violin for 6 yr old

bbford

Any good places to get a small violin 1/2 size please?

JH0605

We bought our sons from local violin shop, bought him the basic student model (think it was about £65) then they bought it back from us when we went up to the next size.

Alternatively won't school hire one out to you? Some music shops will also hire out instruments for a monthly charge.

twinkle48_2

Check out your local music shops, you will get a better deal. I always use Ackermans which is Sussex based http://www.ackermanmusic.co.uk/instrument-rental scroll down to the student violin rental. You pay rental but only for a short time and then the violin is yours. I'm sure you can find a store locally that would offer you a similar deal. Don't be swayed by cheap online prices or deals in non music stores (Argos etc) as these are often not set up and you would need to pay out for set up elsewhere.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Another vote for personal service in a music shop here...

blue_monkey_2

My 6 year olds both have a 1/4 size, half was way too big. Although the shop sold us a half size the music teacher sent her home with it and said it was much too big!! DD has just grown into it at age 8 - but only just, so be careful of getting a 1/2 size. Even if you get one to grow into, if they cannot play it then it'll be a waste of money and you'll have to buy another.

We get ours free from the Music Service for a once a year Insurance payment (to cover damage or loss) of £30.

My friend rents hers for £4 a month from a local music shop.

twinkle48_2

Music shop would also measure for size, it is a case of physically trying different sizes.

blue_monkey_2

twinkle48 wrote: »

Music shop would also measure for size, it is a case of physically trying different sizes.

Thats the point, we bought ours from a music shop - only we got sold the wrong size and we expected them to be the ones with the knowledge. The OP has specified she wants a half size for a 6 year old - MOST 6 year olds would be playing a 1/4 size so the OP should be aware of this.

twinkle48_2

Very true, my 11 year old is still playing a 1/2 although I think we may have to get a 3/4 in the new year, however at age 6 she was playing a 1/8 size. Usually violin teachers would measure a child prior to a first lesson.

Op47

My teacher told me that the correct (or maximum size) is where you put the instrument under your chin in the usual manner and put your hand around the scroll. If you can do that the instrument is ok if not thenit is too big. Having said that, I started learning when I was 8 IIRC and always had a full size instrument. So you never know.

I would try and get the instrument from a proper violin shop rather than a general music shop (or at least make sure they have a violin repairer on the staff) The reason being that violins are hand made and they are all different. As far as I can tell, they need to be inspected by the seller and not just rely on the inspection mark like you would with say a TV. If they lack this expertise then you run the risk that the instrument is faulty and you will never know and the shop will not know either. Unfortunately, a lot of parents buy cheap instruments, they don't work and the student thinks it's their fault and give up. If you cannot find anywhere locally then JPB music in Weston Super Mare have a good selection and will sell mail order. There are undoubtedly other sources as well. Hope this helps.

Mr Nile, If you move a thread, it would be inordinately useful if you would at least say where it went or event better, post a link. That way, I could post a reply to the correct board and not run the risk of my answer not being seen.

daska

Another vote here for finding a good music shop staffed by people who know what they're doing, preferably with a workshop on site or run by a violin player. Ask the school music service for recommendations. Another sussex recommendation is Academy Violins.

My experience is that a lot of the the very large / internet shops have staff who don't have sufficient depth of knowledge to cover all the instruments they're selling. E.G. more than one on-line music shop assured me that a 3/4 double bass would be fine for my 5 year old - I told them to take a running jump and went to Thwaites Fine Stringed Instruments where I hired a 5/8 size (unusual size but just small enough for him to manage with plenty of growing room) which I later purchased outright.

fillyjonk

first off, I really agree that a 1/2 size WILL be too big unless you have an exceptionally tall 6 yo. I have a tall 7 yo with long arms and fingers. He has literally just moved up to a 1/4 size violin. My (again, tall) 5 1/2 year old has just moved up to a 1/8 size violin. There is no point having a violin that is too big, it will make it extremely hard to get good technique-and violin is a very technique heavy instrument in the early days. You also risk causing muscle strain, not to mention putting her off!a

I'd agree that the best option to start with is probably a good rental scheme. If she is playing through a school, there might well be a local pool of violins she can borrow for free, have you looked into this?

I'm in a slightly different situation as I have 3 kids learning, so for me it makes better economic sense to buy. Also, I play too so I have some knowlege of the field. Here's what I do. I tend to buy quite cheap, used instruments, sometimes off ebay, sometimes from their teacher, sometimes ex-rental stock and then fit them with good strings. I use Dominants, which are relatively expensive, but I find make a huge difference to sound quality (and hence appeal, desire to practice, etc).

Not sure where you are but my youngest daughter's current violin (a 1/10th) I bought from Foote's in London, for around £50. Its ex-rental, and looks it, but its a Stentor II and sounds pretty nice, with upgraded strings.