Violin Position Chart: May 2012

5/31/2012

Bellafina Wood Block Rosin Amber Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)it fits in your had and doesnt break like most other rosins, especially the little round ones, i recommend this

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First Act MCV61 Concert Series Violin with Case Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I give the First Act Concert Series Violin five stars based on quality and price. It is perfect for school music programs. First Act should be commended for designing instruments that are affordable for average families. The critics must realize that this allows children to learn to play an instrument who may not have been able to otherwise. It is a beautiful, well crafted instrument for the cost. My daughter is proud to own her violin and I don't have to deal with the hassle of renting. If she becomes highly skilled at playing the violin, then we will discuss paying top dollar for one. Until then, her First Act violin is perfect while she's still in elementary school.

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5/30/2012

Hill & Sons Varnish Cleaner, 2 oz. Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This a great product. Works great took all the old build up off my violin.

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Cremona SVA-200 Premier Student Viola, 14-Inch Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this Viola for my 10 year old son. This is his first instument. The price was excellent and it was about 1/3 of the price of renting a Viola from the local strings retailer. We researched online to learn how to place the bridge and tune it. I was able to use my electronic guitar tuner to tune all but one of the strings. I also have a piano which I used to tune the last string. The whole process of placing the bridge, tightening the stings and tuning took about 1/2 hour, and by looking up ""bridge" and "tuning a viola" I found step-by-step instructions online of how to do it. We were also able to look up how to get the correct size for our son online before chosing this size. My son has been playing this Viola now for one month. He loves it! His teacher says that his is the best intrument in the Viola section at our school, because it has very good fine tuners, and a really good sound. We hightly recommend this instrument to anyone who is looking for a good quality student viola. This Viola comes with the bow, case, rosen and a music book compartment. We are very happy with our purchase.Cremona SVA-130 Premier Novice Viola, 14-Inch

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5/29/2012

George Gershwin - Selections From Porgy And Bess For Violin And Piano Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)this product came safely and on time. I haven't got a chance to paly through all of it yet- it'll be a challenge that I am looking forward to learning. the product is in great condition. Thank you! :)

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Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in G Major Hob. VIIa:4 Softcover Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Even though I have changed my address several time with you, once again, you gave a seller the wrong address and, after weeks, I still haven't received the product. And, of course, this is not one of the issues Amazon makes it easy to deal with online.
So the service stinks.

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5/28/2012

Cremona SB-2 Premier Student Upright String Bass, 1/4 size Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is a beautiful, well made bass. My sons bass teacher said that it's a really nice instrument. Shipping was really fast and very well packaged. The instrument needs to be slightly assembled (bridge and strings).

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Florea LA8170 Violin Bridge 1/8 Size Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This bridge is for a 1/8th size violin. That is usually for small children. If you need a new bridge, it must be custom carved to fit your particular violin. This bridge is a "blank" and cannot be used without having the violin in the shop. So, don't waste your money and take your violin to a qualified repair shop instead.

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5/27/2012

Bellafina Deluxe Featherweight Violin Case (Standard) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I will have to send this back. It didn't say the size in the ad, so one would think that it would be 4/4 size. Apparently not.

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Crystalcello MV100 3/4 Size Violin with Case + Bow + Accessories - Natural Color Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)If your looking for anything but a toy look elsewhere this is barely toy quality I returned mine and bought a decent one for my niece. this is made from some very chincy materials.

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5/26/2012

Music Basics Violin Complete Kit with Free Tuner - 1/4 Size (VLN-10 1/4) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This was priced high but indicated it was on sale. When it arrived the strings were torn and the quality was inferior. Very disappointed.

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Flat Flesch 1/2 Violin Chinrest - Ebony with Standard Bracket Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this style of chinrest for our son because he tended to slide his chin toward the bottom of his current chinrest. It does touch the tailpiece ever-so slightly. But, his instructor told me it would not affect the violin.

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5/25/2012

Crescent 4/4 Full Size Violin with Case - Metallic Blue Color - Complete Set Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The violin came very fast, but the color displayed on amazon is deceiving. The violin is not as blue as it looks in the picture, but is more of a light torquoise. I have been unable to get ahold of Gracemall to discuss exchanging for another color. It is very difficult to find contact info to talk to someone. This was a Christmas present for a little girl who was disappointed by the ugly color and now it looks as though it cannot be exchanged. Anyone have any ideas on how to get ahold of Gracemall? Amazon seems to not want to give any info about them on the website.

