Difference Between the Beginner and Intermediate Violin

The right violin feels comfortable in your hands. It produces the best possible sound for your level of musical development while responding accurately and consistently to your touch. Depending on your current level of learning, you will have many questions regarding the perfectly right violin.

If you are a beginner, you may be wondering should you start with a professional violin. You may have found a student violin from a reputed manufacturer known for delivering high-quality professional instruments. You are certain that the beginner violin will help you develop as a musician, but when do you know whether it is time to leave the student violin behind?

While each manufacturer has a distinctive style, there are a few basic differences between the beginner or the student violins and the intermediate violins.

Beginner Violins

Violins for beginners are made with great care; however, the manufacturing does involve a few cost-saving measures. Some of the economical steps include the use of boxwood or other cheaper hardwoods in place of ebony, construction with cutting machines instead of hand carving, machine-sprayed finishes instead of hand-applied. However, these steps may not affect you are playing much as a beginner. Changes that can affect your sound include the bow not being well balanced, and the frog end being heavier than the tip.

The bridge on student violins is often packed flat. It may need to be set up either at the shop, by your teacher, or by yourself.

Intermediate Violins

Intermediate violins can last generations if they are properly cared for. In contrast to beginner violins, intermediate violins are typically made with aged wood from spruce, maple, ebony, or rosewood trees. Some intermediate violins may have a particular type of wood grain for their purported sound qualities. However, this is not a consistent trend since not all manufacturers believe in the effect of wood grain on sound quality. The fingerboards and pegs are typically made of ebony, a light hardwood. Adding to the difference between a beginner violin and an intermediate violin, the finishes on an intermediate violin are hand applied. The bridge that supports the strings, too, is set carefully in place before it leaves the shop.

Overall, what is the main distinction between an intermediate violin and a beginner violin? Intermediate violins are made to last. Beginner violins, however, are constructed to provide a good playing experience during a student’s formative years.

When purchasing a violin irrespective of whether it is for a beginner or an intermediate level, one can easily get wrapped up in names of brands and manufacturers. However, advancements in production have made it easy for violinists to get high-quality intermediate instruments at affordable prices.

This means that at the intermediate level, violinists should not spend much time fussing about the labels. At the intermediate level of musical development, it is crucial to focus on tone and playability since that plays a significant role in developing your skills as a musician.

Now, testing the violin before making the purchase is the only way to ensure that your instrument has the right tone and playability. Bringing in a friend or your violin teacher when trying out violins is a great idea because listening to a violin while playing it is not as effective as listening to someone else play it. Having another person’s perspective is essential to find the perfect violin, with the best tone, for you.

Another tip is to steer clear of playing your favorite song. Test the violin with at least two octaves of simple scales to analyze the instrument’s tone and range. You can then move on to a more complex piece to see if it can handle different bowing techniques, dynamics, and how the instrument sounds at speed.

Finally, keep all other variables consistent when testing out different violins. These variables include using the violinist’s shoulder pad and, more importantly, a familiar bow.