Renting A Violin
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What kind of violin should I get?
I've been playing the violin now for 8 years; Next year, I'm going to be a senior in High school and I'm going to be one of the "top violinist" of my chambers orchestra, playing more solos than I have this year. I've honestly had a cheap $500 student violin for all this time, and I want to upgrade.
The thing is, I don't plan on playing professionally - maybe just for fun in college. I don't know if I should just rent a nice one or buy one under $2,000. What are some qualities of the violin should I pay attention to when purchasing/renting a new violin? Like the type off varnish, how should the strings feel, details about the bow, etc. Also, are there any particular brands that are good for around that price?
My orchestra has done very well in the past, and I don't want a crappy violin to ruin everything.
You're unlikely to find a nice one to rent. Rentals are sturdy beginner instruments, probably all in the $500 range or under.
Don't even think about brands. You need to go to a good string dealer or several if possible and see what they have in your price range. If there's a luthier working in your area who makes instruments in that range, visit him/her too. If you want to look at used violins from private sellers, be sure to get your teacher involved. Your teacher should help you make a final decision on a new instrument too.
Anyone making decent instruments uses proper violin varnish, so you don't need to worry about that. A lot of the things that you need to worry about with beginner instruments just aren't an issue with better ones. At a reputable shop anything they sell will have proper string height and well-fitted bridge and pegs. Things like chin rests are easy to swap out and most dealers will simply put a different one on for you if you don't like the one they put on initially.
What you need to do is play each violin to see how it feels to you. You'll hate some of them right away and you'll like some. Take the ones you like and play them some more. Play soft, gentle pieces and more forceful, technical pieces. Play in high positions and across all the strings. You'll start to notice differences in how they sound and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Have someone else play them so you can see what they sound like from several feet away. Some sound great under your ear but not so good at a distance.
Once you've narrowed it down to two or three that you really like, the dealer will probably let you take them out on approval for a week. Play them for others to see what they think. Get to know them slowly. One will probably stand out as the one you keep wanting to go back to. That's the one you should buy.
As a rule, only beginner violins come as outfits with bows. Advanced players generally want to choose their bows separately. Choose a bow the same way you choose a violin - play many different things with it, see how the bounce is, see how easy it is to handle, see if it produces a good sound with the violin you chose (I'd pick a violin first, then find a bow that goes well with it). Different bows can make a tremendous difference in sound, so make sure you listen to someone else playing each one.
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