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Londoner Bows Three Star Violin Bow Octagonal Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)In my search for a quality bow for my daughters new violin I purchased this bow to test. It did surprisingly well. My budget was under $500 (which has changed after these trials).
Testers were my daughter (novice) and our violin teacher (expert). The violin teacher also compared them to her $2500 bow. These didn't even come close to her bow.
Bows in the trial (Ranked in the order of preference):
(We used Pirazzi rosin on an unmarked German violin)
1st: Londoner Three Star Pernambuco Bow (about $330) 60g
2nd: CodaBow Diamond NX (about $355) 62g
3rd: Arcos Brasil Pernambuco Nickel Mount bow (3 different makers) (about $400-450) 61-62g
4th: CodaBow Prodigy (about $265) 62g
5th: Arcos Brasil Carbon Fiber Braided (about $180-225)
6th: Arcos Brasil Carbon Fiber non-braided (about $140-180)
Our current bow is a Brazilwood Leon Glasser? bow (sorry stamp is worn down, can only read LEON GLAS--- stamp).
We were looking for a well balanced bow with good feel and better sound than the existing Glasser bow. Unfortunately none of the bows exceeded the Glasser bow's sound quality however the Londoner 3 star and the Codabow Diamond NX did at least match the sound. Both the Londoner and the Coda NX was almost the same as the Glasser bow and the violin teacher couldn't choose between the three (Londoner, Coda NX and Glasser). All others (Arcos Brasil, Codabow Prodigy) were losers to the Glasser.
The Londoner had the best feel and balance. The Coda NX was slightly off balance. Both have are about equal in sound.
The Arcos Brasil bows had good feel but didn't match the sound. However there was an Arcos bow that did not have good feel and lesser sound.
The Codabows won the Carbon Fiber bows contest with the Diamond series outshining many including the Prodigy, as it should. The Arcos Carbon Fibers were the worst in this group but not terrible.
If we had a lesser bow, we would have stuck with the Londoner. Instead, I'll have to change my budget to hopefully find some better options.
A word of advise, always trial the bow you plan on buying (or buy from a site/store with a generous return policy). Its been a great service and really helps compare what you have to what you're buying.
At this point, I'm going to go test the Codabow Diamond GX and Joule. Based on the NX's performance, I'm expecting them to be much better (but at a cost).
Hope this helps someone with their difficult task in finding the perfect bow!

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5/24/2012

Shifting: Thirty Studies for Young Violinists by Yaakov Geringas Review

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(More customer reviews)Traditional shifting methods offer 3rd position in about the 3rd year of playing, which is studied for at least 6 months before going on to 5th position. In traditional shifting on violin it takes several years to learn positions 2-6. And then, all the time you're saying, "What position am I in?" You're thinking in terms of the physical distances on the fingerboard first, the sounds of the intervals come second.
Yaakov Geringas writes in his intro that as soon as a student knows various finger patterns, he/she should be introduced into shifting. In fact, he asserts, the higher positions are much easier for little fingers because the notes are closer together and more comfortable for littler arms.
I decided to give him a whirl a couple of years ago. Much of his technique involves hearing the intervals, as the positions are all mixed up. I have used video, recording, and just plain demonstration in teaching this book; he also requires playing in first position first, to hear the piece and facilitate finding the note with your shift. He doesn't identify positions - instead, the player shifts from one note to another note, learning to hear the notes as he or she reads.
As a result, after a few months the student is ready to read almost any music and even design fingerings of their own that ensure smooth string crossings.
The little pieces Geringas wrote for this book are delightful, reflect several different moods, and always pull the student in. They're perfect for adult beginners too, as they offer faster learning skills to pull the adult learner closer to his or her goal in learning violin.
The reason I gave the book 4 instead of 5 stars, is because it's not self teaching, and probably isn't for everyone. It requires the ability to hear the intervals, and I have had a small number of students who were not able to do it. Also it seems to be a stand alone book in a completely diverse method - so I find that I am really scouring the literature to find something to teach when this book is finished.
I'm really so happy I bumped into this book though. It's kickstarted many students into learning to use the entire fingerboard of the violin.
(One further note: I researched Yaakov Geringas and found that he was a professor of violin in a university in Canada during the 1960's. Therefore, I'm not really sure he intended this book to be just for little kids. I wish I could find more about him.)

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Bobelock Hill Style Lite 6002 4/4 Violin Case with Blue Velvet Interior Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This case is defintely stunning. The blue is rich and beautiful, the interior is soft and plush. Plenty of extra space for non-collapsible shoulder rests. The compartment is huge! Plenty of space for tuners, metronome, rosin, extra strings, cloth. It has space for 4 bows which doesn't show in photo. Also has the humidity control feature! The outside pocket expands a bit and has plenty of room for music. Inside the pocket, there is an additional storage pocket with pencil holders and a zippered spot that could be for extra strings. The shoulder strap is good quality and substantial. Also has hook in back to hook strap onto to wear more over your back. Many of these things were not listed in the description so they were very pleasant surprises. I went shopping in person for cases and there were many that were twice as expensive but barely had any extra storage.

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5/23/2012

LR Baggs Violin Pickup Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This thing is fantastic. It is way better than your run-of-the-mill pickup; for one thing it can't fall out of the bridge like most do occasionally, it doesn't mute the sound, and I never get any feedback. I originally intended to put this bridge on my nice violin (for classical) and have it be an all-purpose instrument; however, my luthier advised against this, saying the thicker bridge slightly changes the tone of your violin. I therefore opted to get a cheaper "show" violin to install it on to use with my band. Once electrified, you can't really tell the difference anyway. I use it with the L.R. Baggs Acoustic DI, and couldn't be happier!

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