Unlocking your full prowess as a musician can take years of learning, practice, and struggle. That’s why many professionals recommend beginners start building their musical talents from an early age. After all, youth is the ideal period for learning anything, allowing you to advance through your desired industry in the fresh days of your career.
One challenging instrument that proves this principle is the king of orchestras, the violin. Any professional violinist will tell you how much effort they had to put in to get where they are today. So if you’re looking to tune your child for violin classes, you need the most suitable violin on the market to suit their needs.
We’ll spare you the trouble of consulting salesmen as we give you the demo on playing the violin for beginners and how you can find the perfect violin for your kid today.
What To Consider When Choosing A Violin For Beginners?
Naturally, a parent with sufficient experience with violins will know more about choosing the right instrument for a beginner than a regular parent.
The right violin can help students improve with minimum difficulty, while the wrong one can discourage them and waste their money in the progress.
The most expensive choice isn’t necessarily the best choice. Let’s look at the significant factors that come into play when picking your child’s first instrument.
Age Of The Violin Student
Just as poor craftsmen blame their tools, demotivated students can blame their instruments. You have to be sure if your child is ready for violin lessons and at what level they should start. If you’re unsure about this part, consider getting in touch with a professional with sufficient experience teaching kids the violin.
First, you should determine if your kid is genuinely excited about this hobby. Children tend to be impulsive, so if they’re being forced to do something they don’t want to, they’ll take it as more of a chore or nuisance than a passion or responsibility.
Up next, you have to note their age. If your child is still a toddler, you just want them to have fun and react to the colorful sounds a violin can make. You can probably just buy them a toy violin and let them play around with it.
Once they reach beginner’s age, you can introduce them to a real violin. This can be a wooden model with a plastic peg and chin rest. As your kids improve their musical capabilities, you can upgrade their instrument so it adds more to their overall experience. When they are old enough to play beyond student roles, they’ll need a professional violin with high-quality craftsmanship and projection.
Size Of The Violin
Like most instruments, violins come in various shapes and sizes, and picking the right one is crucial for any beginner. If it’s too large or heavy for your child, it’ll be difficult to play with, but if it’s too small, it’ll be outgrown in a matter of months.
You need to understand the sizes practically and rack them up with your child’s requirements.
You can try to measure your child’s total arm length to determine which violin size would best fit their comfort.
The youngest children of 3- 5 years old are comfortable with a 1/16-sized violin, while teens or anyone more aged can efficiently perform on a 7/8-sized. The ideal weight of a starting violin can be anything under 3 pounds.
Of course, children can often hit growth sprouts which could cause you to take the measurements and pick a new violin all over again. This is why we highly recommend consulting a violin expert on this matter, like your kid’s tutor. Superprof can provide top-class tutors to help anyone reach their peak excellence in any instrument. Hire a tutor today to play the perfect strings for your child’s future.
Violin Material
A violin’s craftsmanship goes pretty deep. A modern one is built by putting together at least 70 pieces of wood. The materials used for the strings, pegs, and other parts add to the quality of the instrument and the sound it produces. Consequently, the material decides how effectively the piece of instrument can be used in classes and performances.
Unlike the other factors we’ve discussed, there’re no specific violin materials for beginners. Most beginners play their violins with maple and spruce bodies supporting ebony pegs and fingerboards. Meanwhile, others prefer to play ones with a wooden body with nickel fine tuners.
Of course, the type and quality of wood can vary on each violin component. Most professionals find themselves comfortable with a hardwood neck. At the end of the day, any choice of craft works as long as it’s light on weight and supports an efficient and presentable quality for the instrument.
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Should I Start With Acoustic Or Electric Violin?
By now, you must be wondering which violin is best for beginners. You might be tempted to buy an electric violin since they’re so common among professional musicians, but for a junior violinist, it’s best to stick with the more simplistic choice. An acoustic or classical violin isn’t only more affordable but also easier to use and carry around.
On the other hand, an electric violin can be complicated for a child as it’s a lot less portable and has a higher risk of getting damaged. At a beginner level, you just want students to explore their talents instead of reaching a specific goal, so it’s best to let them walk before you teach them how to run.
