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Honorary advisor


Honorary advisor

Regular advisor


Considering all the anguish people go through to hold a violin it is no surprise to me that maybe the historical lineage of the violin might include vertical (cello/violin) instruments ?
I, for one, see nothing about the modern violin that suggests it was designed for the human head/chin.
I have a 16" viola which I can play for about 15 minutes before becoming uncomfortable with the weight. Maybe it would be worth a vertical try !!!!

you're welcome, fiddlerman.
Oliver, i agree with you. The first few days I felt my violin weighed a ton, I'm getting more used to it now. However, when I saw that guy playing violin vertically, my first thought was: if I held my violin that way, my short arm, short pinkie problem might be solved; except, I will have to play sitting down. LOL

If you think about it, the usual violin hold is awkward, non-sysmetrical and generally uncomfortable. This is an instrument a Yoga teacher might recommend and a chiropractor might privately applaud.
Incidentally, FYI. There is at least one luthier who markets a 7/8 as his "Ladies Model" but I personally have never checked it out.
Notice that it is $15,000 LIST, but you can always scout around on Ebay

@PKY Sorry, I sort of lost my way on your pinkie thread but I had an idea. Why not consider renting a 7/8. From where ? I bet if you could speak to a school teacher they just might know.
Besides, even a big outfit like Shar is selling VSO's below $200 and I think those can be had on 10 day trial. Say so if you might be interested and I'll get details.

Honorary tenured advisor


Thanks, Oliver, i have been considered getting a 7/8 and searching on ebay, but no idea how they are and if they are good. I guessed if I stay in first position, i shouldn't have too much trouble. I have also considered getting a 3/4 since i will never make it to a professional violinist anyway, and if I don't like it I could always keep it for my daughter for her future use. Meanwhile, I am also practicing plucking with my pinkie on all string on top part of the violin body (like my daughter's teacher taught her) and hope that will be helpful.

Honorary tenured advisor


@PKY If you are afraid of Ebay then stay with a winner like Shar, and the prices are only slightly higher AND you can get a trial.
In any case, whatever you choose will be very difficult to change downstream.
You are facing a very important decision. (decisions, decisions !!! )
(It just occurred to me that the risk in buying a 7/8 is probably no more than buying a 4/4. I own 3 Ebay instruments. A cello, a 15 1/2" viola and a 16" viola. I bought these back when EBay was a 4-letter word. The cello and 16" were fine. The 15 1/2" sounded terrible. It's a gamble which you can pretty much avoid with a higher quality retailer.)
Regular advisor
pky said:
i like the video and i love the one below
How cool was that?! I'm impressed. ... But on the other hand, that doesn't take much. LOL

I checked out 7/8 violins on ebay, for those post the size measurements, to my surprise, my cvn 500 4/4 almost qualified for a 7/8 size if my measurements are precise. See comparison below (I think the main difference between the total length could be the 7/8 has a smaller scroll and a 4mm shorter body length):
Ebay 7/8 violin |
mine |
|
Back Lengh : |
346mm |
355mm (14”) |
Upper: |
165mm |
160mm (6.25”) |
Center: |
110mm |
110mm (4.25”) |
Lower: |
202mm |
203mm (8”) |
Total Length : |
579mm |
583mm (23”) |
Vibrating string length: |
320mm |
323mm (12.75”) |
Since i don't want to buy a 7/8 that is very close to what I have, I probably have to find out the measurements before i buy it. May be I should also look for a bigger 3/4 violin since different luthier (different make) could make same size violin with different measurements.

@PKY
It appears you are correct about Shar even though one of their typical ads says "Available in 4/4 to 1/16 sizes."
The link below is to Gliga and there is much good talk about them around the internet. Maybe somebody here knows more.
Their 7/8 is $203. (They have 3/4 also but I did not check that page.)
http://www.violinslover.com/vi.....ins7_8.php
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