Buying a violin.

Advantages: Well worth learning
Disadvantages: can be a bit of a minefield.

...Whether it is for yourself or your offspring, buying your first violin can be a daunting prospect - how do you know what you will need? Hopefully, this will help. Before you go shopping, ask around - your teacher if you have one or anyone you know who plays the violin, if you can get a recomendation of a good shop, this will make your job easier. Better still, try to elicite the help of someone who alerady plays - the advice of someone who knows their stuff can be very reassuring, as well as useful. The violin - you can really spend as much or as little as you like - you can pick up second hand Chinese violins for very little (£40?) you can spend thousands. Obviously, if you are starting out, you won't want a hugely expensive instrument. Spend what you can afford. Make sure the body of the violin is in good shape - avoid anything...

Bryn_Pearson 13.09.2002 · Read review
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Review of Violin

How to help your child learn the violin

Advantages: Encourages self discipline, can be fulfilling
Disadvantages: can be expensive

...I admit it- I am one of those responsible for teaching those little blighters to play the violin! The violin, it must be said has an unfortunate reputation. There are all those violin jokes about cats, earplugs etc. It is a shame. I actively encourage yougsters to try the violin. I always give a suitability assessment, and to be honest it is only very rarely that I find a child totally unsuitable.Most children can manage to achieve something if a few criteria are followed: 1: THE INSTRUMENT: Buy the best instrument you can afford. No, don't take out a loan on a strad- find out if your child is the next Nigel Kennedy first! However, there are some grim kits around for about £70. I refuse to teach on them. The bows don't play properly and they often break. The violins themselves mostly sound foul and are not properly set up...

water-witch 30.11.2001 · Read review
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Review of Violin

The violin -by a viola player!

Advantages: Potentially beautiful sound
Disadvantages: The squealy noises to start off with

...I have been a musician for many years, you could say it is embedded as part of me as I can't go more than a day or two without trying a tune out on some instrument or another. In my time of musicianship I have dabbled on many instruments and the violin is still one of my favourite sounds. I have to confess that the piano is my first instrument, and I have never actually taken lessons for the violin, but have on the viola. So my violin playing is self taught from a combination of all these things. The viola is similar to the violin, a few inches bigger, and it's range is a fifth lower. Introduction ~~~~~~~~~ So, to recommend violin to a beginner? A common misconception is the idea that only classical music is played on the violin. In my years of playing I have come across a wide range of music available for the violin, indeed...

drawcabia 03.12.2006 (04.12.2006) · Read review
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Review of Violin

Learning the violin

Advantages: Have fun, great sense of achievement, opportunity to travel abroad
Disadvantages: cost, time to practise!

...I am one in a long line of a VERY musical family so I count myself lucky that I could have help from my mother (who is a very respected teacher of violin, piano, singing and theory lessons in Basingstoke and surrounding areas). I first started to learn at the age of 3 but after a few lessons of me hiding under a chair and refusing to come out whilst sitting on my hands my mum decided to take matters into her own hands and teach me herself. I have always been encouraged greatly by both my parents, my uncle and aunt and my granparents and my "talents" are still being pursued. One of the things that parents start to worry about when their child/children start to show a certain "attachment" to playing a musical instrument such as the violin is that every so often you have to purchase a new one due to the size of your child. I started...

blonde_angel 31.12.2001 · Read review
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Review of Violin

Stagg Violin

Advantages: Cheap, fun, nice sound, rewarding, you learn skills and discipline
Disadvantages: Quality of strings

...I actually bought this brand new and its a brilliant instrument, as i mentioned above the sound is very nice, its also very comfortable to play. Stagg seems to be good in providing cheap but quality instruments from about 50 pounds upwards they come with a decent case, bow, strap and resin. This is actually my 4th instrument i am learning but i'd say it was one of my favourites. Alot of people say learning the violin is horrible because of the sound it makes but i have not found any off this. I am teaching myself the violin and there are plenty of rescources to do this, it actually seems a fairly common thing to do. Playing an imstrument helps with many skills such as listening and rhythm. It also helps (especially with children) to teach one discipline and time management. I didnt start any instruments till i was 14 and there are pros...

lilpad 23.08.2005 · Read review
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Review of Violin

Violin is Bach, to buy and play!

Advantages: At the end of the day everytime you play the violin you are rewarded with a beautiful pure sound
Disadvantages: Practise!!!!!!

