What do I need?
Whatever you buy or hire, you will need to make sure it comes with all of the following:
- Essential
- Violin (check that it has four intact strings and no cracks in the wood)
- Bow (check that the hair is clean and has no gaps)
- Violin case (check that it’s intact with no cracks)
- Shoulder rest
- Rosin
- Nice to have (you can purchase these separately)
- Bow Buddy – this isn’t a “must have” but it makes learning to hold the bow correctly much easier for your learner.
Hiring an instrument
Hiring initially is a “low hassle” option as you can simply return it when you’re done or swap it when you’ve outgrown it. There are a number of places in Sydney where you can hire an instrument.
Usually, you get the full “kit” including the instrument, case, bow and rosin.
They do tend to have a limited number of instruments, however.
Arts Unit NSW Instrument Hire
Sydney Strings Instrument Hire
Buying an instrument
Alternatively, you may consider purchasing a new or used instrument. Beginner violins are usually pretty easy to sell when you’re done, so you may come out ahead if you snag a bargain.
Gumtree usually has a few beginner instruments depending on the time of year.
Young kids start out with small violins and tend to grow out of them fairly quickly so it’s not worth over-investing in an expensive instrument as a starter.
Typically, kids in year 1 will start on a 1/8 or a 1/4 size violin depending on how long their arms are, but size matters – measure first!
You can’t go too far wrong with a tiny violin, but as a guide to brands:
- “Stentor” have a decent reputation and are usually reasonably priced
- “Suzuki” are reliable and well made.
Set reasonable expectations – Nothing in this size is going to sound particularly impressive compared with a full-sized violin, particularly at the early stages when we are just learning how to wrangle this unwieldy block of wood.
Having said that, there is a lot of junk out there, so wherever possible try before you buy.
What size violin do I need?
The answer is “it depends” – it’s all about the size of the player. Violins come in a variety of sizes from the tiny 1/16 to the full size. Kids in year 1 will usually be somewhere between a 1/8 and a 1/4.
The hire places will measure you up, but if you’d like to give it a go at home, here’s a handy guide to sizes and measurements:
https://violinspiration.com/what-size-violin-do-you-need/