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.
N.B. Hire places do not usually supply a shoulder rest with their “kits” for hygiene reasons. It isn’t optional, though – you absolutely need one. The “Kun” rest is a good one to start with.
Make sure your case fits your shoulder rest! Some of the small cases aren’t designed to hold one internally.
The “bow buddy” is not essential, but is definitely recommended to help your budding violinist hold the bow correctly. This is a surprisingly tricky skill to master. The thing is essentially a jig that attaches to the bow to guide the fingers to the correct grip.
There is a (cheaper) alternative called the “stringvision bow grip”. I’m less familiar with it personally, but it has its fans.
Google “bow buddy” or “stringvision bow grip” for retail options. They fit any sized bow.
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.
A note on “servicing”
Some hire places offer to periodically service a hired instrument. This is usually a clean and a check for problems. Much like servicing a car, it usually does not include parts such as broken strings or bow hair.
Strings do break now and then but it’s not something that happens frequently in normal use. The replacement cost for a small violin string is usually only about $10.
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/