My daughter is 11 and just starting string class. I have no idea yet if she will love it or hate it. She has tried a million things and never sticks to any of it. So my question is how much to spend on her viola? He teacher is pushing for a rental of $60.00 a month. Since you all have experience here I`d like your opinons on what I should do. Thank you so much!

i have a Cecelia CVA-400. its horrible. it doesnt even work for amature student practice. dont EVER let anyone con you into buying this instrument. that is my practice instrument. my other one is a primo. i dont have it with me and dont know the model number, but it is pretty nice.

Lorry, another thought. I wouldn`t spend too much money a month for your daughter`s viola. I rented at Music and Arts Center for the first year. I was in an orchestra at my middle school. That viola worked fine for me. Don`t spend much money if you don`t know if she will like classes!

Xuechang Sun 15.5" An amazing instrument and worth the $3000. Watch out for these Chinese violas. They are unknown and ready to triple in value as they are just so warm and deep. They resonate with the true value for a viola`s depth.

I was playing on a Korean 16" import that was not a happy union.

Further to my post above: My hand is not huge (a lady`s!) and I play a lot.

A good instrument has meant the difference between a three hour practice time to a twenty minute on an inferior instrument. Even my younger son agrees!

"They are unknown and ready to triple in value as they are just so warm and deep"

What does the violin market and the real estate market have in common?

They are both full of hot air.

thats not very nice, bill. i have a chinese instrument too and it is excelent.

What do you mean its "not very nice"? I am not attacking the instruments--I am merely pointing out that thinking that the value of some xyz Chinese "brand" of violin is going to triple in value is, well, hot air.

Buying a musical instrument as an investment is not a sure thing. In fact you are more apt to lose rather than gain. The "Chinese Industrial Revolution" is in full swing. They are producing huge quantities of just about everything over there--including violins. Supply vs demand--you make a large supply, keeping the demand the same, what happens to the price? That`s right--it goes down. In fact this is precisely where the price of violins has been going. In real dollars, violins are now only 25% of the cost they were in 1980, for "student" models.

An example: My Sherl & Roth violin, bought new in 1978, cost $800. Today, if I went to sell it, guess what I would get for it? That`s right, $800. I could go to Gliga or Eastman or many other "brands" and find an instrument of comparable "quality" for $400.

And you think your Chinese instrument is going to triple in value `cause it sounds so good? Sorry to burst your bubble, but I am only being frank--not "mean or not nice".

What do you mean its "not very nice"? I am not attacking the instruments--I am merely pointing out that thinking that the value of some xyz Chinese "brand" of violin is going to triple in value is, well, hot air.

I was not attacking you. If I really seem that threatening to you? If I do, I am sorry that
1. I have offended you.
2. You are so competitive. It must be hard to go through life when everyone is afraid you`ll jump down their throats when they oppose even the smallest thing you say (not far from the truth, I daresay).

Personally, I really don`t care where/who/how my viola was made from because number 1 factor that makes an instrument sound great is the player, urself. I have a brandless viola that my teacher bought me. He has many german, and expensive violas (his 20,000 dollar viola<My viola) made by many famous luthiers, but when i played them, my viola sounded the best, and it was easier to play too. (great comfort) Even aged violas sounded crappy compared to mine. And there are so many other factors, such as type of varnish the luthier used, temperature, environment, the STRINGS, the BOW technique; these all affect the sound quality of any instrument. What I`m saying is that, if you got a viola, be glad and proud of urself that u`ve got one of the best instruments out there. And if it sounds like crap, sorry to say, it`s usually the player`s problem, unless ur viola is untuned. I`d say it`s about 99% is technique, 1% is the quality of the viola. If you love ur instrument, the instrument will become part of u, and it`s personality will change, perhaps adapt to your playing style as it ages... So ultimately in the end, ur viola, regardless of how much dough you paid for it becomes priceless. Sentimental value! I`m sure many of you guys would disagree, but hey... who cares, no VIOLA would never squeak like a violin! Amen?

AMEN!!! and touche.

Kelsey,
I think you misunderstand me.

I did not jump down your or anyone`s throats.

I was not "competitive." What is there to "compete" with here? I merely pointed out that it is dangerous to look at a violin or viola "brand" with a "gold-rush" mentality of every-increasing value. My first post was even more broad--an observation that the market for violins/violas etc is often full of hype.

That`s it. There is nothing competitive there. Just an observation.

Now, back to the topic, when trying instruments, I have not found any meaningful "consistency" within a brand. So far, I have found the individual instrument`s character to be more significant than the label. And the bow has been more significant than the violin. So in some ways I am not sure that we can get much of any use out of comparing our "brands" as far as sound goes.

However workmanship does seem to show some consistency, and as the sound of a violin/viola can be rather radically changed through set-up (soundpost, strings, bridge, tailpiece, nut, and even fingerboard etc) then perhaps the workmanship and quality of set-up is a more worthwhile measure of a "brand".

alright. im sorry. i got carried away. i seem to be very defensive when it comes to my instrument... if you havent noticed... which im sure you have!

as the hippies said, `make love, not war.` maybe we all ought to be more like hippies

yes i like that hippy idealism. brb, im gonna make love to my viola. be back in a day. (by practicing it more often, not that humane way to make love xP)

yes um i didnt really mean that(my fingers were going faster than my brain), but knock urself out mike lol
but go hippies anyway!!! well that is the hippie mentality-im not so big on bongs etc interesting how off topic it gets aint it.

as the hippies said: make PEACE not war.
or HAPPINESS
or something like that but NOT love


hehehe fine examples of kelsey trying to cover her a** after saying sumthing stupid. OH MY GOD IM JUST GOING TO SHUT UP NOW!!!!!!