We have striven to have a household full of music and the opportunity to play music since our boys were young. We didn’t push them to start music lessons…but hoped they would. When my oldest son finally decided he wanted to learn the violin, he had already missed the opportunity to start at school. However they were kind enough to lend us one for the school holidays. We only agreed to the loan if my son agreed to have a daily lesson from me for the 2 weeks, at the end of the holidays we took it back and he played them a little something and they were offered to take him as a late entry to the programme. I went out and bought him a facebook violin (it was a violin strung as a viola and needed a bit of love) – importantly he decided he wanted to learn himself!
I had hopes of us playing duets into the night and helping him along with at home lessons….all hopes dashed when he realised I’m not cool enough c’est la vie.
He was getting close to high school and to help his transition (as we went to an out of area primary school) we stumbled across Mansfield Musicworx. It was a great way to get him used to going to Mansfield High School as the lessons are on site. We soon discovered the music teachers have a connection to the high school (duh!) and so in addition to his regular school group lessons, he had one on one lessons that were complimentary to it, with the odd bit of communication between the teachers to keep him developing forward. Musicworx also have solo performance opportunities, which I recon are important to help a musician develop because it’s a near term goal and a bit of pressure too.
Dial forward a few years, with both sons playing the violin, we have discovered Broadwater Road Uniting Church. Worship is something can can really be enhanced by music, and with both contemporary and more traditional services its a nice environment within which to play as well. It’s a bit of pressure with new songs each time, often in challenging keys for young (and old) fingers alike. One of the things that is most serendipitous is seeing the generations mix and in a sense ministering and appreciating each other.
At bit further down the road is the Mt. Gravatt Mens Shed who have a regular jam group going, they seem happy enough to have the boys along on the holidays too. Its good for young boys to see music as a mans pass-time too I reckon! (See them playing with the shedders at Bagpipes and a violin…what could go wrong? )
Best buddies Angus and Matthew…also know as MATGUS, wanted to do a duet together, surprisingly there are somewhat limited opportunities for bagpipers and a violinist to play together.
Both being lovers of celtic music and with the likes of the Barefoot Bagpiper and Fiddler Dan working in the background (Its great when your parents are players of the instruments as well ) the Highland Cathedral was settled on. It’s a haunting light air on the violin and a stirring tattoo favourite for the bagpipers. Its available in lots of keys but they both said the Key of D was about right, its seems violins and bagpipes both have a healthy distain for anything with flats in it!
With a bit of luck the Carina Senior Citizens Association had a concert coming up and were in need of something to rock the zimmer frames and get the wheelchairs rollin’, so they both set about learning it in earnest.
After they both reckoned they knew the piece the first practice together was set. One afternoon in between swims, a Fortnite seesh or two and pizza (no anchovies thanks mum) they started playing together….but only in the most optimistic sense, something didn’t sound quite right. It was put down to the chanter sans pipes not quite sounding right. The chanter is the mouth piece and recorder like bit with the holes in it ( but without the bag and pipes)
A week of so later, after the parents had recovered, they got together with everything in place (and at a decent hour so as to not wake sleeping neighbours) but the sound was even worse. After a bit of detective work it was found that the bagpipes are in fact a B Flat instrument, meaning they are a semitone higher when playing the same written note as the violin. Now we all love a minor second as much as the next person, it brings a bit of tension into a song, but sadly a whole song of minor seconds doesn’t quite work.
Matthew and Angus had three rounds of paper, scissors, rock to see who would have to play in D Flat or E flat at the next practice – which went a whole lot better.
Dial forward to performance day and they were both able to done full regalia including sporran and kilt. They were both pretty interested in wearing the sgian dubh dagger in their socks too…but the parents felt that a violin and a set of bagpipes were quite deadly enough weapons in their hands.
Anyway here is their performance, thanks to Brian’s missus for the recording
Rumour has it they are working towards a special interest badge at Victor Scouts for their efforts
Do you know the story of Goldilocks? It is a little known fact that she was also a violin player…no really its true 😉
What violin did she play, the curious amongst you might ask? Well all I can say is it was not too cheap, but not too expensive….it was just right. Just right for her that is.
As a beginning player, her mum couldn’t bear the thought of a cheap tinny instrument being played around the house, nor did she have the money for an expensive European instrument when she wasn’t sure if Goldilocks was going to keep learning.
