size as the full size (4/4) violin, and so is good for students changing over to viola, or adding viola. Most adults play a 4/4 violin (or possibly the rare 7/8 if they're very petite); most adults play a 16" or 16 1/2" viola, though 17" and even I think 18" violas exist.
(6)
What is the best way to protect the violin from extremes of temperature and humidity?
There is a lot of disagreement about whether the two items used to manage this problem are necessary: hygrometers measure humidity levels; humidifiers correct dryness. Hygrometers in cases are either digital or analog (dial), and are not always accurate; in some cases the hygrometer has to be recalibrated regularly.
Sometimes there is a plastic vial (a humistat) which contains water and supplies humidity for the case. It clips in place somewhere down around the pegbox/scroll portion of the case and can be adjusted to allow more or less water vapor to escape. If there is not one of these vials accompanying the hygrometer itself, you can purchase a humidifier to put in the f holes of the violin. Both Strettos and Dampits seem to work well, although Dampits are more of a hassle since you have to resoak them frequently. Many musicians keep a humidifier in the music studio (aim for a steady 50-60% humidity), which protects stringed instruments and pianos.
Certainly there are players who question the usefulness of these products and wonder whether any kind of humidification is a good idea for string instruments, in terms of avoiding cracks. Humidifying an instrument in its case may be unnecessary except in extremely dry environments. It's conceivable that too much humidity could cause problems with insects and otherwise damage the wood. The constant changing of the moisture content of the wood can't be good for the instrument; if the maker has selected well seasoned wood, the best thing to do is let the instrument adjust to the prevailing humidity or lack thereof.
For example: like Italy, Los Angeles is classed as a Mediterranean clime by geologists. Violins sound better in L.A. then they do in the humidity of NYC, but players often don't have any problems- or use humidifiers. Dryness may be good for fiddles - avoiding extremes, of course.
(7) How do I replace a string? See:
How to Change a Violin String, (free video)
How to change violin/viola strings, (written instructions)
How to String a Violin, Music Education Online
(8) Rosin: Most new violin outfits are provided with a cake of rosin. Take this out of the case and scratch the top of the cake of rosin lightly (first time only) with a pin, to get it started. Rosin the bow hair liberally, from tip to frog, and dust off the excess. Rosin is needed to "catch" the strings; a new violin will not play without rosin on the bow.
Sometimes new players confuse "hair" with "strings." Strings are the E-A-D-G on the violin, which one tunes (or A-D-G-C on the viola - the viola is a fifth lower than the violin); "hair" is bow hair. [See: Tuning Instructions, below.]
Note that in order to prevent the bow stick from being warped, it is very important to remember to loosen the hair (with the end adjuster) before you put the instrument away, and then tighten the bow hair again when you play. Hair should be about a fingertip width between the stick and the hair.
Three of the most popular brands of rosin are as follows:
(9) Strings: Many students start their study of the violin with a so-called "student" outfit. To improve the sound of this instrumnent, a better set of strings (Dominants, for example, versus the metal strings usually shipped on the cheaper instruments), and some better rosin (such as Hill), is recommended.
Strings are usually available in Weich, Medium and Stark: Yielding, Medium, and Strong (respectively, lower, medium, and high tension). I always order the "Medium."
How often you change your strings depends on how much you play. Students should probably try to change their strings every year; professionals who play a great deal, every six months, or sooner. Always change a string if it begins to sound dull or begins to unravel.
Regarding ball-end and loop-end strings:
 Ball-end strings can work either with a tailpiece slot or with a tuner. Which is appropriate depends on the material of the string. Synthetic core strings are meant to be used without a fine-tuner, most metal-core strings meant to be used with one.
Loop-end E-strings work only with a tuner designed for loop-end E strings. Ball-end E-strings work either with a tuner designed for ball-end strings or (usually? always?) with a loop-end tuner if you take the ball out.
Gut core strings generally end in a knot and loop of gut, but this is not designed to be used with a fine tuner.
I think it may be accurate to say that the Dominants are the most purchased strings, followed perhaps by the Evah Pirazzi;
players frequently choose a different E-string from the one that comes in a set with the other strings they use. In the viola world, for the past several years, it seems to be Dominants, followed by Obligatos. I use the Pirazzi's on both my violins and violas; they sound rich and warm to me. I don't use a different E string on the violins.
The steel strings are frequently fitted on the so-called "student" instruments, and also by "fiddle" players. However,
most Celtic fiddlers prefer synthetic core strings. Steel core is an "old-time" fiddle thing -- they like the brightness. It may even be more an Appalachian old-time than a New England
old-time (contra) thing.
Some kinds of steel-core strings (with a steel rope or similar core rather than a plain steel wire as core) are intended for classical playing and do not have the extremely bright "steel" sound (e.g., Helicore). They are more popular on viola and (especially) on cello than on violin. They are also suitable for electric instruments with magnetic pickups (as are the
plain-steel core strings, depending on what sound is required).
The better sounding strings are wound aluminum over perlon, which is a synthetic, which replace the old gut strings used in baroque instruments. Gut strings are still available for baroque instruments and sold as the Corelli brand or (better) hand made by Damian Dlugolecki.
(10) Set-up: Violin bridges have a flat side and a rounded ("belly") side. [See closeup photograph, below.] The "belly" side needs to face the scroll. Loosen the strings and set the feet of the bridge between the nicks in the F holes, with, as mentioned, the rounded side of the bridge facing the scroll and fingerboard. Make sure the bridge is straight up and down, at right angles to the top of the instrument, and not tilted in either direction.
"Belly" side should face toward the scroll.
Sometimes, (though rarely), a bridge will break. So I keep an adjustable bridge in my case:
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Though one can purchase bridges, pegs and soundpost setters online, these tasks should really be left to a luthier who has the equipment, training and experience to do the job correctly.
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(11) Tuning Instructions: Tuning an instrument takes some skill and usually the teacher will help with this.
On a violin, the strings are E, A, D and G, as indicated on the treble staff, below. Click on the banner graphic for a free online tuner. For further help with where the notes are on the violin, please see Violin Fingerboard Chart.
Free Online Tuner - for Violin, Viola and Guitar
The A is 440, which is the international pitch standard. This is the A above middle C on a keyboard (assuming the keyboard is in tune). One can also purchase a pitch pipe or chromatic tuner. The chromatic tuner is a recommended choice, as the tuner will indicate whether the pitch is too high or too low.
Note: A matched set of string fittings includes the pegs, chinrest, tailpiece and end button. The only items you might replace yourself are the chinrest and tailpiece; replacing of the end button and pegs requires the services of a luthier to fit them properly.
(12) My pegs are not working right; how do I fix them
If your pegs are not sticking, you can gently try to press them inward toward the peg box. But don't force them. Sometimes players put pencil lead or chalk on the peg to make it stick, but the best way is to use peg drops or peg dope:
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