Monday 13 May 2013

Are antique violins the only good ones?

By Julian Branington


Do you need a violin made by some old time Italian guy who lived before electricity just to learn how to play?

Many people believe that the older a violin, the more magnificent it's sound. That somehow the knowledge of making great instruments was lost centuries ago and only violins made by ancient masters are worth using.

If you are just learning to play the violin, can you get by with a modern violin? Do you have to buy a relic from the renaissance?

We are going to hit all the points and shed some unfortunate truth on the old school violin party.

How Old is Old for a Violin?

Want to experience a musical concert like Michelangelo would have heard in Rome? Such a thing is possible when an antique violin is played today. The oldest of these instruments are over five hundred years old and play the sounds of the past for us today.

What's Strad got to do with it?

That's Mr. Antonio Stradivari to you. A master artisan, he is perhaps the most well-known and publicly recognized violin maker of the last thousand years. He lived from 1644 to 1737. He produced over 1000 instruments in his lifetime, of which nearly 500 violins still exist in modern times. In public consciousness, a Stradivarius is considered the pinnacle of musical instruments.

So What Do I Buy?

It is hard not to be impressed by the history and legacy of violins made in bygone centuries. That doesn't mean that an old world violin the best or even right choice for you. Let's talk about the modern violins now.

People Still Make Violins Today

Do you walk out your front door in the mornings and wish that you travel to work like they did in the 1780s? Let see, walk for miles are take a slow and very pungent horse? Oh, the marvelous wonders of the 18th century. While it may buck traditional wisdom, a violin made in the modern century is in many ways as advanced over an ancient violin as a morning commute in a car is over a ride to the town square in a buggy.

When to Choose a modern Violin

Generally, modern instruments cost less. Often significantly less. All violins, regardless of age, need to be maintained. Old violins, especially significantly aged violins require great care and often need restoration work to be played. A good quality modern violin is ready to play and free from the stress ware of time.

The Right Violin for You

Ultimately, you must decide which type of instrument is best for you. If you dream of playing an instrument that performed in the great halls of Royal Europe, then seek out an aged violin made by the masters. If you are just starting out and want to find something comfortable and good for learning, choose a modern and reliable violin of good quality for your first instrument.

If you choose the instruments based on these criteria, whether modern or old, you will find the instrument that fits you best.




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