Tristin–
If your violin is of very high quality, I would take it to a shop and get it fixed and restored. This will cost you around $300, and that might include the bridge and strings you need. It probably isn’t worth the money it will take, though, especially if there is mold inside of it….but you want to make sure you aren’t throwing away something that is valuable.

If you don’t want to have your violin restored, I would get the “100 model” from Southwest Strings. I have personally compared this violin to others, and I loved it. I think it’s called “The Prelude” but it’s their “100″ series. For the WHOLE PACKAGE, including violin, bow, and case, it’s under $300, and it is an EXCELLENT instrument. (if you play on a bad instrument, you will lose interest, because you’ll just sound bad no matter what you do)

It sounds like you like to explore many instruments, just the basics, and you enjoy the variety, but you don’t really want to pin yourself down to just one. That’s understandable! Variety is the spice of life!

Regarding lessons: Given that you have so many diverse interests, Online Lessons would be a great option for you. Violin lessons WILL apply basically to cello and bass, although they do hold their bows a little differently. I am able to play violin tunes on a cello and on a bass, and I understand how the notes are positioned. I also was able to pick up guitar very easily because my left hand coordination was very advanced, and the strumming on the guitar is VERY similar in feel to playing an upbow and a downbow. So, if you studied violin, it would definitely help your guitar, cello, and bass.

Your timing is PERFECT, because my violin lessons will be opening soon, but they won’t stay open for long, because I’m limiting the number of students, for quality control. So, do some fast thinking, and decide if you can afford a new violin, and get it ordered. If you haven’t joined my email list already, you need to do that, because that’s the only way you’ll get priority access to my violin lessons.

Oh yeah….there’s a thing called a “practice mute” you can put on your violin which makes it barely audible to others in the house, but you can hear it just fine. They cost around $12. I take mine when traveling, because I often practice in hotels. You might consider that too.

Let me know if you have other questions, and good luck with your many interests! –Lora

Hi Karen!
There are many considerations when answering your question.
First of all….Irish fiddling does not require than you do things properly….at least not in the classical sense. Actually, ANY type of fiddling does not require that you do things properly….some of the best fiddlers I have seen have broken EVERY RULE I ever taught my students.

However, learning to do things “properly” is like a short-cut for most people.
In high school, I would choose a concerto that I really really wanted to learn, and I would practice for 6 months JUST ON THAT PIECE….and eventually, I would really be able to play it well!
What I didn’t realize is that I could have taken a shortcut…..by practicing scales, arpeggios, and etudes (all the boring stuff)…..I could spend 6 months on the boring stuff……and then guess what….I would be able to choose ANY PIECE, and learn it in a FRACTION of the time it was currently taking me….because I would have a foundation of technique and skills that would enable me to learn pieces much faster.

THAT would be the advantage of you going back to re-learn the basics.
You would be able to take your natural gift of being able to play by ear……
Learning the basics would allow you to play more relaxed and comfortably, achieve different bow patterns with your bow, easily learn and apply new bow patterns, know how to control your bow speed and sounding point for different purposes. know how to create beautiful tone of different types for different emotions and moods, and understand the fine points of intonation. (plus alot more)
If you already feel that you have the skills listed above, then you don’t need the basics, and you should keep fiddling!
If you are missing many of the skills above, then your fiddle playing would be greatly enhanced by supplementing your learning with a basics class, such as my fabulous fundamentals for violin.

I know you would get a kick out of my fiddle class, but it doesn’t cover the basics. It just focuses on FIDDLING.

Let me know if you need more insight!
–Lora

Hi Maurita!
Here’s the scoop: Suzuki Book 1 is taught BY EAR….which should mean that you DON’T need to buy the book. However, I always recommend that people buy it because toward the end, it’s sort of nice to have that little “cheat sheet” of peeking at the music, which includes fingerings over every note.

But, many people complete the course and can’t read a stitch of music. What this means is that you develop your EAR TRAINING to the MAX! It takes longer, it’s harder, and can be tedious……but it’s like….who do you think gets more benefit…the person who climbs the stairs every day to go to work, or the person who rides in the elevator?

When you sign up, you will get FREE recordings of ME playing with my wonderful pianist, Jed Moss. We play the entire Suzuki Book 1, so you don’t have to buy the CD.

I’d love it if other students would chime in here and let me know if you ever needed or used your Suzuki Book 1 music.

I hope that answers your question, Maurita. Let me know if you have other questions!
–Lora

Oi, Leila. Uma amiga da Luiza e uma amiga minha! Do not worry. My lessons are created for beginners. Even if you cannot read music, you can learn to play the songs I will teach you because you will learn to play by ear. And if you have never touched a violin, I will teach you all of the basic skills, including how to hold it. And I will be available to help when you need it.