What violin size do you need? How to choose first
The size of the violin is chosen by measuring his arm, but not by age. A table of sizes, how to confirm with the violin in his hand and what to check before you pay.
The size of the violin is chosen by means of an extended arm, but with an age: with his left arm stretching to one end, his arm measures from his neck to his centre and looks for that measure at his table. If you stay between two sizes, his or her best choice is his or her most common and most pressurized error for his or her children.
After size come the tuning: bridge, clamps, ropes and a decent arch weigh more on a beginner than wood or brand. Here's something to check.
To sum up
- He measures his neck to the centre of his palm with his arm spread and between two sizes his minor chose.
- Adults and children from about 11 or 12 years old usually use 4 / 4.
- A studio violin with no luthier tuning can be nearly impossible to play, even for a teacher.
- The arc matters as much as the violin: it should be straight, with a curve, matching fences and a functioning screw.
- A new arch doesn't sound without cholophenia: applying them is the first step before they play.
A table of violin sizes from 1 / 16 to 4 / 4
| Size | Measurement of arm | Approximate age | Extent of body |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/16 | less than 42 cm | 3 to 4 years | About 23 cm |
| 1/10 | 42 to 44 cm | 4 to 5 years | About 24 cm |
| 1/8 | 44 to 47 cm | 5 to 6 years | About 26 cm |
| 1/4 | 47 to 51 cm | 6-7 years | About 28 cm |
| 1/2 | 51 to 56 cm | 7-9 years | About 31 cm |
| 3/4 | 56 to 58,5 cm | 9-11 years | About 33 cm |
| 4/4 | 58,5 cm or more | From 11 to 12 years and adults | About 35.5 cm |
There's also 7 / 8, thought for teens or adults with short arms or small hands. If you really care about viola, the system of measures is another and we explain it in [violin or viola]](/blog/violin-o-viola-diferencias).
How to measure and how to confirm with the violin in his hand
- He asks his student to extend his left arm to his side at his shoulder height with his palm up.
- With a seam meter, measure from the neck's side, where the violin will be supported, to the centre of the palm.
- Find the measure at the table. If you are at the limit, select the smaller size.
The final confirmation is with the instrument. With the violin in a position to touch, with his shoulder and with his jaw held, the student stretches his left arm under. The paddle, his snail at the end, should be put in his palm with his fingers wrapped and his elbow slightly folded. If only his face with his finger's tip, his violin is great.
When do we change size?
When the elbow gets very bent and the hand feels tighten at first place, when his fingers get clung with each other or when his teacher sees his posture shrinks. In children growing up quickly, check his measure more or less every six months. That's why many families buy used, rent or exchange small sizes.
What's a studio violin and what's to get
A study violin is a serial instrument for students, and is usually sold as a kit: violin, arch, case and colophenia. Between two kits that look alike, the difference lies with the setting and material of some key pieces.
| Parte | What you're after | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Cover and background | carved wood: pits at the top, maple at the bottom | Loan or laminated wood and bad glued joints |
| Diapason | ebony or other hard, smooth and without paint | A black-painted diapason that's beamed |
| Clavijas | They turn soft and stay put | Skates, get jammed or have a game |
| Microafinadores | On the four strings, or a string with integrated tuner | Tornballs that scattering the cover as they come down |
| Cuerdas | New and sound matching | Retirement or metal and rough sound |
| Estuche | Rigid with arch and firm clasp | Soft case that does not protect the bridge |
He always asked if the violin was adjusted by a luthier. Many came from factory with an uncarved bridge, an ill-placed soul or a very high string, and so sound good it's almost impossible.
What's barely ever come in the kit
- A manger (pad) the size of the violin, that's tested on the student's shoulder.
- A tuner, you can also use our [violin tuner]](/herramientas/afinador/violin).
- A atril and a soft cloth to clear the colophenia after playing.
The bow and the lung
A bad bow makes a good violin sound bad. Before accepting the one that comes in the kit, check:
- That's straight: Look at him from the end to his heel. The stick should not turn to his sides.
- That have a curve: with loose dregs, the stick turns to dregs. If flat or bobbing out, it lost its curvature.
- Common pigs: A uniform ribbon, with no gaps or a lot of broken sows.
- Torntle and nuts: The screw should tighten and loosen without jamming, and the nut, the piece where his thumb supports, should have no matching.
- Materials: For children, carbon fiber resists blows and falls and Brazil's wood is the classic study option. The very flexible glass fibre arcs are difficult to control.
The Colophenia
The new sands do not sound: they require colophenia (resin) to grab the string. If the arch is new, pass it several times throughout the tape before playing. A new tablet sometimes is so smooth that it doesn't drop powder and your teacher can show you how to open it with a light scrape. Then a few passes before each practice are enough.
To start with, any quality and reasonable violin colophenia will be useful. Do not use a contraphener's colophenia that's too soft and to get a smooth arch, check how to hold a violin's bow.
What to check before you pay: bridge, clamps and more
- Bridge: right, perpendicular to the cover and aligned with the seedling notebooks. Stretched from the side, you should not lean to the diapason or be combated, and your legs should support complete.
- Reg height: At the end of the diapason, the ropes should be so high as to have a hard time pressuring them and so low as to have them pounding.
- Nipples: They have to move with firmness and be quiet while releasing them.
- Alma: It's a stick inside the violin, close to the foot of the bridge from the Mi-string. If with smooth movement something sounds loose from the inside, it may have been falling: don't touch and get him to a luthier.
- Fits and seams: Check the cover around the effes and at the edges. It pits soft with knuckles through the contour: a buzzing can indicate an open seam.
- Corral and microtuning machines: Don't touch the cover and let the screws turn.
- Sound: Fold up and play the four strings with the arch. If something vibrates or buzzes, find the origin before buying.
New, used or rented
| Option | It's appropriate if | Be careful with |
|---|---|---|
| New with luthier tuning | You start a size that you will use for several years, as 4 / 4 | Untiup kits with bad factory sound |
| Usado | The child will soon change his size | Fears, crooked bridge or falling soul: have him check |
| Rental or Loan | They're trying to figure out if his instrument likes him, or his child grows up fast. | Conditions for damage and arch status |
Whatever the choice, the violin lives best in his case, far from the sun and from the windows. For daily care, follow the guide how to clear and care for a violin.
Frequently asked questions
What size of violin does an adult wear?
The great majority of adults use 4 / 4. Some people with short arms or small hands are more comfortable with a 7 / 8. If you doubt, try both in a position to play with your teacher's help.
Can I buy a bigger violin so that my son will grow up with him?
A big violin forces to stretch his arm and his fingers, generates tension and complicates tuning, which's already a challenge in an instrument without a scattering. It's better to change size when you play. More advice about child violin: guide for parents.
Why isn't my new violin ringing?
It's most often a lack of colophenia at the arch or too low dregs. Taste the bow till, at the centre, a space similar to the thickness of a pencil remains between the stick and the dregs and passing with a colophenia. If it doesn't even sound, check that the bridge is in place.
Violin with microtuning at all strings or just at Me?
For a beginner, the microtuners in the four strings greatly facilitate daily tuning. Over time, many violinists leave only that of the Mi string and tunes with the clamps.