Last week I had a visitor to my workshop, a friend from childhood actually. Back in the last century (thats sounds old doesn’t it) we shared the front desk of Pat Mallon’s Mt. Gravatt Area String Orchestra together. After school I went on to pursue a career in Physics (and other things) and Timo went to the Conservatorium of Music to study Violin.
We kinda lost touch….until one day at my sons first violin concert they were playing Wallaby Hop by Timo Jarvela. Now I don’t know too many Jarvela’s and in due course discovered it was the same person, now a prominent area violin teacher on Brisbane’s Northside and composer too and got in contact.
Timo started his musical journey in Mansfield, in his early days having to cycle from Mansfield Primary to another school for his violin lessons, and was one of half a dozen or so violin students at Mansfield State High School, which now has 5 string orchestral groups, and something like 800 people across the entire instrumental music programme.
Dan (L) and Timo (R), an early performance. Image P. Mallon
Timo shared a little of his journey to composing, which started with writing for his own students, requests from other teachers..before he bit the bullet and started publishing with his wife through Laker Music! I quite like his compositions and my kids have enjoyed playing them.
Timo gave me some insights into the process. Its a heady mix of the uniqueness of the Australian music instruction in schools, and finding the right mix with a limited et of notes and rhythms for each level of progression as students develop. I also quite like his approach in “Tricky Fingers”, it develops a students abilities progressively. It achieves this by starting with just the left hand , building ability through reading, fingering and muscular development through left hand pizzicato, then introducing the bow and the fingers down on strings .
The skill acquisition scientist in me thinks this is great, Also it comes with backing tracks online so you can (with the teachers guide) be largely self taught. Checkout out Timo’s compositions here We also had a good chat about violin brands that come and go, some of the secrecy around luthierin, high street shops, and helping parents support their children without breaking the bank.
Love your work Timo…. I look forward to our next catchup
Parents often come to me clutching a teacher preferred violin list and can I sell them the exact brand from the list…and of course for a good price. Why do teachers have a preferred list?
Firstly teachers know the whats best for your violin student and the teacher preferred violin list is a part of making sure they have a good instrument that is right for their student for that stage of their learning journey. Its also done in desperation, because they have seen a few to many ALDI blue violins and Ebay cheapies in their time. As a parent if you knew violins you wouldn’t buy these..but you don’t know and they look like they have everything and the price it good…but they are often sub standard instruments for learning on. See my guide on internet violins for more thoughts on this.
If your learning violin in a group lesson, such as at a state school there isn’t a lot of time week to week, let alone for instrument selection, this is where a preferred instrument list really shines. If you have individual tuition, such as at a private school or with a teacher outside of school there is room for more conversation to get a good instrument. in fact i am often contacted by private violin teachers hunting for a good value instrument for their student.
So what makes “the list” ? well generally they need to sound OK, be reasonable priced and also be widely available in shops at the moment. So , depending on the teacher you will see Enrico, Arioso, Arco, Gliga and a few others (that are commonly stocked in stores) listed – or they might say anything from the XXX store. Brisbane has most of the popular national brands, but not all of them so there are a few that you won’t see, like the Kreisler from the Sydney String Store and the Glanville family of makers . The other thing about these instruments are they are usually setup well, thats is the bridge height, fingerboard and nut heights are all good, pegs greased so they turn without getting stuck. All violins, these ones included, need to be ‘setup’ to be playable, an ebay or ALDi instrument isn’t and I suspect this is what the teacher is most concerned about…as well as the quality of the build.
Secondly there is also the *dark side* of the musical instrument business, where teachers receive an undeclared commission or gifts from music stores(2Set violin have a nice video about this) . This is more common on the expensive violins and is a practice that might be fading, but its definitely a factor.
As you get to be a more advanced violin student, it can take a lot of time to find the instrument that is right for you…and usually won’t be a list instrument…but thats a story for another day.
I sometimes pick up antique violin cases from the fabulous Animato strings on Brisbane’s Northside. They usually come via old European instruments, sourced and hand picked from attic’s all over Europe as they make make their way to Dietrich, who specialises in fine one of a kind European instruments.
The cases while potentially beautiful, need quite a lot of work to get them up to standard for the exterior and interior, and they come less protective of a violin than their modern counterparts. All up they take around 20hours to get them up to scratch ( Antique cases ) and make a fun project, but you need a lot of different skills to get them there, so are not for the average punter. Hence you can buy them quite inexpensively for around $30
This beauty is a timber finish on the outside and felt on the inside and made a good project for my 11yr old. First up the outside is sanded and repainted (we like Danish oil which is a fine furniture timber finish), is a combination of tung oil – which gets in deep and a urethane for the surface and surface protection.
Inside the felt and lining frames need to be taken out. Then we add a frame near the neck to give the case some more rigidity (this makes sure it closes properly by reducing flex) and gives somewhere to attach the neck support later on too. matthew also replaced the rosin box and added some frame elements for the bow spinners to screw into. Then we put down a layer of polar fleece for padding. We lined the sides with EVA foam , this is a closed cell foam, which gives good protection. Next up is the velvet, Matthew favourite colour is green and a quick trip to Spotlight Haberdashery gets us a meter. Then we add the bow spinners. Finally some Velcro goes onto the neck and we add the foam pads for the suspension elements, so the violin floats on its frame rather than resting on the lower table. The tolerances are really fine here , as these cases weren’t made quite height enough to accomodate this, so it s a bit of fiddle with foam thicknesses to get it right .
It’s a lovely compliment to Matthews European Gliga violin, and something he can show off at school and his scout group (this was a special interest badge he did). What I like most is seeing his pride in the work and instrument it houses, my hope is to continue to foster a love of all things violin as he grows up.
Its taken a while but finally got around to hanging my shingle out. It’s a surprisingly difficult thing to do, in a world of anonymity, to put a mark in the dirt and put yourself forward in my village. I’d like to thank all the neighbourhood for their hand in it. Grant on the ivories just around the corner who hung his Grub Mountain studios out 20 years ago, and never looked back, BP Laser down the street who custom cut the sign out for me, Glen around the corner who I bounced a lot of ideas off, Dave, Ross and Dwight – luthiers of violin and guitar who said have a go, John a former music store owner for the encouragement and all the blokes at the Mt. Gravatt mens shed with centuries of wisdom.
Special thanks to wholesalers Chris, James, Max & Andrew and who have trusted me with their brands and taken a punt.
I caught up with near neighbour Grant recently, someone who’s been hanging his music shingle out for a bit longer than me ..like 20 years. Grant is an accomplished piano player and teacher…with a pretty full book of students. His real passion I think is composing for which he has quite the setup down his Grub Mountain Music Studio. Grants compositions appear in the current AMEB piano syllabus as well…which is seriously impressive!! He also has a violin tucked away in the corner…talk about multi talented.
I was privileged to be able to hear a little of the Sonata he has been composing for the last little while. Sonatas are classical in form, but you can hear his other influences coming through. We didn’t quite get around to the coffee…sometimes music is more sustaining I think?
Anyway its finally finished and lovely to listen to.
I can’t imagine the journey towards and the process of undertaking such . Here are Grants reflections on the creation process of the Sonata
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
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 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)
