When you or your child decides that the violin is the instrument for them there are a number of items that you will need to buy to start out.There are many accessories available but you will only need 5 or 6 essential items to begin with.
These are the following -
- A violin
- A bow
- A block of rosin
- A shoulder rest
- A set of strings
- A good quality music book
All the items mentioned above can be bought separately but you will often find that the violin will come with the bow, rosin and strings together as a starter pack.
I have found that the best value starter violins can be found at Amazon.
It will depend on your tutor but you may not need the shoulder rest straight away. I usually will start my pupils playing the violin in the 'banjo position' for several weeks. I introduce the bow and shoulder rest later.
My next post will be talking about which size violin to choose but here is a quick guide for those of you wanting to get up and running.
1/4 size violin - ages 6 - 7 Click to Buy
1/2 size violin - ages 8 - 9 Click to Buy
3/4 size violin - ages 10-11 Click to Buy
4/4 (full size) - over 11 years old. Click to Buy
Finally, I want to talk about which music book to buy. Again there are many to consider but this decision is normally taken out of your hands.
Your tutor should tell you which book to buy as each has their own preference.
I personally teach beginners using 'Eta Cohen's Violin Method' books 1 and 2 but that is because these were the books I learnt with.
