Student Instruments: When You Should Rent, and When You Should Buy

Studying a stringed instrument like a violin, viola or cello can be pricey. The decision to rent or buy largely depends on the student’s age and commitment.

Adults who enjoy being musicians by and large were enthusiastic about studying their instrument as children. They may not stay with the instrument they started on - how many bassoonists started with the clarinet, or percussionists with the piano? - but for the most part it was exciting to start the process of learning how to play.

For every confirmed instrumentalist, however, there are a multiple of dropouts. This is a major reason why parents are hesitant to invest in a musical instrument, at least in the beginning stages of study. When it comes to violins that is even more the case because violins come in nine graduated sizes, starting with the 1/8 size for arms 16 inches long; the largest (adult) size, the 4/4, is for arms 23 inches in length. This is a practical necessity of playing, as the size of the instrument has to be easy and comfortable for the musician.

Still, even those student size violins can be costly. As with children’s clothing, they will outgrow it in a year or two. Cello, viola and violin rentals are usually available at most local violin shops, which also provide instrument sales for students and beginners.

If the beginning player is a child, it probably makes sense to rent, particularly if the violinist-to-be is not yet committed to the instrument. Rental violins are typically used instruments maintained by the local violin shop. Enlist a professional - either a local violinmaker or the child’s teacher - in choosing an instrument that will inspire the student to enjoy study, practice, and performing.

It’s important to note, however, that higher quality instruments - those crafted with higher quality wood and fitted with better accessories - sound better and are easier to play than cheaper instruments. For a young violinist, then, once his or her commitment to the violin is confirmed, it makes better sense to invest in a better sounding, higher quality violin.

Though some violin shops may encourage parents to “rent through the sizes,” it may not make financial sense to do so. In many cases the cost of purchasing can be at about at par with the cost of renting for about a year. Even smaller-than-full-sized violins hold their value and those parents that purchase smaller violins for their growing and developing player have the option of trading in smaller violins for larger violins, lesser quality violins for more fine instruments.

This is a time, after all, when a love for music and playing can be very strong for the student who has proven they have the discipline, talent, and heart for it. Therefore, it’s a time to get serious about committing to an instrument as well. It needn’t be a new instrument. In many cases, used instruments properly set up by the shop, can sound excellent and come with an excellent price tag.

Experts will tell you that there is a psychological advantage of purchasing an instrument for a child rather than renting one. A student who owns his or her own violin, viola or cello is more likely to practice and take lessons and commit to study long-term knowing the instrument is their very own.

Let us never forget, an instrument may take the player to college and beyond, or simply be the instrument they will cherish the rest of their lives in playing for special occasions, holidays, and friends. How much the instrumentalist and their family will or should pay for the instrument is a function of the degree of commitment and available resources. There is certainly a point when the price-value of a violin to the student becomes clearer.

The promising violinist may need to spend several thousands of dollars for the violin that matches his or her ability and ambitions. Before buying, do some talking: to teachers, to luthiers, and to other violinists. They may be able to offer good advice - and perhaps a lead on what you can afford or a violin financing plan that fits your budget.

Violins, Tuning Forks and 440 Concert Pitch

Being “off pitch” is more often a metaphor for poor communications. But with violins, oboes, and concertmasters, it hits on the science of music.

In a modern world, we expect everything to be standardized. With a few exceptions - the inability one encounters trying to plug American electrical devices into European outlets being one of them - a globalized economy and culture have more or less made the vast majority of tools and instruments interchangeable according to universal agreements and standards.

Another one of those exceptions might be the tuning of notes in Western culture music. Music is, after all, quite global. And yet going back decades and up to today, finding that perfect Concert A is elusive. Strike up a conversation on this topic in a violin shop populated by six people and you may well get six different viewpoints.

First, there is a scientific way of determining pitch, which conventional wisdom says is 440 hertz for the Concert A. That sounds pretty standard, right? Except the Concert A for non-transposing instruments (violins, violas, cellos, harp, flute, piano, and yes, the marimba, among others) is actually a different note for transposing instruments (double bass, piccolo, B-flat clarinet, contrabassoon, French horn, B-flat trumpet and, of course, the glockenspiel, among others). This is mostly a matter of semantics, but it also hints at the complexity of a single musical note.

That said, with the invention of the tuning fork, and standardizing it to sound waves (the 440 Hz), at least musicians, conductors and full orchestras could at least know what that standard pitch would be - right? Well, not exactly. Science and art rarely meld perfectly. You could say they aren’t in concert. The disagreements or inconsistencies of tuning forks go back almost 100 years, possibly more:

• Invented in 1711 by British musician John Shore, the tuning fork produced the first pure tone (technically superior to a stringed instrument because it has much less of an overtone that would override or muddle the perception of the fundamental note). The forked shape, with parallel tines, converges at the base while the handle is connected to a resonance box, which amplifies the sound. But air temperature can affect the frequency, so its use is set at 68 degrees F, or 20 degrees A. Which doesn’t necessary hold for outdoor July concerts in the Hollywood Bowl.

• The standard 440 Hz setting of tuning forks doesn’t get full agreement with everyone. Reportedly, the Boston Symphony Orchestra is set to 444 Hz, the New York Philharmonic to 443 Hz, and the Berlin Philharmonic 445 Hz. Some solo violinists intentionally tune at a number above the orchestra’s 440 Hz, around 442 Hz for example, to create a slightly brighter sound.

• And which instrument tunes to the tuning fork before tuning the entire orchestra: the concertmaster violin or the oboe? In a concert band/wind ensemble, the absence of all strings defaults this responsibility to the oboe, the principal (first chair) clarinet, or sometimes the principal flute or saxophone. But in an orchestra, it is not uncommon for the concertmaster violinist to cue each section to its Concert A. Still, the oboe is more often than not the instrument by which all others find their pitch.

Alas, the familiar metal tuning fork itself is slowly giving way to electronic versions thereof. The most accurate of these, the strobe tuner (using stroboscopes) is nonetheless expensive and temperamental, with moving parts that tend to require service and repairs. Only the luthiers making and repairing the finest instruments have access to these.