On her violin were not the cheapest of strings – which can hurt the ears, but neither were they the expensive solosists strings …that would amplify every falw in her beginners technique.
Her bow was neither too soft so she could get decent tone out of the instrument, nor to capriccios as an expensive pernambucco bow would be skittering around as she was just learning how to handle a bow.…its was somewhere in the middle
The case itself also was just right…tough enough to handle the every day rigours of heading off to her friends grandma’s place for lessons. Her friend wore a red riding hood…you might know her. But also the case was not so expensive as to cost more than the violin as well.
So when you are next in the market for a violin, keep in mind your ideal Goldilocks violin. Watch out for stores that will frame their products ranging from expensive to very expensive and try to find something that will suit you. Remember a quality well cared for violin will hold its value into the future, just change your violin according to your needs as you grow.
The Arco violin is the entry level instrument for Animato violins on Brisbane’s Northside and mail order superstars. Its their house brand and has changed a bit over the years. I’ve even seen an Arco II that would put a Gliga to shame with the timbers on it. The Arco violin is a solid little performer, the wood are a dark stained attractive appearance and the running gear is quality.
While the woods don’t look all that flash, the proof is in the sound and for a starter instrument the tone on it has really surprised me. Dietrich, Animato Strings owner takes pride in his instruments and I think the selection of this instrument is a testament to ensuring that even if you only have a little bit of money to spend on a violin it’ll still sound OK.
I see quite a few Arco violins of all sizes, but mostly in the smaller sizes, as its priced for a first instrument. Most beginners are young and thus on the smaller sizes when they start. Nothing goes wrong with these guys except for misadventure. I think I’ve only had one needing a fingerboard reglue…which was more a reflection of the product testing my son gave his Arco violin instruments in the early years, than the violin itself 😉
One of the silver linings from COVID is it can bring people together. Here is a wonderful blog from Lara, just on the other side of the Pacific. Her inspirational prose caught my eye on facebook and she was kind enough to followup with her story …thankyou Lara you’re a treasure.
You can’t fix people, But you can fix violins, And the people can play the violins And that can fix them! So… SAME THING!
Lara J. 2021
Love of my Life
by Lara J
I’m a late bloomer, or just plain late, I’m not sure which. There have been a few great loves in my life, but the best ones seemed to be reserved for me to enjoy after I could make a passel of youthful mistakes and bad decisions, trial runs at things that seemed like good decisions at the time, and other sundry follies of youth. Better late than never, they say, and maybe I was supposed to mature enough to truly appreciate the gifts that were coming my way.
The biggest love of my life is my daughter, who didn’t come into my life until my 30’s. The second is my wonderful partner Mark, who I met at 50! The third great love of my life is violins. I have to use the plural form of the word, because I can’t imagine just having one violin. I didn’t know this happy addiction was approaching me. It sneaked up from behind on me, to be honest. I didn’t get bitten by the violin bug until my mid 50’s, and it’s hard to believe it’s only been a year plus a couple of months since that happened.
It was smack in the middle of 2020, which needs no explanation, as a year to remember. In a moment of desperation to get my mind off of politics and the pandemic, I scrolled through YouTube and happened upon the videos of Ask Olaf the Violin Maker. I watched one, and was intrigued. I watched another, and was entranced. I watched another, and another, and another, until I had binge watched them all. Suddenly I wanted to fix violins. I wanted to play violins. I had to have a violin. I would like to blame (and thank) Olaf, but I think it might have been in the back of my mind for a long time, and just needed the right catalyst. I still blame him, and thank him.
Since then I have bought or been given well over a dozen violins in various states of disrepair, and learned how to repair them. I taught myself by watching as many different luthier-made videos as I could find on YouTube, reading articles on the internet, scrolling through the violin forums, and just doing it. I prayed a lot when working on my first violin. I was so nervous, I was shaking. It ended up being a success, and that hooked me. I wouldn’t say it’s easy, and I definitely learned where the phrase “fiddle with it” came from, because it seemed I could keep tweaking things forever on each violin I worked on. Good sound was the most important thing to me, but I am also a visual artist, so it had to look nice.
