When learning to play violin you must make a choice of how you will acquire your instrument and what type it will be. Without a violin at your disposal you cannot play, practice, and improve. The price range on violins is massive. There are several factors you should be aware of when making your decision on a violin that we will discuss in this article.
The three main factors are going to be your experience, budget, and your general love of the violin. Some beginner violins can be purchased so cheaply that renting isn't or doesn't need to be an option for those. You also grow much faster and more noticeably as a beginner, so your choice should reflect that knowledge. There are some who truly love violins and prefer to have high quality violins around their home. These are usually the kinds of violins that could be put on display and bragged about.
Renting is helpful for cases in which you are giving the violin a trial. Sometimes you can't tell if you're going to enjoy doing something until you've had more experience with it. You may also find that you want to see how a new model of violin feels before you buy, when it comes time to switch.
If you are particularly early in your career as a violinist, renting is also suggested. As you gain more skill, you are likely to want to have a higher quality violin that you can work with more effectively. This option is especially for the young who will not only be advancing in skill, but growing in stature to the point where after a while they will no longer be able to comfortably play their instrument, if they bought it. There are stores that you can buy violins from and upgrade as needed, but the terms of those agreements can vary widely.
You really need to buy your violin if you know that you're going to stick with the violin for a long time to come. It is just too much hassle otherwise.
Sometimes you may wish to buy a violin that you won't play very often just because it is such a beautiful instrument. This is usually for people with a true passion for the music and a lot of money to burn. Most have no clue how expensive top of the line violins can be.
If you've decided to buy, you must also be on the look out for a few things when selecting your instrument. It is possible to buy used, this gets you better deals, but you must also have a keener eye when analyzing the instrument. Some used instruments will be in poor condition out of neglect. This is not always the case. They, too, may have just needed to move up to a higher quality of instrument.
If the body is cracked or the wood is warped, that's a violin you should keep your distance from. Make sure everything is properly aligned.