What is a good violin?
I don't know if you have such questions. That is, when you decide to buy a violin, you often think about whether the violin is good.
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It is very normal to have doubts. When people pay money, they often expect to get equivalent or super-value returns. However, no one may be able to answer this question very accurately. Because the violin is not a standard product, there is no standard answer in the strict sense, especially for handmade violins, each violin is unique. In addition, everyone has different perceptions and needs for a good violin, so it is even more difficult to have a standard answer. Therefore, don't expect the merchant to give you a satisfactory answer to this question.
Everyone should have their criteria for judging the quality of a violin.
So is an antique violin or a famous violin necessarily a good violin? uncertain. Now more and more scientific research proves that the sound quality of some antique violins and some violins made now cannot be distinguished from good or bad. The famous violin is a relatively well-known violin, but this does not mean that it is a good violin. Therefore, you must use your judgment.
Only you can answer. I already have the answer in my heart, and I will share the situation of a good violin. I don't intend to change or challenge other people's perceptions, just to share.
When I'm buying a violin, my first consideration is my budget, and I choose a good violin within my budget price. If I have $10,000, then I will buy a good violin for $10,000. If the budget is $500, then I buy a good beginner violin.
When buying a violin online, pay more attention to the appearance of the violin than the sound quality.
Compared with the sound quality of the violin, I will pay more attention to the appearance of the violin. This is not to say that sound quality is not important, on the contrary, sound quality is more important to a violin than appearance. But I think you get what you pay for, and if my budget is enough to buy a good quality violin, then its sound quality must be worthy of its price, so I will pay more attention to appearance. Of course, there will be unscrupulous merchants shoddy, but this situation is relatively rare. But if you spend $100 expecting a handmade violin made of European materials, you will be cheated.
Judging whether it is a good violin from the appearance of the violin
First of all, you have to like its color. Generally speaking, violin colors are brown, yellow, red, orange, and tangerine. I like the bright orange violin, and I am fascinated by its crystal-clear feeling close to amber.
Secondly, you have to learn to observe the material of the violin and its wood grain changes. Generally speaking, the top of the violin will use spruce, and the back will use maple. The wood grain of the top plate is preferably 1 line per mm or 3 mm with two lines.No visible scarring or breaks. The maple wood texture of the back plate is generally a tiger pattern, but also has a bird's eye pattern, flame pattern, etc. Different textures will have different wood grades. You can refer to "How do you know how much your violin is worth?".
At the same time, it is also necessary to observe whether the particle size of the wood grain is full, whether it shows different colors under different illumination, and so on. However, the most important thing is that you like the grain of maple wood. If it is a cheap student violin, there will also be artistic grain, which is not the grain of the wood itself. You can judge whether the grain of the back plate displayed inside is consistent with the grain of the back plate through the F hole.
A good violin is often made of the same piece of wood for the back plate, rib, and headstock, which can be judged by observing the changes in the wood grain. A simpler way is to observe whether the ratio of spring and autumn wood is consistent, but this may not be particularly accurate.
In addition, good violins are more meticulous in workmanship. Maybe we are not professionals, and we cannot judge the level of craftsmanship by observing the appearance. But we can make a simple judgment by observing the condition of the inlay, the engraving of the headstock, and the detail of the F hole. I think a good violin must have beautiful details.
Finally, it is the material of the violin accessories. The material of the accessories can also affect the sound quality of the violin and its feel when played. The fingerboard is usually ebony, although some cheap violins use imitation ebony. I don't like to use ebony as the material of the peg, because ebony is too hard and it is easier to damage the shaft hole. I prefer jujube or boxwood for the pegs and tailpieces. The chin rest can be made of the same wood as the tailpiece, but I prefer ebony. It should be noted that if you are allergic to a certain material, you must choose the chin rest carefully, after all, it is often close to your skin.
Feels of a good violin.
I think the conditions that a good violin needs to have when using it are:
1: Response should be sensitive
It is not difficult to understand that a good violin should be able to quickly respond to the player's thoughts, just like a good bow. But this will also increase the difficulty of the user.
2: The layers should be rich
The difference between the violin and the guitar is that the violin is the closest instrument to the human voice, capable of expressing various emotions and adapting to different playing styles, but it is difficult for the guitar to do so. That is to say, the violin should have rich performances in various ranges, and it can also have different performances under different bowing strengths.
3:The outlook/perspective should be broad
This is difficult to describe in words, but it's more about the overall feeling of the violin. The high notes should be high, but not coarse; the middle notes should be full, but not lacking in depth; the low notes should be low, but not gloomy. Sound can bring a soul-stirring cleansing to people. Overall, the sound should be wide, with a high density, and produced with ease.
The above is my definition of a good violin, but this is just my perception. If you have better ideas, you can contact us to communicate or leave your comments.
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