Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Should I Rent Or Buy a Violin As an Adult Beginner?

Introduction
Many people are curious if they should buy or rent a violin as an adult beginner. This is an excellent question and in this segment I will cover the pros and cons of both renting and buying a violin.

Renting a Violin
Many people rent a violin when they are first starting because they aren't positive they are going to stick with the violin. This is an excellent way to start and there are actually a lot of programs out there called Rent-To-Own programs that allow you to use the payments you pay for a rental towards that actual ownership of the instrument. Rent-to-own programs are great for the fact that you can return the instrument at anytime if you don't want to play violin anymore but you can also own the instrument after a certain period of time. These type of programs are typically found at music stores that deal primarily in stringed instruments. I would stay away from stores that deal in a wide range of instruments because typically their inventory isn't the greatest. The negative side to renting a violin is that the instruments that are typically on these type of programs are not always the best quality instruments out there. I have seen quite a few exceptions but you want to be very careful when choosing a rent-to-own instrument and make sure that the instrument is in good condition and plays well.

Buying a Violin
The other option you have as far as picking out an instrument is to actually purchase the instrument. Most places you can buy violins especially on the Internet only give you this option. The thing about buying a violin is you definitely want to make sure the instrument will fit your needs before you spend the money. Even as an adult beginner it is nice to learn on a violin of good quality that isn't going to sound like a tin can. By buying a violin in the 200-500 dollar price range, there is a chance that you will find a good quality instrument that will last you a while. Buying at an actual local store is nice because they typically have the option for you to upgrade the instrument at a later time for a better quality instrument. Make sure you check into these policies before purchasing the instrument. The negative side to buying a violin over renting is that you are kind of stuck with the commitment and it is hard to go backwards on it. Most shops that you buy from will not take the instrument back after a certain amount of time and will only take a trade-in if you are upgrading instruments. Some shops do take in trade-ins and give you cash back but they usually only give you less than half of the worth of the instrument. The best thing is to be certain you like an instrument and that you want to learn violin for a long period of time before you spend a decent amount of money on an instrument.

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