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So cjk junior just got a new violin. I make an attempt to set it up.



I read the included instructions, then watch a youtube video on the topic. I successfully install the bridge without getting wet or breaking anything.
I use my chromatic tuner to tune the thing because why wouldn't I?
G, D, A, E
Check.
I fight with it quite a bit, but so far so good. Pluck string, right note sounds on the tuner.
I summon cjk junior to admire my handiwork.
Cjk junior informs me that i have tuned all the strings "too low". Apparently an octave too low.

I guess I'll have to give it another go tomorrow.

You are tuning G as the lowest string, right?

Tuba Forum Admin wrote:You are tuning G as the lowest string, right?

Yeah, just quite a bit lower than expected. ;)

Sounds like one of those real cheap instruments (maybe a Cecilio?). A violin shouldn't come with "some assembly required, since the pressure of the bridge is what keeps the sound post intact. Also, in my experience, the bridges on those instruments shift (and that's even if you managed to align the bridge properly, which isn't easy even with experience) and the tuning pegs rarely hold pitch.

That being said, you can sometimes find some real diamonds in the rough when it comes to those makes. And if it becomes a good jumping off point for Junior, all the better! Maybe move onto a Pfretzschner within a year if he's still interested, with a proper setup from a local luthier. Though, I'm a bassist so I don't know if there's a better option in the used market.

Make sure the soundpost is where it is supposed to be before you tune it all the way up to pitch, otherwise the pressure of the strings may break the top.

my question is why would you let him play violin

You probably bought a piece of crap violin. :lol: :P :mrgreen:

Violin pitch is concert pitch.

The strings are under a good bit of tension.

When Debbie set up the violin the first time, she checked everything carefully. Of course, she took everything back down to ship it.

When you pull all the strings up to pitch, you should do it quite slowly, as the top of the bridge is going to travel towards the headstock as you tighten the strings, so you’re going to have to constantly readjust the bridge and re-center the bridge as you tighten the strings.

You also need to pull the strings up to pitch slowly and gradually, or you’ll probably at least break the E string, if not others.

Taking a previous joke post, fully appreciating the humor therein, but making a serious comment about it, there is no better first instrument for any child to play than the violin.

And.....I don't know if it is a full size, but if it is.....string length from the nut to the bridge is just a hair under 13 inches. I don't see how it could have shipped with the bridge not intact and have an in-place sound post, likely ending up with a collapsed belly and for sure a complete lack of tone. The bridge needs to lean just a hair away from the nut, which mean its feet have to be trimmed to fit the belly.....and these may or may not be fine points but they all matter. If it's not a full size, ignore the string length item. I have not yet seen an amateur who can set up a sound post....a special tool is required, plus its placement has an effect on the tone, even minor adjustments. Its feet of course have to perfectly mate with the belly and back.

I think the best first instrument for anyone is the piano; you get a visual of where all the notes are, and you learn to read two clefs and don't get stuck in "this dot means this fingering" way of reading. This dot means that PITCH is the way to read.

bloke wrote: Taking a previous joke post, fully appreciating the humor therein, but making a serious comment about it, there is no better first instrument for any child to play than the violin.

I posted about my 4y/o in The Other Forum a while back. She's been playing violin for about a year now. I couldn't be happier with the decision we made to start her. From a musical standpoint, it's an instrument that can be scaled to a 4 year old, so she doesn't have physical limitations like she would on piano or trumpet.

But sitting back and thinking from a development perspective - What a great process to go through. Gross motor, fine motor, divided attention, consciousness of the moment, ear training, learning to read music, learning that practice and hard work produce results.

And, she was able to play Happy Birthday over FaceTime to her grandparents, who had birthdays a few weeks ago. OH LORD WAS SHE HAPPY. She can also listen to orchestras, quartets, bluegrass, jazz, etc...and see herself doing it.

bloke wrote:Taking a previous joke post, fully appreciating the humor therein, but making a serious comment about it, there is no better first instrument for any child to play than the violin.

When I grew up in Florida, kids interested in music had their first opportunity to join an instrumental class in fourth grade. It was a strings class. My first instrument was violin. In fifth grade, I begged and begged until I was put on cello. Picked up double bass around 20 years old, and almost immediately started gigging.