Like Oprah with her cars, I found so much happiness with violins I wanted others to have them. You get a violin! You get a violin! You too! I parted with the ones I could part with, giving some to family members, some to a school, and one to an animal shelter auction. I haven’t sold any yet, but I may. I still have more violins than I probably should. They each have a different voice, and I love them all like they are my children. If I don’t play one of them in a reasonable amount of time, I miss it, and feel that joy of reaching for it again when I do.
I know I’m still a beginner. I’m a hobbyist, not a luthier. I still have a lot to learn about violin repair. I’m practicing my playing every day, too, and improving constantly, but I’m no Hilary Hahn. I’m aiming for it, though! But the point is that I love it tremendously, and I get so much joy out of it, that I thank God every day I get to wake up and play.
My facebook friends know what has happened to me. They tag me in violin videos and photos. I love them for it. One of my friends recently tagged me in a photo of beautiful old violins that needed repair, and I commented how I wanted to fix them! Then I told him it made me think of an advertisement for a violin shop. It would go like this:
One of the instruments I see a lot of are the Arioso violins, so here is a review. Its a popular instrument in Brisbane and I suspect what a lot of string teachers recommend. For $400 you get a lot of instrument (tonally and quality), of course add on spare strings and a shoulder pad and its closer to $500 though.
Mostly I see them as 3/4, as they are a step up from the entry level instrument you get your child when they are on a 1/2 size and not sure they are going to continue. Then by the time they are on a full size instrument they are ready for something quite a bit better (product placement see my new and preloved fullsize ). Having said all that they are great for a complete beginner regardless of size.
The Arioso violin (Simply for Strings instrument) is a nice looking instrument that comes in a variety of finishes from that classic Amber colour through to a darker stained antique look sold more recently. It fitted with quality ebony running gear, wittner style self adjusters and D’addario Prelude strings. These strings are a good match if you are just starting, but a bit underpowered otherwise. They are steel strings, so an upgrade of these to a synthetic core as your playing develops helps the violin keep pace with you (Thomastik Alphayu are what I refit them with usually, or perhaps Tonicas). I have seen Evah Pirazzi strings fitted to these violins, at $180 a set I think thats like Ferrari tires on a Hyundai though. Matching the strings to the instrument and player saves money and/or gets the most from the instrument and player (See my Violin String Selection Guide)
Nothing really goes wrong with these instruments, apart from misadventure at the hands of your 10yr old 😉 I see a few with some weakness around the end pin, so if you are in the market for one second hand check for a small split on the side timbers near the end pin (its not uncommon in young wood used in student instruments that is not all that seasoned) or an end pin pushed in too hard when made or dropped on. A small split here is cosmetic, but hiding behind that might be an issue with the internal end block, a tell tale sign is the angle of the end pin has been pulled up ( as there is a lot of tension from the strings pulling upwards).
A look inside an Arioso (see the inside $400 violin) shows why his might be so. To make a violin that sounds this good at this price some compromises need to be made, and usually thats where you can’t see it, there might be cleats to help the fit of the back, the end block’s been drilled out a bit quick and split, internal pieces might not quite fit together. The bass bar is carved, rather than fitted as seperate, which can be a strength and tone issue. But hey if you want all this, then you are paying for a master maker and need to spend quite a bit more.
Usually when an Arioso comes my way it needs some love, a string change, minor bridge work (or replacement), peg service, lubing the fine tuners, removing a few years of rosin and attending to any cosmetic chips and scratches. Pride and care in an instrument comes from playing one that looks good, your youngun needs something that looks nice and takes pride in it. The bow where needed is serviced or replaced too.
I tend to sell serviced Arioso from $150 up to around $250 mostly in 3/4 size depending on condition and new parts added. One of the nice things about an older secondhand instrument is the tone woods have had time to season a few more years and be played in a bit more – they actually sound better than new! (have a listen to a new and secondhand Montanari instrument sound comparison )
DISCLAIMER: I have no financial relationship with SFS
Calling all lonely violins sitting in Brisbane cupboards. I’ve been servicing/fixing up student violins ready for the next family. But I always need a few more , all sizes ! So if you have a violin in your cupboard just keeping the spiders company; or are upgrading, are interested in selling your violin in Brisbane , I’m interested and can give you a few $$$ too.
Its also a chance to contribute to reduce-reuse-recycle locally, help another Brisbane family along their journey and help fiddler dan be a sustainable enterprise too!
