Violin For Children – Evaluate Sizing, Quality And Price To Get The Best Violin For Your Child
Finding the right violin for children can be a challenge but there are some guidelines you can follow to make it easier and ensure that you get the best violin for your child’s age and level of achievement. This article shares all the basic considerations you will need to get your child up and running with the violin.
Sizing A Violin For Children
Violins come in different sizes and are sized to the child based on arm length and finger length. Quality is also an issue as you’ll want a violin that produces a nice tone but as a beginning violinist you certainly don’t need a Stradovarius. Another consideration is buying versus renting. Since kids grow at different rates, a child will invariably outgrow his or her rent to own violin at some point. Having a strategy in place that anticipates this occurrence will lead to less stress and confusion down the road.
Violins are available in different sizes known as fractional sizes. Typically the sizes are expressed as fourths or 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4 or full size. This is a great advantage for the beginning violin student as they have the option of learning on a proportionally appropriate instrument that can be exchanged for a larger size as the child grows. This makes it much easier to learn proper basics of holding and playing the violin. Especially for a complete beginner who may be a little intimidated with all the nuances of this instrument.
Choosing A Violin For A Child – Quality vs. Price
When it comes to quality, you’ll want an instrument that produces a nice sound. This doesn’t mean you need to get the top of the line model even though a popular phrase is “get the best you can afford”. A good quality beginners violin in the appropriate size, will have a good tone quality and still be very affordable. One thing to keep in mind is durability since children are a little rougher on their instruments than adults. Finding a violin that is durable and stays in tune are also good keys to getting the right instrument for a child.
You can usually find a local music store that provides a package or means to continually upgrade to larger violins as a child grows. These plans address instrument quality as well since better instruments will be needed as the child’s skill level rises.