Unfortunately, I`ve had to give up my violin lessons (for now, at least) because of my college work and the overwhelming amount of it! There is one thing I can remember my teacher saying before I left my last lesson though, and I just wanted to know if it was true for all teachers/students...

After a year of playing I`ve managed to get upto a grade 5 standard (with only a month of that being with a teacher, so it IS possible to get good on your own )but she said to me that if I wanted to progress any further I would need an expensive violin, going into the high hundreds (this is in pounds, so it would probably be $1000-$2000...not sure). What she didn`t know is that a few days before I had bought a new violin which cost around £200. It wasn`t a strad, cremona, whatever, but the tone and depth of the playing was a lot deeper. I was playing this to her and she said it might scrape through grade 6 but then I`d need a new one.

Is this true? Do you really need to spend loads to get the the higher grades? I have a friend who is a cellist and is taking their grade 8 soon, and his cello isn`t fantastic...infact it`s a stentor (not the basic one but a few up from it I think).

Any feedback would be helpful

Yes, it is most necessary if u wish to progress further( not just exam wise).
A reliable instrument will allow u to grow technically and musically too.

The major problem is this: the value of a violin is dependent on many things, and not all of those things have anything to do with playing!

I got grade 8 using a Poller (today`s price about £250) with, i admit, better strings, a top set-up and a better bow. I have a friend who got Grade 8, with merit, on a Zeller which is rather below a Poller. So, I don`t believe that spending thousands is necessary.

Liz

Yes, of caz it all comes down to one`s playing at the end of the day, but do u think u can progess any further without a reliable instrument?
Often I see people buying cheaper but reliable violins, than changing the set up and bows to get the sound that they want.
That is normal, nothing wrong with that. U can even make it to your Diploma if u feel comfortable with it.
But seriously speaking, u can do so much more with a good instrument. And I`m not talking about investing in instruments to get better grades for exam, afterall the whole purpose of learning music is not to just take exams.
Trust your teacher, if she advises you to upgrade your instrument, then that means she believes you`re ready to move on. So u should save up for it.
Not to disagree with u, Elizabeth ( as you`re a profilic poster here ), just IMHO.