More eBay Knockoffs - Now Violins

[amerikajinda]

A 1747 Gagliano:

 

[amerikajinda]

A 1689 Strad:

 

[amerikajinda]

another excellent Italian fiddle over 250 years old:

 

[tweedlesinpink]

great thread. i'm a violinist too, but i've never thought i was ready for a good instrument (i'm playing on a french instrument at the moment but less than $10,000)--it's a little of a chicken/egg situation, as i don't want to set my parents back the cost of a violin since i'm just out of high school and doing military service at the moment, but then how does one know when it's time to move on to a better instrument? i don't want to do injustice to the violin as well; i hope if anything i've got enough humility to not want to become one of those monied kids with great violins who are awful players.

it's interesting to see that the Gagliano is fitted with Dominant strings. what strings do you guys have on your own violins, and why?

 

[amerikajinda]

Originally Posted by tweedlesinpink

it's interesting to see that the Gagliano is fitted with Dominant strings. what strings do you guys have on your own violins, and why?
I've used Pirastro Oliv for years because they sound so warm and are very responsive...

 

[antirabbit]

Corelli, Oliv is way too much expense, and doesnt sound that great on my French violin. It has a dark tone as it is. Corelli is cheap and sound right. Dominant are ok, but offer no advantage as they do not stay true for as long. Ill have to post some recordings, I had two shows this weekend and spent a fair amount of time in the studio. Mind you, this is not classical...but good shows, and playing rock fiddle offers a better groupie scene...haha. Ill post some of the tracks soon, and contribute to the violin Appreciation soon.

 

[tweedlesinpink]

antirabbit, please post some tracks!

rock fiddle? i play jazz as well--it complements the classical repertoire very nicely. what equipment do you use when you're playing rock? i've visited some luthiers in germany when i was there for a holiday. are new instruments really worth looking at, given some of the prices?

 

[antirabbit]

I use a pick up system that I had made in N.Z. it is a body pick up that routes to a volume/preamp conditioning pedal that I run out to a DI input. This way I get the actual sound of the violin. The pickup rests over the sound post, for maximum tone.
I also have a full electric violin, but only play that when I play live with loads of effects or I run it through an analog synth, or in very poor conditions.
I dig Jazz and played in a quartet in undergrad. Taught me to play with anything and how to solo on the fly, which, most classically trained folks can not seem to pull off. This is totally different, I am left to my own part writing, and often with a looping pedal, can create what sounds like an orchestra (string at that). Our drummer plays very sparingly on his kit, and will often play bells or vibes at the same time.
I do play classical on occasion, mainly at church with some professors from Northwestern University and we tend to challenge the typical with some very heavy pieces (Bartók, barber, Prokofiev, Shostakovitch, and what not.).
Ill post some tracks as I get them, most of what has been recorded I have yet to write parts for (well, not literally write out, I never do this), but, there are a few songs I have finished so far.

 

[amerikajinda]

Originally Posted by tweedlesinpink

are new instruments really worth looking at, given some of the prices?

Here's a link to where you can order a decent new fiddle for a little more than $28,000... (but there's a bit of a waiting list...)

http://www.greinergeigen.de/htm/kauf_e.htm

 

[LabelKing]

I think it's amusing that this violin "Appreciation" is displayed by young women.

 

[tweedlesinpink]

yes i've found that improvisation is something quite magical when performed well. it requires bridging of a mental gap, i guess, for the classical player. but it definitely is fun as hell. but once past that initial leap, i've found that alot depends on my fundamentals and technique...which is why i've been playing alot of bach recently, working on my tone and polyphonic lines. of course, harmonically i'm not anywhere near sound enough to tackle complex improvisation, so i'm working on that as well.

looping lines into a orchestra-esque sound? this i have to hear...

do you guys still practise on a daily basis (i'm assuming you are all not full-time musicians)? what are some routines that you have when it comes to practising?

thanks amerikajinda--but i would love to be able to try out some of the maker's other violins before buying...perhaps i'll take a trip to germany (and italy) again sometime.
the trouble is being based in singapore i have the exchange rates against me, as well as the prohibitive cost of a holiday to europe, and the unfavourable shipping rates from europe back home.

