Instrumental Assistance!

[Raistlin Majere]

As many of you know, I am gifted with music, Playing more instruments than some people could hope to play in their lives. I want to pick up a new instrument now.

I am thinking about a Violin, always wanted to play one but cannot find expert advice. Their are no string instrument dealers except for guitars around here.

What are good brands? Idea price, Good strings? care and matenince suggestions? advice on teachers and hints.


NOTE: although I am completly ambridextorec, I perfer to play Left-Handed, when it comes the guitars, that means custom guitars and boo-koo bucks. Advice for lefties greatly appreaciated and rewarded with cookies!! :thumbsup:

[Steel_Avatar]

If you're playing a stringed instrument, you don't get a choice :) Left hand on the fingerboard, right hand holds your bow. Always. Doesn't matter if you're right or left handed.

Depending on how old you are and how tall and long your arms are, the size of the violin will change. You can get 1/4, half, 3/4 and full size violins. My advice to you is to get a cheap one. Should run you maybe $100-$250 USD? It's been a long time, but I remember years ago that you could get a really crappy violin for $200 CAD.

If you decide you like it, then spring for a good one. Strad if you can find one :D Friend of mine that played in the same orchestra had a $20 000 dollar violin. Or you could get one of the new-fangled electric violins. They look quite different.

[DurfBarian]

Dude, just do air violin, it'll get you all the chicks in discos.

[Ash Housewares]

what brass instruments do you currently play?

[Tertsu]

My sister plays the fiddle, woohoo! I'm thinking they're the same instrument but it depends on the tuning and how you play it, not sure though. She got hers at a garage sale for like 20 dollars. It's not super great, but it plays, and it's really all she needed.

You might check a pawn shop for something cheap to see how you like it, but if you're really interested, they can get expensive.

Tert

[Raistlin Majere]

what brass instruments do you currently play?

I am best at Trombone. I have a $6000 Stradivarious Bach 2-trigger Large-Bore Bass and I am considering an valve upgrade. :idea:

I can also play: Trumpet, Baritone, Tuba, and French Horn brass instrumets. and other woodwind and String, and percussion.

NO LEFTY?! that is SO not fair, :rant:

discrimination... :rant:

[Cygnus434]

Okay, so you are considered gifted if you play lots of different instruments?

Jack of all trades, master of none.....

Ever hear of a little man named Neil Peart....ya...hes one of them drummer folks.

I guess hes not gifted because he only plays one instrument....

/end sarcasm

Anyways...I couldn't tell you about violin as I am a full-time percussionist...but why dont you try sticking to one thing?

I've been playing drums for 3-4 years now and I've barely scratched the surface on whats out there...

[StarStageGurl]

My bro plays the violin and he's trying to teach me:| other than that...................
What instruments do you play?

[Raistlin Majere]

Okay, so you are considered gifted if you play lots of different instruments?

Jack of all trades, master of none.....

Mastering in Trombone and Guitar. I play above adverage on other instruments. I am thinking about mastering another instrument. (hence this thread)
the Bass I mentioned is professional grade, I would not have bought it if I was a adverage player.

[Cygnus434]

Mastering in Trombone and Guitar. I play above adverage on other instruments. I am thinking about mastering another instrument. (hence this thread)
the Bass I mentioned is professional grade, I would not have bought it if I was a adverage player.

Well, sorry for making assumptions. I just had a bad experience with someone before.

It was a guitar/bass/piano/"drummer" who said he was awesome in all 4.

I sat him down at my drumset and all he could muster was a basic rock beat...when he tried to move out of that he dropped one of the sticks and lost everything.

That's always made me kind of cynical about people like that.

I'm sorry if I am truly wrong.... :thumbsup:

[Fallen_62]

ok, my ex-gf plays the violin. im not sure what type it is, but i know it costed about $400-$500. although, she does know people who have $5,000+ violins. She started playing it when she was 3, and she is 18 now, so she is pretty good. She learned from the suzuki (sp?) method. for those who dont know, thats when you listent to the music being played, usually by a teacher, then you try it looking at the music, knowing how it is sposed to sound (at least, that is what she told me).

and i used to play in our school band. i could play trumpet, baritone, tuba, sax, and oboe. the trumpet and baritone i played several times over the years, as i was starting to learn the new instruments. What i really wanna do now is learn how to play the drums.

[Raistlin Majere]

:grrr:
Well, sorry for making assumptions. I just had a bad experience with someone before.

It was a guitar/bass/piano/"drummer" who said he was awesome in all 4.

I sat him down at my drumset and all he could muster was a basic rock beat...when he tried to move out of that he dropped one of the sticks and lost everything.

That's always made me kind of cynical about people like that.

I'm sorry if I am truly wrong.... :thumbsup:
No problem

I had a experience with someone like that, and someone who owned me :grrr:

I love music so much I am minoring in it.

BUT NO LEFTY STUFF?! come on, and no reasonaly priced custom? :grrr:

[Pain Probe]

As many of you know, I am gifted with music, Playing more instruments than some people could hope to play in their lives.


