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I am very interested in learning to play the violin (I have been for years). I am finally at a place in my life where it is actually feasible and I have been looking at violins online. I don't want to spend a lot of money right out of the gate and I was happy to see from some of the FiddlerMan videos on Youtube that I can get a decent starter violin for quite a fair price. However, I am going back and forth between an electric and an acoustic violin. Is one better than the other from a beginner's stand point? As a beginner, I have to admit that the idea of being able to play silently and not subjecting my two small children and husband to a sound that I am sure will be very similar that of a bobcat being murdered, make the electric violin very appealing to me!!!
“It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like "What about lunch?"”
--Winnie the Pooh
Perhaps the issue is what the (solid body) electric does not have ....... such as a sound post to plague one endlessly and chronic variability due to weather, etc.
I solve all my daily problems with a simple twist of a knob and I love that ability. No more luthier worries.
I also own two regular acoustics but I prefer the electric.
You've already mentioned the "silent" features.
On the down side, I have not been able to make the solid body electric sound just like a regular acoustic but my amplifiers are nothing fancy. I do however get some very nice sounds from even my modest setup.
Fact is that I would never have gone regular wooden violin at the start if I knew enough of electrics back then.
PS If you decide on acoustic, look for the "boat anchor" bridge mute.
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Welcome to the site forum.
Having only owned an acoustic violin and love it's sound (even my cat and partner do, now!)
I have often thought about an electric violin for the artistic possibilities, and will also be interested in the views of others who have both.
I am amazed at how old people of my age are.....
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Cherie, I know it's hard as a mother to not think about the comfort of others all the time, but make a choice for yourself not because you think you will bother others in your house!
With an acoustic violin you will be able to drag it everywhere with you, no amplifier, no batteries, no headset, no cable plugged and dangling from your instrument (it's the thing that annoyed me the most when I tried one). And you can always use a rubber mute to play quietly even at night.
With an electric though you'll be able to play with effects with a pedal.
As you can see I prefer acoustic for all those reasons but others prefer electric. I suggest putting down on paper what you might like and dislike for both, it will help make a decision. Again, if it's only because you want to play silently, you get that with an acoustic also. I had insomnia last night and picked up my violin, slipped the mute and was not worried at all of awaking my son.
"It can sing like a bird, it can cry like a human being, it can be very angry, it can be all that humans are" Maxim Vengerov
Come to think of it, the choice of violin has a lot to do with how one expects to play it later on. What future music? Where? With who?
I have mostly played in church groups and there is usually someone with a tuba or other marching band instrument(s). In that case, volume counts.
(why does one need a headset to play electric?)
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To play silent, with a headset only you hear yourself, anyway it was like that on a friend of a friend's electric violin.
"It can sing like a bird, it can cry like a human being, it can be very angry, it can be all that humans are" Maxim Vengerov
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NoirVelours, I'm not TOO concerned with portability. I have a two year old, a three year old and I work part time from home (this translates to I hardly ever leave my house!!! LOL!) And making a pro and con list for each type of violin is a great idea. I've already basically done that in my head. I'm driving myself a little crazy here though. I'm kind of at the point where I'm thinking, 'Just buy a damn violin so you can start actually playing already!! Sheesh!'
Oliver, when I think about how I want to play the violin in the future, I never see myself playing with others. It's just not in my personality I guess. Way back in the day, I used to be pretty decent on the piano and I never even thought about playing with other people! I have no idea why. I think that I would play for my kids, when they get older, if they are interested, I would show them and let them play. I just love the violin and (for the first time in a very long time!) I am just doing this purely for me because I have always loved the violin.
“It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like "What about lunch?"”
--Winnie the Pooh
Welcome, Cherie, to the Fiddlerman Forum.
NoirVelours has taken all my wording, I totally agree with her.
Only you can make the right decision on this. Good luck and happy fiddlin.
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I think going with an acoustic would be better to begin so you learn to play the thing, and if you end up taking a few lessons, throw the box in the car and go to class, and after you've learned what you need to (1-2 yrs down the road) and want to 'play' with the weird sounds possible with an electric you can always pick up one very reasonable. Keep the acoustic for the kids or pops to start learning on after they see how much attention you'll be getting from everyone.
As long as you keep the strings tight, you wont have a soundpost issue, assuming you start out with one properly set up with decent strings and it fits you well. Not to say it isnt fun to see if you can make it sound better by messing with such things like I have a habit of doing.
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
After 54 years of deliberation, I decided to give the fiddle a try. I'm not musically inclined; playing in the distant past, as if hamstrung, drums, guitar, and ukulele.
However, after 3 days and perhaps 7 or 8 hours of practice, I am in love with this 60 dollar acoustic instrument that I find difficult to return to the case. It may not have the tone or appearance of an expensive fiddle, but buy gosh, it is easier to play than any guitar I've ever had the opportunity to sling across my abdomen.
As a kid, I thought violins were for sissys, and what a fool I was. There are a hundred and twenty two really stupid things I've done in my life, and not selecting the violin as a youngster was just one.
It doesn't matter which instrument you select, in my opinion, but I chose the acoustic because I wanted to first experience 500 years of historical perfection, feel close to a violin's true essence, and risk irritating the hell out of my less than considerate neighbors. Playable electrics are not that expensive either, so if in the future I'm tempted to buy one...well, there is still room on the wall to hang it.
I'm sure your first choice will be the right one; you'll love it for what it is.
@joe: Enjoyed your story. I agree with you about the acoustic "violin's true essence."
Even if I had known about the option of an electric 3 or so years ago I would still have bought the acoustic.
@Cherie: A lot of thoughtful and valuable advice in this thread. Good luck on your choice and your journey with your violin!
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I just wanted to thank everyone for the advice and stories of their personal experience! I am pretty sure that I have decided on an acoustic violin (I think that I even know which one). I'm hoping that I'll be able to buy it after I get paid this month (besides wrangling my two and three year old, I also work from home part time for money for extras. It was supposed to be extras for me but I keep buying stuff for my kids and husband. A violin may be my first 'me' purchase! I can't wait!). A decent electric violin seems to be cheap enough that I can always get one down the road, if I want to. An acoustic seems to be more practical for my situation.
Thanks again, everyone!
“It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like "What about lunch?"”
--Winnie the Pooh
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An acoustic is a great choice I think and you can always get a practice mute for it.
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Welcome to the forum Cherie.
You should be happy with that and I sell these steel mutes that really dampen the sound quite a bit.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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