Electric violins are getting more and more popular with music enthusiast. Unlike an acoustic violin, the electronic one is available in various shapes. Also, the electric kind can be tuned in a number of different ways compared to the sole way of tuning the standard violin. Some have said that choosing to play even just one variety of electric violin means being familiar with the other types the instrument has. Aside from these minor differences, the electric violins are almost similar with their acoustic counterparts.

How Electric Violins come about?

This instrument goes way back to the 1930s. It was during this time that the electric violins first made their appearance and contribution to the jazz and blues music genre. One of the first make of this violin was Bakelite. It was not until the 1950s that Fender stared creating its own line of electric violins. However, the initial design was too bulky; hence, they were not very popular with musicians. Back then, all violins were made of either wood or aluminum.

What are the different Electric Violins types?

1. Solid Electric Violins

As the name implies, a solid electric violin has a solid body that is typically made from Basswood. They are custom carved and some of its parts like chin rest and fingerboard are made of ebony. Usually, a solid type can either be a four or five-string. And when played, these electric steel strings create a very distinct and bright sound.

1. Semi-Hollow Electric Violins

Compared to the first type, the semi-hollow is more lightweight; hence, they can be used by children. In some models, the hollow body of the violin is extremely cut. This way, all the plain parts that were supposed to be placed on either side of the strings are removed.

1. Fancy Electric Violins

They are called fancy because their design deviates from the standard ones. Instead of wood, the body of this type of violin is made up of acrylic and polymer. These materials make the violin appear to be made of glass. Other parts like the fingerboard and tailpiece are also made of the same material.

What sizes can you choose Electric Violins from?

Just like the acoustic violins, electric violins are made in different sizes. The standard size for an adult user is 4/4 but of course, your choice will depend on comfort. Choose a violin that feels the most comfortable when being played. This is important because you’ll be using your violin for a long time. The other sizes are3/4, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/10 and 1/16.

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How can Electric Violins be used?

Usually, electric violins are used to play jazz and blues. But today, bands have been using them in a number of different music genres. Musicians often use a distorter to be able to create a variety of sounds that suits their music.  They also prefer this type because it produces a louder and more distinct music.

Electric violins are a great way to experiment and play around with your music. With their versatility, you can definitely create your own kind of sound.

Are you looking for a worthwhile activity for your kids? Why not enroll them in a violin class? Today, more young people are engaging themselves in different music related activities. And one of the popular activities is studying violins. If you’ve decided to enroll them then the next thing to do is to get kids violin for your young one.

Finding the perfect kids violin for your budding fiddler is critical. This will probably make or break your child’s interest on the activity. Looking for kids violin may prove to be a challenging but if you know what to look for and where, acquiring the best kind of violin will be easier.

Three Ways to Get Kids’ Violin for Your Child

1)      Purchase the violin from a music store.

This is what most parents do. Kids violins are easily available in different music stores. You can even get them from any online shops. However, the selection for this kind of violin is vast so it may be a little overwhelming. To avoid this kind of situation, best be prepared with the brand and style of the kids violin you want.

2)      Get one from rental stores.

When you’re a little low on cash then rental violins are perfect for you. Rental kids violins are available both online and from local music stores. However, this is not very advantageous. In the long run, renting can be very expensive. When you add up all the expenses, you’ll see that it’s more than what a standard violin would’ve cost you. Renting out kids violin is a quick fix but necessarily the best solution.

3)      Borrow the violin from a friend or relative.

If you know someone who owns an old violin that he (or she) is not using anymore then maybe you can borrow it. However, borrowed or hand-me-down violins have their drawbacks. For starters, the kids violin you borrowed may not be in the best condition for your child to use. It can even be out of tune. But if ever the violin is in good playing condition, the size and type may not be suited for your child.

How to Choose the Right Kids’ Violin Size for Your Child

Just like standard violins, kids violins come in different sizes. They come in fourths – 1/4, 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4. The 4/4 is considered the full or adult size. To determine the appropriate size for your kid, you must know his (or her) arm and finger length. So before you go out to buy or rent a violin, you first have to measure your kid.

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You might think that buying the full size violin is practical. After all, your child will eventually outgrow the kids violin so purchasing the adult size will save you money, right? Wrong. Proper sizing is important when learning to play this instrument. It should fit nicely in your arm and rest comfortably on your shoulder. If not, your kid can get discouraged from practicing; hence, you end up wasting more money.

Apart from guitars, violins are probably the most popular kind of string musical instrument. Though studies and researches have been made, the clear origin of the instrument is not yet established. The credit for creating the very first modern violin was given to Andrea Amati. He also founded Cremona School of Violin Making. The very first students to enroll in his school were Bartolomeo Guarneri, Antonio Stradivari and Carlo Bergonzi. Sounds familiar, don’t they? That’s because Amati, Stradivari, Guarneri and Bergonzi are some of the famous antique violin brands in the world.

But if you’re only just starting to learn the instrument, it’s not at all advisable that you use such violin brands. They are expensive and not designed for beginners. Typically, you’d want something that is within your means. Let’s face it, price has a say on our final decision. So to help you start your journey as a fiddler, here are some of the violin brands that are suited for beginners and are sold at a reasonable rate.

Stentor Violins

Amongst all violin brands, Stentor is considered as the best brand for aspiring violinists. It is actually endorsed by different violin schools and teachers. The Stentor Violins are made of durable and sturdy materials; hence, they can endure long usage and rough handling by novice users. This violin also creates a deep and distinct sound so students can easily distinguish the different notes. The Stentor brand is indeed the perfect purchase for any beginner.

Cremona Violins

Another popular brand for beginners is the Cremona Violins. Like other violin brands, Cremona offers a number of designs, sizes and styles that the customers can choose from. This brand is popular because of the violin’s playability. This factor is critical to any violinist especially for newbies. If the violin is hard to play, the tendency is that the students will be discouraged to practice and you wouldn’t want that to happen, right?