I remeber my first music lesson. It talked about humility. Try working on that before picking up a new one.

[SirKnightmare]

I remeber my first music lesson. It talked about humility. Try working on that before picking up a new one.

Yeh, I was reading it and was like, who does this guy think he is? Well, said.

[Steel_Avatar]

:grrr:
No problem

I had a experience with someone like that, and someone who owned me :grrr:

I love music so much I am minoring in it.

BUT NO LEFTY STUFF?! come on, and no reasonaly priced custom? :grrr:
The reason is that part of learning to play any string instrument is learning the direction your bow should be going. At various points in the music it may very well indicate that you should be going up or down. If there were different sided violins for right and left, it would mess that up.

Few will notice or even care if you're playing solo, but when you're playing in a group it's very disconcerting for bows to going up and down out of sync.

[Raistlin Majere]

The reason is that part of learning to play any string instrument is learning the direction your bow should be going. At various points in the music it may very well indicate that you should be going up or down. If there were different sided violins for right and left, it would mess that up.

Few will notice or even care if you're playing solo, but when you're playing in a group it's very disconcerting for bows to going up and down out of sync.

makes some sense, when I play guitar in a group I always sit in the far right (my right). it helps teaching guitar too, the student (my brother right now) can mirror me on new chords.

want to go solo, or just play by myself.

[TheOgreMan]

I remeber my first music lesson. It talked about humility. Try working on that before picking up a new one.

Some people have the luxury of bragging about abilities. As long as he can play as well as he says he can bragging is a right he has access to.

I can say that I am fairly gifted with music as well. While I won't say that I am a "master" at any one instrument I can play damn near anything. In symphony/orchestral band I was the guy who filled in for any open spots. The same goes for marching band (so I am actually gifted in marching, too; I've had to learn entire performances on new instruments and spots withing a week's time).

I started on trumpet originally then moved to clarinet. From there I have learned oboe, baritone, trombone, tuba, alto-sax, bari-sax, and bells. The only instrument I have tried and failed to be good at is flute. I am working on guitar and still yearn to learn basoon.

Grats to you, Raistlen, on being very good at something. I am not a big fan of stringed instruments so I will be of little help there. I recommend learning an "odd" instrument that can be in high demand in your area: double basoon, alto trumpet, banjo, etc.

[mysnistaken]

I can say that I am fairly gifted with music as well. While I won't say that I am a "master" at any one instrument I can play damn near anything. In symphony/orchestral band I was the guy who filled in for any open spots. The same goes for marching band (so I am actually gifted in marching, too; I've had to learn entire performances on new instruments and spots withing a week's time).

did you march corps?

[Raistlin Majere]

(so I am actually gifted in marching, too; I've had to learn entire performances on new instruments and spots withing a week's time).
*starts tapping cadence*

same too, in my freshman year, we had a full trombone section (very rare for some HS bands) and our snare drummer fractured his wrist. so I had to fill in half the season. *starts drooling* :lol: :buddies:

I want to play a contra-bass trombone, but WAY to expensive. not many bass players here (by bass I mean Bass Trombone).

the violin was something I have wanted to play for ages.

[toader]

I remeber my first music lesson. It talked about humility. Try working on that before picking up a new one.
I hope you didnt have to pay for that first lesson, because that is one of the most igorant things Ive heard. Even if it was true, who is Rastin claiming that he is better than that you think he needs more humility?

[FenrisWulf]

@toader:
Well, Raistlin did say that he currently knows how to play more instruments than some people could even hope to. In this case, he's belittling people's hopes, which is just kind of cruel; it would be marginally more acceptable if he stated that he can play more instruments than some people will in their life, since it's speaking of facts and not aspirations.

Of course, neither of these statements really says anything; "some" is a very flexible value. Hell, I play more instruments than some people will in their life, and I only have studied, what, three? There are definitely some people who will only play two or fewer instruments in their lives.

I probably would have been happier with something along the lines of "currently playing more instruments than most people will play in their lives," since it is probably true and gives us a better idea of how much he actually can play.

The best revision, though, would have been to leave out that part entirely, because, in my opinion, unprovoked boasting is just poor form altogether, whether it's warranted or not.

[toader]

So, your whole defense of the people trying to bash the thread starter is the difference in the words SOME and MOST...

I hope noone taught you that in a lesson you had to pay for either. :lol:

I dont condone boasting either, but it wasnt much, or out of control by any means. Let the guy have his thread. Noone really posts thinking: "Hmm, I wonder what would make Fernis happier?"

[Technetium]

Dude, I am so envious. I've wanted for a long time to be great at both guitar and piano, but I don't know if I'll ever get around to it. I feel like I am getting to be a bit of an old dog when it comes to learning new tricks.

How about learning piano at some point? It's a beautiful instrument (well, the sound is beautiful, I mean, but actually the instrument is, too).