I prefer violins that are playable, but can always use the really neglected as organ donors, to get another one on its feet. Well known brands are preferred but will look at anything. I can usually offer something reasonable, depending what I have to do to get it up to scratch again.
I particularly enjoy bringing an old violin back to life – sometimes the cost is close to the value of the instrument though 🙁
So get in contact and and send photos! Then you can come by the shop, I might be able to visit you…or you can drop it in the post. Violins are so light they only cost $10 to post Auspost (by weight) ..sometimes Auspost want “cube it” which is $20. It include insurance and most cases are protective enough for the journey with a bit of extra bubble wrap inside. I pay the agreed price on delivery
I have lost count of the times I have been servicing a $300 instrument only to find $180 strings on it, because that was what some music store (or cough teacher) recommended. I know why they recommended it of course the % markup on strings is pretty low, so if you can sell an expensive set you are more likely to cover your transaction costs.
But is not really a good match for the violin or likely the player, It’s a bit like putting racing tires on a Hyundai Excel or a donning Tuxedo to go water skiing… looks great, but not really fit for purpose. In fact for a beginning student expensive string may make them sound worse…amplifying every technique imperfection.
There are literally hundreds of violin strings on the market today and you can buy them all in Brisbane, with great variation between them in tonal properties, projection and durability. Yes they are expensive, why can’t they be like guitar strings at $20 a set you ask? Its all in the construction, and perhaps to the premium of playing a classical instrument?
So what do I recommend? Here are some thoughts…
Steel strings…
Steel strings – everyone wants them on a guitar , but on a violin they don’t sound the best. Probably this is because the modes of vibration, don’t get the delicious upper order harmonics nor the rich fat lows. But on smaller instruments where the string length is shorter, so they are not so tight its not too bad and so are a good match for beginners. The tone on smaller violins tends not to be stradivarius quality, as they re generally cheaper instruments only used for 6 months or so so expensive strings are a bit of overkill. I like the Clarion Silver Strings, with a multi stranded steel core and last a longer time. So a good match up even on 3/4 size instruments, if its your first instrument and your just starting out ~$25 a set too they are easy on the pocket.
Filament cores…not cat gut
Filament cores are the modern equivalent of traditional gut strings (which were never made from cats), but without the challenges of humidity, tuning and generally better sound projection (pursuits have at me in the comments section if you will)
What to choose – Basics
By the time you are on a 3/4 or 4/4 instrument though you will probably want something better than steel, to reflect a better instrument and also to reflect you developing tone production abilities.
Thomastik Alphayue come in around $50 and then Pirastro Tonicas at ~$65 and are a good choice here. In fact Tonicas will do you well into your third grade of playing and beyond.
From here though what string you use starts to depending on you as a player, your violin (especially if its electric) and the kind of music you play. Thomastik Dominants have been around forever, and are a mainstay of quite a few professional and amateur violists alike , at ~$100 treat yourself to solid performer perhaps?
The above strings are what I tend to keep in stock for setting up instruments new and preloved, though I can order in anything my Brisbane violin customers want as well.
Stepping up
Pirastro Violino (~$80) can bring down a hard edged new instrument a bit and for the more serious Pirastro Obligatos ($175) can bring out some rich dark tones, Larsen Tzigane(~$120) are another option in this regard for some really chewy tone.
If you want a bit more brilliance and projection go for Evah Pirazzi Strings ($165) or newcomer Warchal Brilliants (~$120 ), pronounced as Varkal if you want to sound sophisticated at the till ( the V and W sounds are substituted in some European countries). There are also the Thomastik Infeld Red and Blue (~$130), designed to mix and match to get the right string for your violin across the 2 sets (and give you something sophisticated to talk about – like you are discussing fine red wines).
Durability
Strings can last anywhere from 6 months to a year depending on how much you play them, yes many will keep going long after that but they tend to lose their “magic”. Evah Pirazzi’s for example are a favourite soloist string but are infamous for not keeping their zing all that long (3 months some people recon). String lose their sound so slowly you may not even notice it till you put a fresh set on and then “wow these are the best strings ever”.
When to change
I usually have a set of what I want to try next in my violin case. When the first string goes (breaks or gets ‘fuzzy’) and change it only and maybe wait till the second one goes before I give in and put them all on.