Another wonderful feature of a Cremona violin is the better quality of the tailpiece and chinrest installed on the violin. However, unlike other violin brands such as Stentor, the built and material of the Cremona is not as durable. Also, the sounds created by the strings are muted.

Knilling Violins

Similar to the Stentor brand, Knilling is popular with many violin teachers and students. It can even be deemed as one of the leading violin brands in the world. The brand has been making large quantities of beginner friendly violins. Even rental shops use these brands for their business.

However, if you have the resources, don’t rent especially if you plant to pursue this. Renting a violin will prove to be more pricey than buying your own. And besides, there are many affordable violin brands for student fiddlers.

Undoubtedly, price dictates a person’s decision especially if you have limited finances. However, keep in mind that price doesn’t always determine quality. There are different reputable violin brands that offer a wide selection of student-grade violins at an affordable rate. You just need to keep an eye out for them.

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As a would-be violinist, it is not enough that you know how to play and read music notes. You should also be familiar with the different parts of your instrument. This knowledge will prove to be helpful when maintaining your violin. Such a part that you need to be well-versed with is the violin bridge.

Violin Bridge Function

The violin bridge is the element that translates the back and forth movement of the steel strings into an up and down motion. This shift on the strings’ movements causes the vibration that produces the sound you hear from violins. The bridge is also responsible for amplifying the weak, soft sound that the vibration creates. This way, your music can be heard from across the vast concert hall.

Types

Generally, violin bridges come in two types – dark or light. The dark bridge facilitates better transmission of low to very low frequencies of sounds. On the other hand, the light violin bridge is best suited for transmitting high frequency sounds.

Production

Violin bridges are usually deemed as a single unit made out of one material – maple wood. But what most people don’t know is that it has different parts crafted from different kinds of raw material. For example, a standard bridge has a saddle. The saddle is the part of the violin bridge that ‘holds’ the strings. And because the saddle will be in constant contact with the vibrating strings, it has to be made out of sturdy and durable material. It is normally made from ivory, metal or high-density plastic.

Parts

As mentioned, the bridge is not a single element. It has different parts like feet, body and crown.

• Feet: Like humans, the violin bridge has two foot – left and right. One is immobile and the other is not. Obviously, the feet are located at the bottommost section of the bridge. Their primary function is to support the entire bridge from the immense tension of the violin’s steel strings.
• Body: This part of the bridge provides the much needed elevation for the violin’s strings. The violin won’t be able to produce any sound or tone if the strings are not raised to a proper height. Usually, the body of a violin bridge is made of a strong wood like maple.
• Crown or Saddle: The crown or saddle of the bridge is the part with specially fitted grooves. These grooves keep all the strings in their proper places.

Customizing

Since the violin bridge is not installed or fixed on the instrument in any way, you can go ahead and modify it. Usually, professional violinists alter the weight, feet and height of the bridge to create the sound they desire. For example, if you want to modify the height of the bridge, you simply remove it from the violin and trim it with a sharp utility knife. Use a sandpaper to smooth out any sharp edges and carefully slip it under the steel strings again.

However, you must be very cautious when removing the bridge. Be very accurate with all your actions. Do it slowly if necessary. Any sudden action can damage your instrument and you wouldn’t want that to happen, right?

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Your violin will not produce that lovely sound unless your bow has no violin rosin. So it is absolutely important that you don’t consider this detail as a trivial matter. Generally, there are different kinds of rosin. And each kind of the violin rosin creates a certain kind of sound when used on the bow. Now, how does one go about choosing what rosin to use?

What are Violin Rosins?

Basically, violin rosin is a viscous, almost sticky substance used on the bow. It is applied on the bow hairs prior to using the instrument. Once the rosined bow is drawn or dragged across the violin’s strings, some of the rosin gets transferred to them (the strings). The recurring drawing to and fro of the bow creates a vibration hence, creating the sound you hear.

How is Violin Rosin Produced?

According to experts, violin rosins are made by collecting tree sap from 100 different kinds of pine trees. After collecting the required amount, the sap is then mixed with other different ingredients. The mixture is then transferred into a mold and allowed to harden. The bars of violin rosin are then polished, packed and shipped to different music stores across the world.

What Are the Different Types of Rosin?

1)      Light Rosin

The light violin rosin is tapped during the late winter or sometimes in early spring. The saps during this time have a very golden or amber color, hard and not sticky. When used on the violin bow, this rosin usually produced a very smooth sound.

Normally, the light rosin is pricey so it’s not for any fiddler. But because it creates a good sound quality, professionals are willing to invest on it.

2)     Dark Rosin

Saps tapped during the summer and fall is the primary ingredient of dark rosins. Unlike its light counterpart, dark rosins are softer and very sticky. The music it creates is kind of coarse and gritty. In spite of its low cost, this rosin is only used by students and musicians whose sound needs to be raw and rough.

What Factors Determine Rosin Choice?

When choosing what type of rosin to buy, you should consider some important factors. Some of these factors are:

1)      Dust Tolerance

This factor is greatly dependent on your health situation. Certain types of rosin accumulates more dust than others so if you have any allergic reaction to dust, avoid these rosins. Usually, it’s the light violin rosin that you want to steer clear of.

However, if you have decided to use light violin rosin then get the hypoallergenic kind. Some stores offer such products. You may ask your local music stores about it.

2)      Humidity

Rosins become very sticky when subjected to a humid climate. So if you are living in a humid area, you may want to invest on some light rosin. Because this variety is not initially sticky, it will offset the excessive stickiness that the climate will bring. On the other hand, if you’re living a dry area then you may want to use the dark rosin variety.

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