New violin day!

[Rosie C]

I've played classical viola for a few years - but got increasingly bored with the typical viola parts, with all the good bits of tune going to violin and 'cello. Then I got into folk music, and playing folk tunes meant for violin on viola was just making my life unnecessarily hard, especially as I'm not a particularly good player.

 

So yesterday my viola got chopped in on a violin! I went to the shop expecting to buy a basic acoustic student instrument. But this beasty was up on a high shelf - too high to make out the price tag. But I asked and it was surprisingly affordable. I love its style - a sort of clash between very modern but with hints of the mediaeval. First play I had that instant feeling it was the one I was going to buy. Built-in electric pickup is a bonus and being semi-acoustic it's quiet for practice. 

 

[BigRedX]

That looks very stylish. I like it!

[ezbass]

4 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

That looks very stylish. I like it!

I agree, very nice.

[edstraker123]

I saw a violin with frets on a Facebook video - would love a go on one of those. They seem to be really expensive or quite cheap and nasty so not likely to try one any time soon.

I love the look of this one though and electric so you can add a bit of distortion 😁

[Rosie C]

4 hours ago, edstraker123 said:

I saw a violin with frets on a Facebook video - would love a go on one of those. They seem to be really expensive or quite cheap and nasty so not likely to try one any time soon.

I love the look of this one though and electric so you can add a bit of distortion 😁

 

Exactly! I have an Orange amp with gain and built in chorus & reverb. Muhahaha! 

 

Frets would certainly save me a lot of grief - I've muscle memory from playing the larger viola, so particularly third-finger notes I'm playing a bit sharp. My double bass has a sneaky strip of electrician's tape across where the fifth fret would be, but I'm going 'cold turkey' with my violin, trying to train my ear.

 

 

 

[Hellzero]

9 hours ago, edstraker123 said:

I love the look of this one though and electric so you can add a bit of distortion

Nash the Slash fan?

[bass_dinger]

On 15/02/2025 at 10:01, Rosie C said:

I've played classical viola for a few years - but got increasingly bored with the typical viola parts, with all the good bits of tune going to violin and 'cello. Then I got into folk music, and playing folk tunes meant for violin on viola was just making my life unnecessarily hard, especially as I'm not a particularly good player.

 

So yesterday my viola got chopped in on a violin! I went to the shop expecting to buy a basic acoustic student instrument. But this beasty was up on a high shelf - too high to make out the price tag. But I asked and it was surprisingly affordable. I love its style - a sort of clash between very modern but with hints of the mediaeval. First play I had that instant feeling it was the one I was going to buy. Built-in electric pickup is a bonus and being semi-acoustic it's quiet for practice. 

 

Did the bridge need any adjustment? 

 

A friend of mine asked me to restring his (much cheaper) electric violin, and I saw that the bridge was not shaped to give a lower action at the A and E side.  I wasn't competent enough to try it myself, so I left him to get a luthier to look at it  - but as it was, it seriously impacted on the intonation. 

 

Violin is the same tuning as your mandolin, I think.  

 

On 17/02/2025 at 09:50, edstraker123 said:

I saw a violin with frets on a Facebook video - would love a go on one of those

I have seen a separate fretted fingerboard "cap" that sits atop a normal violin fingerboard. Worth looking at?

However, it is possible to learn the intonation and the positioning by ear (and practice). Worth getting a teacher too - of all the instruments I have tried, it was the least intuitive.

[Rosie C]

2 hours ago, bass_dinger said:

However, it is possible to learn the intonation and the positioning by ear (and practice). Worth getting a teacher too - of all the instruments I have tried, it was the least intuitive.

 

Yes, this is the route I'm going - practice and ear training. I have a teacher lined up - she does 1:1 lessons and also does group Zoom lessons. First one 5.30 this evening!  

[zbd1960]

On 17/02/2025 at 09:50, edstraker123 said:

I saw a violin with frets on a Facebook video - would love a go on one of those. They seem to be really expensive or quite cheap and nasty so not likely to try one any time soon.

I love the look of this one though and electric so you can add a bit of distortion 😁

Are you sure it wasn't a treble viol (viola da gamba) as they have frets?

 

 

[bass_dinger]

14 hours ago, Rosie C said:

 

Yes, this is the route I'm going - practice and ear training. I have a teacher lined up - she does 1:1 lessons and also does group Zoom lessons. First one 5.30 this evening!  

 

The comment "Worth getting a teacher" was for the benefit of @edstraker123, as someone who hadn't previously tried the violin.

 

So it is interesting that @Rosie C is getting a teacher, even though we know that our friend is a proficient orchestral viola player (violist?), and had therefore used a bow before.  And a mandolin will have given experience of the violin tuning. 

And of course, anyone who can make a recorder sound decent is clearly a musical genius!

 

If @Rosie C needs a teacher, how much more would a beginner like myself!

 

 

[edstraker123]

I did try violin many years ago - it was an engagement present of the Mrs. Suprised she still married me when she heard the horrible scratching sound I made.

[edstraker123]

18 hours ago, zbd1960 said:

Are you sure it wasn't a treble viol (viola da gamba) as they have frets?

This was one of the dearer models I'd seen :

https://www.thomann.co.uk/ns_design_nxt4a_vn_bk_f_fretted_violin.htm?glp=1&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpcWpsKHSiwMV4pFQBh04Owj5EAQYByABEgI5FPD_BwE

 

Just £2000 more than my budget 😁

Edited February 20 by edstraker123

[Rosie C]

1 hour ago, bass_dinger said:

 

The comment "Worth getting a teacher" was for the benefit of @edstraker123, as someone who hadn't previously tried the violin.

 

So it is interesting that @Rosie C is getting a teacher, even though we know that our friend is a proficient orchestral viola player (violist?), and had therefore used a bow before.  And a mandolin will have given experience of the violin tuning. 

And of course, anyone who can make a recorder sound decent is clearly a musical genius!

 

If @Rosie C needs a teacher, how much more would a beginner like myself!

 

 

I would robustly disagree with "musical genius"!  You're right though that the skills from viola & mandolin have the possibility to combine to make for  a really good start on violin. But I have two reasons for getting a teacher - I'm hoping a teacher will help address issues quickly and speed up my progress, especially as our band has some summer gigs that I think would benefit from some fiddle-playing. Also, I've been convinced that folk is better learned by ear from a folk musician rather than from reading dots. My teacher does 1-1 lessons but also hosts group Zoom lessons, which is a nice way to learn and I expect after a few months I'll just do the Zoom sessions.