I started to play the violin aged 14, as my third instrument, behind the flute and piano. Although I don't come from a musical family, I just knew I wanted to be able to play the violin! I couldn't get fitted into lessons at school as I was already being taught flute and there was a high demand for string lessons. My parents enrolled me into lessons with a private teacher, through a recommendation from a musician. At this time, it was my intention to become a musician. I started off on a Stentor Student 2, costing around £100. These are mass produced and are not wonderful for taking past a certain level. Although I couldn't afford to purchase a new violin ...  Read the complete review

Whilst on my daily 25 minute dawdle home from school the other day, thoughts were flying through my head as to just what my next opinion could possibly be on. I wanted to pick something I've still yet to write on, but something that would be interesting and a real passion of my life. I chose the category ‘Violin’ because, unsurprisingly enough, I play violin. Being an A-level Music student, and Grade 8 violinist, as well as choral director and singer in multitudes of choirs, I do tend to spend a rather large proportion of my life based around music and composing, playing, singing and breathing it. Although I can play Grade 3-4 piano and sing at a ...  Read the complete review

Let me start by saying that neither myself, nor Heather (the wife) received any musical education at all. Born in the 1940?s, money was too scarce in our families for such 'fripperies' in the 1950?s and thank goodness those times of shortages and (for many families), real hardship are over. We were thus not particularly ambitious for any of our three children to learn to play any musical instrument. However, we were settled in Edinburgh and our children firmly in the state school sector when our elder daughter showed 'musical aptitude' in Primary 2/3 with teaching herself to play the recorder. She had been given the instrument by ...  Read the complete review

The humble fiddle - possibly the most popular orchestral instrument, the instrument of choice for many a beginner musician. The violin is made up of a wooden body, strings, bridge, finger board, tuning pegs, and of course, the bow, made of horse hair strung along a thin wooden stick. Violins can be plucked (known as pizzicato) as well as bowed. Bowing methods vary across regions and styles, particularly in Scottish folk fiddling, or other traditional folk fiddling, e.g. Hungarian gypsy music. The violin is notable in that it gains value with age, unlike almost all other instruments. Thus, the most expensive violins are often a few hundred years old, ...  Read the complete review

My favourite piece of music to play is 'Concerto No. 5 1st Movement' by F.Seitz. I also loved Elgar which made my teacher roll her eyes and tut that only the boys like to hammer away on a violin which such speed and intensity as I do and that it wasn't acceptable to her...and she did not 'grin and bear it' like most teachers would. This review will seem a little jubbled - you might think that from the stories of my tuition, a ritualistic burning of my violin would be more apt than reviewing it, but no because I get far too much pleasure racing through the exciting parts with as much expression and flight as I can, and trust me, it doesn't sound half bad if I ...  Read the complete review