 

[antirabbit]

I practiced at least 6 hours a day for 20 years.
Now, I will practice about 2 hours every other day. Mainly scales, in variations of double stops, and I practice different scale patterns, mainly ones I use the most for live playing.
I also do alot of bow technique. At least half of that time is spent on bow exercise. My primary teacher at college age was a master bow technician, so it got knocked into me.
I will say, when I played professionally in an orchestral setting, I think I practiced less.
I often will work on some Bach, a concerto, or some show pieces for giggles or when I am going to perform a work. Mostly the purpose is to keep the techniques fresh and keep my mind tuned to the tools I need to use.
It is one thing to practice, but another when you are on a huge stage, amplified, and in front of 3000 people, all of the rows that you can see through the stage lighting are 22 year old women...that is why I practice the patterns I use most so my tools are right at hand.
Think of it as developing small pieces of a puzzle or a small pattern that can be pieced together with other patterns to form a cohesive musical thought, regardless of the key. I have found that playing with bands, writers that write with capo'd guitars write in the most awful keys for violin players. With that said, I had to figure out a way to make myself comfortable and prosper.

As far as my classical repertoire, I do want to continue to learn pieces and some concerti, although I played many/most of the standards, there are some I didn't, I want to learn them. That will take time, and with my day job, unlikely for a few more years.

What are your favorite:
Concertos:
Solo works:
Sonatas:

 

[tweedlesinpink]

Concertos: Beethoven, Mendelssohn. the Tchaikovsky seems to be a more respectable favourite with most people, but the stirring emotion of the Beethoven and Mendelssohn (the ricochet section--with the orchestra playing the theme behind!) gets me everytime.

Solo works: the charm and humour of Kreisler's showpieces are quite irresistable. also Bach's 6 Sonatas & Partitas are something i can listen to over and over again. Adagio and Fuga from the first Sonata, the G mi, i especially enjoy. a friend continually jokes that i'm a pretentious little *****, because given a choice between listening to unaccompanied Bach and a Beethoven symphony with an orchestra in full voice, most times i'd pick the Bach. not that i don't like Beethoven, but for me it requires the right mood (time of day, amount of angst present, bad/good day at work...)

Sonatas: Prokofiev's D major, by a long shot. i dig his piano sonatas as well--if there was ever a set of pieces which made me want to pick up the piano these are it!



think what i've regretted most is flagging in my attention to the violin a few years ago. i wasn't motivated enough to put in the work before, and now that i'm actually proper interested in the stuff i find that i'm lacking technically--which could have been avoided had i grounded my fundamentals properly before.

 

[antirabbit]

I should have asked the question differently seeing we have violinists here:
To Play:
Favorite Concerto:
Favorite Solo Work:
Favorite Sonata:
Favorite "Piece":

My problem is I strayed from the Romantic repitoire and focused heavily on modern and did alot of unknown work.
I also have a very loud tone, and a very aggressive style at times, so modern Russian seems to have been written for me, and most of it really speaks to me. So does Brahms to a degree. You put me on a Mozart concerto, a disaster in the making. I remember studying in London and having my lessons open to the public. My first two months I tackled some very very difficult works (Messiean, Bartok, Paganini (4 caprices), and Ysaye 3 and 5 of the 6 sonatas), then for some reason Mozart 4th concerto. No worries, good comments on all the tough stuff, come Mozart....he said "Chad, please do not play Mozart, you have ruined my day, and the day of those here, Please, do not play Mozart again". Mind you, this was the nice part of what he said.
Oddly, my fiddle really fits my playing style. I really dont think a Strad would be a good fit for me.
I do think a Bergonzi would!

 

[Kent Wang]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

I think it's amusing that this violin "Appreciation" is displayed by young women.
Do any of them play? None are particularly attractive -- not model quality -- so they may indeed.