Hi, my wife and daughter have decided they’ve had enough of this whistle stuff and they’re going to learn to play fiddle just as soon as I get them one. I think this may be some kind of semi-secret revenge on their part, but anyway…
I don’t know a thing about fiddles except I’ve heard reference made to “those Chinese screamers”, and thought I might need to stay away from that?
Any suggestions for brands, makers, things to look for, Web sites with info, etc…would be greatly appreciated.
The Chinese violins, of course, are the least expensive- but some of them sound quite good in the right hands. If you buy a new fiddle, be it Chinese or whatever, try to get one that’s solid wood and not a laminate (as many cheaper ones are) and make sure it has good quality strings on it. Many manufacturers put very cheap strings on the budget models. Old, or antique, fiddles are preferred by experienced players but it’s hard to select a good one if you don’t play and can’t listen to how it sounds. Try to find a fiddle playing friend to accompany you to some music stores, or find a reputable dealer who can help you select the one that’s right for you. You can check out some beginner type fiddle packages at this link: http://www.musiclinkcorp.com/violin/violin_10.html
[ This Message was edited by: Bartleby on 2003-02-01 21:09 ]
My wife’s fiddle was purchased new for around $450 through the man who gets violins for the local schools. He suggested the German brand he gets and we have been happy with it. He mentioned that the German violins still have a certain amount of hand work in them, as opposed to the cheaper Korean instruments he also procures (he doesn’t do Chinese violins), which are all carved by machine.
My fiddle was $60 at a garage sale. Also German. I then spent $120 on getting it worked over by a pro (half of that was rehairing the bow), and bought a $35 set of Tomastic Dominant strings for it. Hated the sound. Bought a set of Black Diamond strings for $4.50 from Elderly and I love it.
It is true that older instruments often have more character in the sound, but they can also have more character flaws, depending on how they hae been treated. I’d check with a reputable dealer and tell him what you are looking for, including the price range. If he can help you, he will. Otherwise, check at your local session for someone who will help you find the right instrument. Be warned, this may take a while.
I think the question needs to be asked, “do you want them to play the fiddle?”. If not then buy them “a Chinese screamer” (no offence to Chinese people, people who eat Chinese food, or people who scream). In a month’s time sell the beast and buy more whistles. If you do want them to play then go to a good music store and have a salesperson play them all for you and pick out the best sounding one. I did that 21 years ago and still love the sound of mine!
I think the question needs to be asked, “do you want them to play the fiddle?”. If not then buy them “a Chinese screamer”
I agree with you John, in principle, but you have to consider price in the equation. I own a little music store, and I’ve sold and repaired probably hundreds of fiddles. If I had my way, I’d never sell a Chinese “screamer” fiddle- period. However, some of the Chinese fiddles are put together pretty well and sound greatfor the price. Compared to guitars and other Chinese-made instruments, the fiddles are a real bargain. Even a Stradivarius will be a “screamer” in the hands of a beginner.
Well said! I’m a beginner fiddler myself and even if I’m not very experienced with fiddles, I’m getting kinda fed up with all this bad talk about Chinese fiddles. Yes, they are cheap and not as good quality as Italian or German fiddles, but for a beginner to get started they are usually excellent. I suppose there are Chinese fiddles with worse sound, but the ones I’ve heard are pretty good to be so cheap, and easy to play on, which is very important for a beginner. I bought a Chinese fiddle about a week ago and I’m very satisfied with it. I don’t expect a high-quality thing for 2400 SEK (240 dollars or so) but just something to learn on that sounds good enough.
Someone gave some advice on strings and things, thanks a lot. I will have a closer look on my fiddle strings. I remember when I bought my mandolin it had strings on that looked antique and sounded awful! Or, better said, I noticed the difference in sound when I changed those strings!
Patrick - Dominant strings take quite a bit of playing in, they can be very raw when you first put them on. They do produce a really nice sound after some time of hard playing.
Brett - A ‘chinese screamer’ may be a stentor (come to think of it, I’m not actually sure if they’re chinese), but even these can sound ok when set up well. A fairly decent bridge helps as well as strings. And I have a chinese viola which is quite nice - it was quite a bit more expensive than your typical ‘chinese violin’, and is part of a relatively new wave of higher quality chinese instruments. I would in general agree with John Allison - you need to at least hear, if not try, before you buy.
Beginner fiddler at home? The crisis can be dealt with, but only using gradual dissuasion. Escalation? Same thing.
“Sure, hon, whatever you say”
When coming back from sessions, transpose the banjo jokes to fiddle.
2b) Same thing with here local recorder jokes.
2c) Borrow some alto jokes from violin players.
Stuff some pillow foam inside the box. Hard to get in, but even harder out… Watch out this process makes a fiddle/violin terminally unusable as a decent bodhrán.
Wood instruments need loving care. Carefully soak the whole bow in almond oil, lovingly butter the strings too, this every morning before she wakes. If caught red-handed, mention cat guts need such care, else they dessicate like the old chitterlings they are.
Relax, and think she could have chosen the cello, or bombarde…
What I didn’t like about the Tomastic strings was that they made the instrument sound pretentious. I’m not kidding! It was trying hard to sound like a fine violin when I wanted a fiddle with a sound that has some fun in it. The cheap strings did that just fine. The Tomastics were not bad strings in themselves (I kept them), but all wrong for my fiddle.
The fiddle is truly an amazing instrument in the right hands. Torture in the wrong hands. Like my hands, for instance.
There is a small shop about 30-40 minutes from where I live that caters to the Old Time / Bluegrass crowd and usually has a few old fiddles in stock. I think we’ll check that out first…they’re supossed to have some in the $300-$500. If that doesn’t work out I may order one from this place The Music Link (mentioned above)…I thought this one looked good:
