Equipment, useful addresses, discounts
All the necessary equipment for violin practice and lessons
All the necessary equipment for violin practice and lessons
Some of the shops indicated offer price reductions upon presentation of a Suzuki Music Brussels card! Check the details under Title 3, "useful addresses".
You will need to get violins and bows from a shop, not only one for the child but also for the parent.
NB You can find the addresses of some shops in Brussels further below, under Title 3.
Renting the child’s violin and bow is generally the best solution for beginners. The rental will usually include the violin, bow, rosin, violin case, insurance for damage, and the basic upkeep service. When the violin becomes too small, the shop will simply exchange it for a bigger one, continuing with the same rental contract. So it is usually a better option than buying.
To choose the right violin size, you will need to go with the child to the shop and let the shop's luthier advise you. If given the choice between two sizes, take the smaller one: the larger-sized violin may sound better, but too large a violin is not good for the child’s comfort, posture and technique.
Depending on the single-lesson teacher's approach as well as the child's age, parents might also need to acquire a full-size violin and bow for themselves. In that case it is less obvious that rental is the best solution: the violin size will not change and you might want to use the violin for a few years. Nevertheless, keep in mind that low-prices violins will tend to depreciate in time (whereas older, more expensive violins tend to gain in market value), so that you are unlikely to be able to resell your instrument at the price you bought it; and the advantages of renting, in terms of insurance cover and upkeep services, remain.
Whether you choose to rent or to buy, it is advisable to go to a luthier (specialised violin maker and repairer) rather than to a less specialised musical instruments shop, although prices might be more competitive in the latter. You will then get better service and advice, directly from the luthier himself, rather than from a non-specialised shopkeeper. We provide some useful addresses further down in this text.
In any case, we very strongly advise not to buy any instruments online: quality is uncertain and after-sales service and guarantees are, practically, non-existent!
Here is a list of necessary or useful accessories. Those marked with an * are indispensable even for beginners. The other accessories will become useful or necessary only later.
Some of these accessories may be found at the luthier, but for others you will need to go to a less specialised music shop. We provide some useful addresses further down in this text.
*The book “Nurtured by Love” by Shinichi Suzuki. To be read asap by any parent who wishes to understand what the Suzuki Method is really about!
*Volume 1 of the Suzuki Violin Method (with or without CD). Note that, given that SMB provides free access to its mp3 recordings for all the Suzuki Violin books, purchasing the CD is not necessary - but note also that the child and parent should listen to the recordings of the Book 1 pieces every day! The book should be brought to each single lesson.
*Shoulder rest or cushion. For the very smallest pupils a simple foam or sponge cushion may suffice (check with your teacher!) Later a real violin shoulder-rest may become useful. Several models exist. It is also possible to play the violin without a rest or cushion of any kind, but for beginners generally and children in particular this is likely to be very difficult.
*Rosin (colophane in French). This is a small block of sticky resin which must be regularly rubbed against the hair of the bow. Without rosin the bow will not produce a very good sound when stroking the string. Be careful: the rosin breaks easily if it falls - and then it’s a sticky mess!
*A notebook and pen and/or a recording device. You’ll need to observe each lesson carefully in order to try to reproduce it at home. Jotting down some notes is recommended; or, making audio or video recordings of the lessons has been found to be a very powerful alternative by some parents!
*Electronic tuner. A small device (or app) that “hears” whether the strings are in tune. Very useful if you are not a musician and/or not confident in tuning a violin. This should be specifically a violin tuner or at least a chromatic tuner (usable for all instruments): don’t get a guitar tuner!
*A tempo control app. Music Speed Changer is an excellent app that provides high-quality playback on smartphones and Apple devices and enables the playback tempo of an mp3 audio recording to be increased or decreased at will: https://musicspeedchanger.com/. NB If trying to play along with the recording, the playback must be amplified through a speaker or hi-fi system connected to your phone via Bluetooth. Even older hi-fi systems can connect to Bluetooth, by using a Bluetooth receiver device plugged into the hi-fi's auxiliary input.
Music Speed Changer can also be used on a PC, but the PC version of the app is web-based and playback quality is therefore likely to be poor. For PCs, therefore, the Speedshifter app published by ABRSM is a better recommendation than Music Speed Changer, while Music Speed Changer is the better app for smartphones: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.abrsm.speedshifter&hl=en&gl=US&pli=1
*A small electronic keyboard. If you don’t already have a well-tuned acoustic piano or electronic keyboard at home, a small, even toy-sized keyboard will be very useful for checking the intonation of difficult notes and learning to sing them. Alternatively, you can use a virtual keyboard on a smartphone, such as that available in the "Perfect Piano" app, although that will be a little more difficult to play than a proper keyboard. Whatever you use, make sure the good quality, i.e. that the A (la) is a true 440hz, that more than one note can sound at once, and that at least some of the sound options are sustained sounds without vibrato (i.e. organ- or clarinet-like).
*A silk scarf, to wrap the violin in before putting it in its case. This is to protect the violin from sudden temperature changes (thermic shocks), which are quite likely in winter when stepping in or out of heated buildings!
*A dust cloth, to be kept in the violin case. Some of the rosin on the bow will become a white dust that settles on the violin. Wipe it off regularly!
*A nail clipper, also to be kept in the violin case. The violin can’t be played with long nails! And children’s nails grow astonishingly fast… Try to avoid the humiliation of being asked to clip the child's nails during a lesson!
*Spare strings. Often forgotten, but useful to avoid a crisis if a string breaks just before a lesson or concert!
“I Can Read Music” (violin) / vol. 1, by Joanne Martin. Not necessary at first, but once the child can play a few pieces this book will be used to teach it to begin to read music!
A music stand. Not necessary at first, but will be needed as soon as the pupil starts on “I Can Read Music”
A metronome. Not necessary at first, but useful perhaps already from Book 2 or 3 of the Suzuki Method.
A tuning fork. Not necessary at first, if you use the electronic tuner. But useful for more advanced students who tune without the help of a teacher or a tuner. Unlike a keyboard, a tuning fork can can be stored in the violin case!
with reduction rates for SMB cards
METENY QUARTET INSTRUMENTS
P. Gilis, luthier
Avenue de Broqueville, 245 – 1200 Bruxelles
Tel. 02-762 39 27
Recommended for all beginner violin hires and repairs as well as for higher-range instruments
Upon presentation of a Suzuki Music Brussels card: 5% reduction on rentals and repairs; 10% reduction on sales
AZZATO musical instruments & accessories
Rue de la Violette 42 - 1000 Bruxelles
Tel. 02-512 37 52
20% reduction on sales upon presentation of a Suzuki Music Brussels card
POINT D’ORGUE
Musical library
Place de la Justice 22 – 1000 Bruxelles
Tel. 02-511 20 57
10% reduction on sales upon presentation of a Suzuki Music Brussels card
MAISON BERNARD
J. Strick, luthier & P.-M. Guillaume, archetier
Rue Ernest Allard 38 - 1000 Bruxelles
Tel. 02-514 18 71
For a wide choice of more expensive, high-quality instruments
No reductions