That said, if your child finds electric violins more appealing, there’s no harm in letting them have their way. Electric violins carry more features and produce higher-quality music, so they can keep your little guy more engaged in learning.
To sum it up, a classical violin is ideal for a kid, but if that kid is educated and interested enough in the heavier option, electric isn’t the worst choice either. If you still can’t decide, take a professional’s advice. An expert violinist or a violin tutor can give you the best tips for learning this instrument.
Just head over to Superprof and choose from the thousands of tutors ready to help you play. They’ll answer your beginner questions and help your child learn violin at their preferred pace. Find the perfect tutor to find the perfect violin for your child.
What About The Bow?
Despite being an essential part of all violins, the bow is often overlooked in terms of build and quality. However, since the student will constantly be using it to practice their notes, its efficiency is often the most significant. If you’re buying a kids’ violin, you may find that it already comes with a light and easy-to-use bow.
However, if you’re in the market to buy a suitable bow separately, you should know the right materials. Beginner-friendly bows are durable and flexible, as they’re made from Brazilwood, while their hair is noted to have excellent elasticity, thanks to Mongolian horsehair. These materials and features help a child play more smoothly and progressively.
Liking the post so far? You might also like: What are easy songs to teach kids on the violin?
How Can I Teach Myself Violin?
Now that you’ve picked your child’s first violin, it’s time to tune that thing and let them rock their musical talents. It’s always a little daunting to learn the violin. Learning anything takes time, and a violin is no exception.
Fortunately, learning from an early age means your child has time to spare. Whether they’re learning on their own or under a professional coach, they need to be aware of some of the fundamentals of playing the violin. Here’re a couple of key points every junior violinist should know before starting their violin lessons online:
Learn To Hold The Bow And The Violin Correctly
Perhaps one of the most basic violin lessons for beginners is learning to hold the instrument before playing it. There’re specific guidelines for wielding the violin and bow professionally, and you should practice them to save future troubles.
Immerse Yourself In Violinists And Violin Music
If your child is genuinely enthusiastic about this class, they probably know this already. Exposing them to traditional violin pieces is extremely helpful for their learning process.
When they witness the instrument’s power in motion, they’ll be more dedicated to trying new styles and taking their skills to the next level.
If a student doesn’t get a good idea of how a violin is played in the real world, there’s no point in learning the instrument in the first place.
Listen to professional violin pieces, attend orchestral concerts, and practice with other aspiring violinists; do everything you can to make your child fall in love with the potential of this instrument.
If you need more tips on learning the violin, consider hiring a tutor. Superprof provides professional violinists who can give your child the guidelines and the practical exposure they need to rock their skills for actual performance. Don’t waste your time on manuals. Leverage a trainer’s experience to put your own skills to the test.
Taking Care Of Your Violin
As the central accessory of your child’s activity, their violin will need constant care and management. This is a bulky piece of equipment with fragile components, so you must ensure you’re keeping it safe and clean. Here’re some tips to keep in mind:
- Many violins come with a hard case so you can pack your instrument after you’re using it. This is more than just a wrapping material. It protects your violin from collecting dust or direct damage. Use this case to conceal your instrument when it’s not in use.
- A quick wipe before and after your practice sessions and classes won’t hurt anyone. You can use an everyday cloth to clean up any dirt or sweat your instrument may’ve caught. On the other hand, the strings are more fragile, so you’ll need a proper string cleaner to keep them fresh and functional.
- Supervise all the parts regularly. Make sure the bridge and the pegs aren’t out of alignment, and if they are, readjust them with the proper tools and techniques. If your child finds a string broken or not producing a sound like it’s supposed to, have it replaced immediately.
Want To Tune Your First Violin With Superprof?
Well, there you go. It’s honestly not that challenging to find a good violin as long as you know the essential aspects to consider. So what’re you waiting for? Start browsing the markets to pick the perfect gift for your little violinist today.
Oh, wait! Buying a violin is only the first step. You still need an effective way for your child to learn the instrument and develop their skills. Well, your best option for a tutor is already here. Superprof is the ultimate home for students and tutors of all subjects. You can easily find a tutor within your budget! With over 1500 trainers mastering violin lessons alone, there’s no need to look for other options. Start your child’s live or online classes today by signing them up on Superprof.
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