You have many options to consider in selecting your instrument. Are you going to buy a new or used instrument? How much are you willing to pay? Are you going to purchase a beginners model, or are you willing to make an investment at this time for professional model?
Some violin virtuosos would never consider buying a new instrument. They would much rather choose an instrument that is antique in nature. Another option is to have a violin custom designed and made for them by a professional violin technician.
As a beginner, you should be able to find a used violin for somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 to 100 dollars. It would be helpful if you could have an experienced violinist play your violin before you purchase it. An experienced musician will also help you be able to look your violin over to check for excessive wear and damage. You may also find it helpful to be able to identify all of the various parts of the violin. This may help when negotiating a fair price for a used instrument.
It is important as you determine how to learn violin that you find a suitable instructor. Quality online instruction courses will teach you starting with the most elementary of the basic skills. You will learn the benefits of posture, both in the sitting and standing position. You will learn proper techniques for picking up and holding your violin. You will discover the various methods of tuning your instrument. Your online instructor should have a positive attitude comes across as it being an honor to have you as one of his students.
Your violin instructor must be proficient in the genre of music that you most want to learn. It would be foolish of you to take lessons from an instructor who only teaches classical violin if your heart’s desire is to learn Irish dance music. It is important to note that most quality instructors will be able to teach violin lessons across several different musical genres.
Another critical component of your violin instruction is music theory. Music theory, simply stated, is the study of what makes music work. Just as there are laws of nature, there are rules of what makes the various components of a musical piece flow together. The study of rhythm and syncopation, melody lines and harmony components, musical dynamics and volume are all studied under the topic of music theory. You should make sure that your violin instruction includes healthy measures of music theory.
Because most online violin instruction is geared toward the musician with no experience, do your homework and make your choices wisely. The choices of how to learn violin will become easy for you.