[VaN_haMMerSteIn]

I've always just wanted to learn some guitar chords and neat little songs. Singing for the band just isn't enough.
(sad that I am vocals)

[SirKnightmare]

I've always just wanted to learn some guitar chords and neat little songs. Singing for the band just isn't enough.
(sad that I am vocals)

The vocalist is the only one anyone really cares about, maybe the guitarist gets something. Drummer and bassist get zip unless they are absolutely amazing.

That was great OgreMan. "Let me condone his bragging so I can do it too."

[AeroJonesy]

Well once you learn how to play one brass instrument, the others aren't hard. A lot of times, the fingering is the same for the same notes too. Trombone is slightly different because of the positions and all, though.

[Cygnus434]

The vocalist is the only one anyone really cares about.

The vocalist is the last thing I look at.

Bad drummer = turn off t3h music.

[Canadia142]

The vocalist is the only one anyone really cares about, maybe the guitarist gets something. Drummer and bassist get zip unless they are absolutely amazing.

That was great OgreMan. "Let me condone his bragging so I can do it too."


This is so true and yet so sad :(

[Raistlin Majere]

@FenrisWulf
sorry if you are offended. it was not ment to be offending nor am I a lawyer who can write plain enough to make everyone happy. nor can I edit it anymore so lets stop beating a dead horse. :cheesy:

@Technetium
I can play a smattering of piano. I tried lessons once but I moved. and the lessons at college are overpriced.

@SirKnightmare
you are so right about singers. they get all the girls, all the populicity, and some seem to have all the issues.

@VaN_haMMerSteIn
learn guitar, its fun and if you are good at jazz or classical guitar, you can get scholarships.

[memememe173]

If you don't play the [alto] sax you don't play anything :D :p

*not that I'm partial to my instrument*

[Raistlin Majere]

the Bari is better :thanks:

[memememe173]

the Bari is better :thanks:
:rant:

at least it's in the same key...if you had said tenor/saprano master of the past and present or not you wouldn't have a head

[Raistlin Majere]

*Blats at mememe*

[ShadoweOrbe]

The only help I can give you (for what it's worth) is the equipment list for Boyd Tinsly of DMB *dodges flying objects*

Zeta Charlie Daniels Electric/Acoustic Violin
Zeta Strados Violin with Custom Tuners
Furman PL-8 Power Conditioner
Korg DTR-1 Digital Tuner
Zeta Boyd Tinsley Model
(6) Shure U4D-UB Wireless Units
API 500HPR Pre-Amp
Coleman Audio Switcher
Eventide GTR-4000 Ultra-Harmonizer
Trace Acoustic TA200S

He and the violin player from Yellowcard both play on Zeta electric violins, other than that, I know nothing. Unless Elixir makes violin strings ^^

[TheOgreMan]

This is so true and yet so sad :(

There is nothing wrong with bragging as long as one has the ability to "back it up". Becoming skilled in an area deserves some kind of pay-off; most schools completely shun band "nerds" so are neglected the attention they deserve; bragging is one of the only rights a musician is allowed.

Do you get mad at showmanship (sp? that really doesn't look right)? That is all one is doing when making a show for an audience: bragging about their abilities. Does it anger you when you see Jimmy Hendrix playing guitar with his tongue or Eddie Van Halen swinging by his feet and playing his incredible skillful rifts blindfolded? I think not.

While this is admittedly a bit different the concept is the same: if you got it flaunt it.

@ whoever asked me if I was in drum corps:

No. Most of the bigger drum corps allow no females or woodwind instruments. I am much better at woodwinds than I am brass so I doubt if I could get in. Plus they tend to be the biggest congregations of homosexual band nerds out there. The shows are friggin awsome, though.

[Canadia142]

ogre I was talking about his first paragraph. The singer and lead guitarist get all the glory and then the bassist and drummer get shunned and no one gives a crap about us :(

[cougar]

Showmanship and bragging about something aren't even comparable =/.

[TheOgreMan]

Ah, I get you, Canadia. My apologies, good sir.

cougar, that is debatable, methinks. I see "showmanship" as bragging, only physically rather than verbally.

[ZeppelinAngel]

dude you nub, violin is for wimps

learn how to play the dulcimer, then i'll kiss your toes

http://www.folkofthewood.com/page679.htm#folkcraft

[FenrisWulf]

@toader:
Merely explaining a position, my good sir. :) No need to misspell my name on account of it.

@Raistlin Majere:
I wasn't offended, and I certainly don't mean to offend you with my statements, either. And I definitely admire your musical prowess. :) I've simply come to expect a level of humility from myself, and so when there is a lack of such in a context that does not strictly call for tooting one's own horn (if you will), I come away significantly unimpressed. But I shall leave the dead horse to its decomposing and so forth. :)

@TheOgreMan:
Showboating is appropriate in certain contexts, in the same way as with the standard, garden-variety bragging. For example, I would see justification if an audience requested of you to give a demonstration of your talents ("showboating"), or if someone asked on an online forum for you to detail your musical skills ("bragging"). But would you respect an accompanist who launched into one of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies as a preface to playing for a third grader's trumpet recital? Similarly, what necessity is there to brag about your musical superiority when you're simply asking for advice on what violin to purchase?