Choosing an instrument

When choosing an instrument, there are a couple of factors one should take into account. The first is, what range of pitches does the prospective student enjoy? Do they like higher pitches? Or do they enjoy very deep pitches more? Perhaps they prefer something in the middle? The second is, do you have space in your car for a larger instrument, or do you require something a little more compact?

Here at Storm String Studio students can choose from three different instruments: violin, viola, and cello. Below is a brief description of each.

Violin: Violin is by far the most famous of the orchestral string instruments. It is also the smallest and highest pitched. It’s range is often compared to what the right hand on the piano plays.

Viola: Viola, while not as well known, is very similar to the violin. In appearance, it is very similar to the violin. It’s pitch range encompasses the lowest pitches of the violin and the highest pitches of the cello. It’s larger sizes (used when students approach being full-grown) tend to be 2-4 inches larger than a full-size violin.

Cello: Cello is the largest orchestral string instrument, other than the string bass. It’s pitch range is often compared to what the left hand on the piano plays. A full-size cello in it’s case is approximately 4.5ft long (a 3rd grader typically uses a 1/2 size cello, roughly 3.5ft in it’s case).

Bass: The string bass is the largest orchestral string instrument. Most adults play a 3/4 size string bass, which is 71.5” tall. The typical 3rd grader plays a 1/4 size, which is just over 5ft tall.

where to obtain an instrument

I strongly recommend renting an instrument from Kelin Violin Shop (www.kelinviolins.com) in Plano. The instruments are of good quality, and his rent-to-own program is excellent. He offers rental periods of month-to-month, quarterly, semi-annually, and annually. For the quarter through annual rental periods, the rental fee is discounted. In addition, Mr. Kelin’s rental program covers damage - meaning that if the instrument is accidentally damaged, you do not have to pay for repairs.

The most affordable rental option is at www.sharmusic.com. They are a family-owned business based in Ann Arbor, founded in 1962. Their customer service is excellent, largely due to the fact that Shar strives to hire string musicians. They also have a good rent-to-own program with good quality instruments. The advantage to renting from Shar is that you can pay less to rent a lower quality instrument at first, and then increase in quality as the student increases in skill. However, there is no damage coverage in their rental. In the case of damage when renting an instrument from Shar, the renters options are to pay for the repair or to purchase the instrument.

I strongly recommend against purchasing instruments from Amazon. Also, please note that painted instruments (blue, white, black, pink, etc.) are not allowed in my studio. All instruments must be of the traditional wood color.

What size instrument to get

To find out what size instrument the student needs, refer to the chart below. Arm length is measured from the base of the neck to the middle of the palm.

Finger span is measured from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the pinky, with the fingers fully stretched apart.