So, you have decided to start playing a musical instrument and learning the violin is your first choice. This is one of the tougher instruments to master, so you are hopefully aware of the dedication and hard work ahead of you in order to master playing the violin.
I’m also sure that you are itching to get started, so I am going to talk about the 5 essential items that you’ll need when starting the violin.
Unlike many musical instruments, the violin and accessories are relatively cheap for the beginner. The violin is, of course, the first essential item you will need. The cheaper ones can cost as little as $40 to $50 and often come packaged with many of the accessories I am about to talk about.
One of the items that almost always comes included with the violin is the french violin bows. As a beginner, you may not use the bow immediately but it is still obviously an essential requirement. When you start using the bow will depend largely on the tutor you are using. Personally, I prefer to start my pupils without the bow for several lessons and will gradually introduce it over time.
In order for the bow to produce a sound at all, the 3rd and 4th essential purchases are a set of strings and a block of resin. The strings are available in a full set of 4 to buy or, again will usually be included with the violin. The rosin is essential when producing the notes from the violin. It is a block of resin which is rubbed on the hair of the bow to make the strings vibrate. This in turn, produces the sound. I remember opening my first ever violin when I was 10 and bowing the strings, only for my excitement to turn to disappointment when I was greeted with silence! I haven’t forgotten to use the rosin ever since!
The final piece of the jigsaw when learning the violin, is to buy a good quality music book. There are many around and again you will often find that you are at the whim of your violin tutor. I teach using the Eta Cohen Violin Method but I would recommend that you seek advice from your own teacher about which book to buy.
So, to recap, when you start on your journey to learn the violin you will need a violin, a bow, a block of rosin, a set of strings and a good quality music book. All but the book can be bought as a set and cost very little in comparison to most other instruments. All you need to do now is add commitment and hard work to those essentials and you will be well on the way to enjoying this beautiful instrument.