Tell me about the flute or violin

[Alex D]

I'm seriously considering buying myself a flute or a violin as a reward for finishing school, so before I bite the bullet and chose which one, I'd like a little information on each. Stuff like how expensive a decent one would be, how easy they are to grasp, how long it takes on average to learn etc. Also, I broke some on the fingers on my left hand a few years ago, which makes playing guitar a little awkward , but not impossible, so if I do get a violin, it would be best for me to go left handed. Anyway, help me decide please.

[pj]

The violin is an incredibly challenging instrument, and the later you pick it up the more difficult it will be. It is one of the very few stringed instruments I cannot play even remotely decently. My son is an accomplished violinist though, so I've learned a great deal over the years. If you go this route, expect to be really quite lousy at it for a minimum of a year, as you develop your ear and technique. Many people get discouraged before ever getting decent. Second, the bow is really more important than the violin. Any decently set up instrument will work for you... but a lousy bow will make your life miserable. Consider buying the best used instrument and bow you can afford, as higher quality instruments will not lose value - and plan on spending more on the bow than on the violin. I played flute for a year and really enjoyed it. It is a relatively easy instrument to get started with, once you get the embrochure thing down. The notes are there for you, like on a guitar... you don't need to develop your ear to hit them accurately and you don't need to learn logarithmically changing fingering patterns to hit the notes. If you buy used, make sure you get the instrument checked out by a technician, as re-padding and springing an instrument can cost more than many student instruments are worth. Good luck! Let us know what you choose. To my ear, the violin is capable of the most beautiful sounds short of the human voice. It's hard to learn, but it is quite an amazing accomplishment to get good at it. I don't want to make it sound like it's too hard or not worth it.

[Lord Toaster]

I can tell you quite a lot about the violin, having played it since I was 6. That's not as long as you may think, but long enough to get to know the instrument quite well. I would definitely choose it over flute. Playing in an orchestra or another kind of ensemble is very rewarding if at the same time bloody hard work. If you plan on doing anything like this then definitely go for the violin, as there are about 30 violins in and average orchestra, as opposed to 3-5 flutes. It makes getting in much easier and noone notices if you make a mistake. For solo performances I don't think that one instrument is really better than the other. I have played some great solo pieces on the violin, but my cousin is an accomplished flutist and I love some of the stuff that he plays. You might note that he is having trouble finding a group to play in at the moment. As to prices, you can get very good violins for about £600, and decent ones at pretty low prices. I'm not really an expert. When you pick the violin, have someone who can play to some degree just play a simple tune slowly and loudly. Check whether you like the tone that the violin is emitting. Each violin is different. Some are more mellow, or more hard, try at least 2 or 3. I disagree about the bows though - it only really matters at a semi-professional level. So long as it feels reasonably balanced and comfortable in your hand, you should be OK. Ask the shop assistant or whoever for assistance would be my advice, they're usually very knowledgable.

[skysaw]

Just another note, I doubt anyone has ever made a left-handed violin. You can't just flip it around like a guitar. I have to say it would be a very weird sight.

[Lord Toaster]

^Very true. You can't switch around. It would make it hard for a teacher to teach you and impossible for you to join an orchestra. Will your fingers heal?