Violin

Violin tuned?
Check.

This week I made the first step to restarting my violin lessons. I've been wanting to do this for years, to be completely honest. And due to a series of unfortunate events, I ended up learning the piano, the guitar and eventually abandoned the instruments as my music school (Ontario Conservatory of Music) tried to convince (scam) me into believing that I ought to learn these instruments first as they were easier and would ease my ability to learn the violin. After some years and dollars wasted, I decided to stop seeing them, as I realized my music "teacher" was more interested in details of my love life and chatting about her life than actually teaching me music. I am not sure how common this is with music instructors, as this had never happened to me before, but among discussing it with a friend who plays he piano, he told me it definitely is not a rare incident.

So one of my resolutions for this year (among many) was to get back into my violin. Of course, as all things that are worth doing, this is not a simple nor easy task. However, the first step was taken, and I decided to finally take my little 1/2 size Suzuki violin to my nearest Long & McQuade in Toronto. I called beforehand to find out prices and if they offered the tuning I was looking for, they told me yes, and best of all that it was free. I was thrilled! And off I went to see them.

After a while of going in through the wrong door (their Bloor and Ossington location is rather large) I found myself on the second floor of the corner building, in the Orchestral instrument section. A nice gentleman by the name of Jim kindly tuned my violin (which took about 20 minutes as it hasn't been tuned/played in some time) using this iphone app he had on his phone. And then proceeded to confirm what I was scared to ever hear again; that my violin was far too small for my size.

You see, my parents got it custom made to my size when I was six, and I saw the making of my violin, week by week at the Suzuki store in Montreal until it was ready to be handed to me. I didn't want to hear that now, twenty years after its confection, it was no longer suitable for me. Of course it was, of course it is, it was made specifically for me. I have grown so attached to it, it has an incredible value to me.
Worse even, was when it was suggested to me, before I shared my sentimental attachment story with Jim, that perhaps I could trade it in to Long & McQuade, but they would definitely give me less than its worth. But I could use this money to buy myself one that would fit my now seemingly "longer arms". I looked around at the violin's in the room on display, neatly they hung, all aligned behind their shiny clean vitrines, 800.00 cad, 2500.00 cad, 555.00 cad. My oh my, the years certainly haven't made these 16th century old instruments cheaper.

I asked Jim to see if he could show me some affordable beginner violin's, he showed me two: on for 199.00 and another for 350.00 cad. I asked him to please write the cost, sku and names of the makers on a piece of paper, as I had some research to do and had a lot to think about. I also requested the name of an instructor, he game me her name: Anna (I will leave her last name out). He said she had many students, but wasn't completely booked up, and I should give her a call, with her help she could help me determine whether I'd be needing a 3/4 or a 4/4 (full size) violin.

I thanked Jim for all his help and decided to leave the store, and had lots to think about on the walk to the car. And so it began, I have now in my possession a tuned violin, a number to an instructor, a few violin prices, and the eagerness to learn.

Do any of you know any Violin beginner websites that you'd recommend? I'd be forever thankful.