...I saw the violin for the first time at a performance called shipwreck at the Anvil in Basingstoke, then I saw the violin again, the mellow sound tingled through my ears and seemed very relaxing and chilling. I soon began mimicking the violinist, my mum and dad noticed and asked whether I would like to play, just see how it goes, and if I didn?t like it I could quit. I went to our nearest music shop, Modern Music, www.modernmusic.co.uk, and asked to look at their list of violin teachers, then they recommended Kim Graham (water-witch is her username) Kim is an amazing music teacher, she has helped me the whole way, and I would definitely recommend her to anyone! I am now doing grade 6 and I enjoy the violin so much, I am participating in Basingstoke Area Youth Orchestra (BAYO) currently and I audition for the Hampshire County...

YasminMayHussein 05.09.2002 (04.09.2003) · Read review
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Review of Violin

Get some ear plugs!

Advantages: See text.
Disadvantages: See text.

...I would just like to offer my own thoughts and views on playing the violin as I have learnt to play it, or rather NOT how toplay it as some people would make out! There are many different sized violins, of course making it easier for those with shorter or longer arms to play. They are full size (adult); 3/4 size; half size, and 1/4 size (for the littler people). These can be purchased in any good music shop or on the Internet brand new (price dependant), or second hand from your local paper and again on the Internet (again price dependant). Being one of the major players in any standard orchestra, it is of course an instrument that when well it has a beautiful-sounding quality to it. Otherwise, play it in a sound proofed room with ear plugs - and that is for the person who is playing it at the time! The majority of people who...

dynamicnurse 24.01.2009 · Read review
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Review of Violin

Short Live Susuki

Advantages: Fair deals
Disadvantages: Many including carefree staff

...EDITED*EDITED*EDITED*EDITED Susuki today are becoming more and more wide spread but less known. We alaways remember thosestylish 4x4's with the bulky tyres which many of us loved. However. Go to a dealer now and they also specialize in cars. THIS IS A WARNING TO ALL THE YOUNG AND VERY NICE PEOPLE OUT THERE LOOKING FOR A NEW CAR! If you know me well here at Ciao, you'd know that I am crazy for taking new cars out on the road known as a testdrive. BUT WAIT. Thats not the case here. I was simply on my way to a friends when I walked past and noticed a used car they were selling dead cheap. It was a Ford Fiesta, S-reg for £4,995. It looked like a bargain so I walked over and started to take a look. Though. by the way! They do sell approved and used cars, but I think thats a good thing, so thats one good hand to...

chunka 23.04.2002 (24.09.2002) · Read review
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Review of Suzuki

Susuki GSXR-750. The Hooligans weapon of choice!!!

Advantages: Speed, handling, reliability, snarly exhaust note.
Disadvantages: Maybe not quite as stylish looking as some other bikes.

...Susuki GSXR-750. The Hooligans weapon of choice!!! Previous to buying my Gixxer 750 three years ago I owned a 2001 Kawasaki Ninja 600. I ended up having no end of expensive problems with the Kawasaki and in the end I part-exchanged the bike for a brand new Suzuki GSXR-750 K5 model. I bought my bike as the new model was coming out so I got a hefty discount on it. You can pick one of these up for about £4000 now. Which is good considering that they are known for their bomb-proof engines so you shouldn?t get any problems. Just be careful as they are a bit of a track day goers favourite so might have been trashed around race tracks. ~~~~~~~ The Look ~~~~~~~ I bought one of the less popular colour schemes, yellow and black. I actually really like this colour. It looks good with my black windshield. A bonus is that you will see a lot...

BallisticSpin 09.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of Suzuki GSX-R750

suzuki jimni 1.3 JLX

Advantages: Easy to park , smooth , comfortable , air conditioning
Disadvantages: boot too small

...The Suzuki Jimny I'm going to review is the 1.3 JLX What a fantastic little vehicle the suzuki jimni is. My family have had a few 4x4s all of different makes but there isn't one that compares to this little wonder on wheels. As we live in a remote area with a steep hill to climb in winter this is the only vehicle to get us home and dry.Others we have had to abandon and walk home on more than one ocasion. During a day out to a sheepdog trials on a wet summers evening where the ground was extremely muddy. 4 x 4s were getting stuck one after the other.The only one which was sailing by was my dad in his suzuki. Some of the owners of the great big expensive 4 x 4s used to snigger at this little box - they soon stopped laughing when they were the one's walking up the field. *Appearance * A compact little vehicle in a two...

xdonzx 06.09.2007 · Read review
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Review of Suzuki Jimny 1.3