Strings tend to go better with their own kind , I suspect this is because all the strings resonate sympathetically to the one being played, though often people might have an E string they prefer (especially if you have a wolf note – you’ll want the patented Amber E from Warchal)
Most often its the A string that goes first, up near the fingers, there is something about its winding and finger sweat that does mix. On student violins its often the E string – as a victim of over enthusiastic tuning …ping!!!
Simply for Strings in Brisbane Northside runs a programme every year called Stringtember, with a modest discount on all strings. It’s as good a reminder as any to change your strings. I suspect they chose September because it is the quietest time of the year in the trade (except possibly week 3 of term 1 ) so it makes sense to drum up business..and hey while you are here look at these lovely instruments 😉 As for me its when I catch up on all my backlog of instrument renovation getting ready for the December rush.
So your spending anywhere from $60 – $160 a year on strings, it sound like a lot but remember thats just the cost of a few violin lessons. Strings are what make the sound and are only cents per day, so get over it and treat yourself and your violin.
Experimenting with sound
Here are some violin string tonal charts. I like this one from violin string review the most, because its multi brand, and you can read loads of crowd sourced reviews of strings here as well. To help you decide to drop you $$ on. It can feed your confirmation bias on what you think you want , or help you discover something new.
Violin Strings Brisbane – a guide : Image courtesy of ViolinStringGuide.com
Hear loads of strings being played on the same instrument and discussed (Courtesy of whitehorsemusic.com.au in Sydney)
At some stage in a violinists journey there is the thought of going electric, wether it is the dream of being the next Jimi Hendrix on violin, or wanting to be able to practice quietly, or something in between like Lindsay Sterling (my sons favourite violinist). There are plenty available to buy from the really cheap to the really expensive. I’ve certainly had a dabble with them over the years (see my violins) where mostly its been a suck it and see approach. In the early years I’ve been disappointed by pickups (until I learnt about impedance matching and preamps much later that is).
These days I prefer a mic attached to my violin and a multi effects pedal for most things. Of course thats not always a good fit, if you diving into the more enthusiastic genres where it gets loud, the wonderful resonant cavity that is a violin is a breeding ground for un controllable feedback. in such a case a solid body electric is the way to go.
I thought about making a video about it all, and then discovered Karin from just down the road (well the Gold Coast isn’t all that far from Brisbane) has been there and done that. As a gigging musician diving into several genres through Casablanca Sounds she has an acoustic, semi acoustic and electric ready to select for any occasion. She recorded this video which talks us through them all…enjoy…and thanks for sharing Karin 🙂
This is her in action recently too…music not gymnastics…love it!
Chances are if you’re reading this then you are in the market for a secondhand violin maybe on facebook or gumtree and why not a secondhand violin can be better than new . While I hope you’ll come and checkout what I have on offer ( and why you might buy a preloved violin from me), here is a dozen or so tips if your going to get one yourself on gumtree or facebook!
Chances are you’ll do OK, most people are pretty straight-up and honest about what they have, but they don’t actually know themselves and there is the odd bit of firewood out there masquerading as a violin. So here is my dozen or so tips on what to look out for
1. Bow – does it have more hair than me – these guys wear out. does it have the reverse curve
2. Case – scruffy is OK, structurally unsound..not Ok.
3. Open seams – fixable..but probably not by you
4. Body cracks – likely needs opening up…an expensive fix and probably not worth it
5. Endpin cracks – might be superficial…might not
6. peg action and cracks – sticky or sloppy pegs, eliptical pegs, cracks in the peg box
7. Bridge – bent? at the wrong height, badly fitted
8. Action – strings low enough to be easy to play – but not buzzing
9. Chips – cosmetic usually – but can lead to splitting down the track…get them seen too!
10. Strings – only last a year, still work after than but might be fuzzy, nt hold a note and sound not very good
11. Brand – google the brand (inside the f hole) give you an idea of if its reputable
12. Price when new. How much do you need to spend well google it. I recon about $300 + $100 per year of playing I recon is about right.
If you can have play it, and bring along another similar violin for comparison of sound (acoustics can change the sound dramatically) that will help too.
Finally don’t be afraid to ask the seller about the provenance, that is where they got it and how long they have had it . They might be embarrassed to say its third hand (but shouldn’t be), if it hasn’t seen the inside of a violin shop in a while though make sure to give it some love.
Here’s a one take video version of the above, if you have 5min or so of your life to lose. Its not fancey but you might find it helpful.
