viola require bigger stretch, heavier bow pressure, and dealing with C string issue.

unlike G on violin, C string can be troublesome to find the balance between the right tension. lack of tension, it'll sound flabby and can go up in pitch if bow too quickly (string vibrato too much). too much tension, it's hard to get the C string drived and moving.

many violinist who move to viola will only make it sounds like violin with lower tuning. not many people can make a viola sounds like a viola.

if you're talking about yamaha music school, not academy, the only yamaha syllabus string instrument is a group violin class, and is pre-required the student to have attend and pass a few grades of the JMC classes. and that's only a second instrument learning instead or primary.

the rest of the violin teachers are like regular music school, 1 to 1 lesson (unless stated otherwise), using ABRSM/Trinity syllabus.

where do you heard that from??

no comment on the fees, if you think it's not worth it, then it's not worth it. there're reason why yamaha charge more, partly also because of the royalty fees for the "yamaha" name, along with the obvious like better renovation/environment/acoustic, and more events organizations. sometimes, it's also due to the location and rental fees.

in the end, to me, finding the right teacher is more important than fees.

PS: their instruments like silent violin and some other less popular stuffs are indeed overpriced. e.g. EV-204 electric violins are selling like USD$1300 in US but it's about RM5000++ (i think close to RM6000) here in malaysia. but then, it's true to other brands of instruments selling in other shops too.

there's no one size fit all bridge. different instrument has different curve on the belly, string height preference, fingerboard height, and sound tuning like thinner/thicker bridge give different sound.

approach a luthier to fit one for you, so you're going to be paying for the bridge and workmanship.

puchong kinrara and sri hartamas shopping center also got.

if you hear that "sand" sound, that it's not smooth, cause can be accumilated rosin on the strings (which you should wipe off using dry old cloth everytime after playing), too much rosin on bow, or simply bad quality string/hair/violin.

if everything seems fine, but the sound isn't consistent, try apply slight pressure on your index finger instead of thumb. thumb should stay as relaxed as possible, and index finger is the primary finger to control the pressure on the bow. you may also check if your albow is too low, you need a higher angle of your elbow to have a natural pressure on the G (and should raise/lower your elbow according to individual strings). in general, don't raise your elbow higher than your wrist/palm level.

different teacher/player will say different thing, so there's no one fix-all solution.


you can try google. string quartet arrangement for pop song is extremely rare. usually, people will arrange songs for string quartet themselves if they want it, instead of looking online/book store.

euro music @ jalan imbi, KL, or amadeus violins, PJ, same row as PJ digital mall. string instrument specialist shops.

i used to love euro music's "euro string" range of beginner instruments, some of them were very nice. but their recent batch of violins were sub par, you have be careful with e.g. not so well cut bridge, crooked fingerboard/neck etc...

you can try amadeus violins and see what they can offer.

This post has been edited by little ice: Dec 27 2010, 12:16 PM

you mean violin?

RM300+- is practically the cheapest price to pay for a violin, usually those selling RM200 can have many problems even if they sound decent or feel ok.

RM500~RM800 is a healthy budget for beginner violin. you can give them a call 03-79582858. for euro strings, they only have RM300 and RM500, then the next price range is RM1000 and RM1500. amadeus should have something at RM500~RM800.

euro string series has always been a hit and miss thing, just like any other RM300~RM1000 violins out there. just that recently the overall quality dropped a little lately, i hope it's just a temporary issue.

don't know about online sellers, but euro music is the distributor of euro strings series. the rest are dealers.


it's hard to make a conclusion without knowing your current violin's quality/condition. sometimes, you find RM900 violin sound better than RM1500 violin, and vice versa.

if your current violin has got setup problem, you can change bridge (RM120~150), soundpost adjustment (usually free). then, good quality strings (RM100+), good quality rosin (RM30+-). sometimes, fingerboard might not have proper scoop or overall shaping too. bow is entirely different matter, just like buying new violins, the more you pay, the better quality you get.

then, all the above problem might present on the RM1500 too if you don't choose carefully (along with knowledges and experiences), so you might end up buying another problematic violin.

at this price point, playability and setup is priority.

no doubt, scott cao is world wide reknown brand.

3 years sharp, i actually prepared my grade 8 pieces at the beginning of 3rd year, or was it like around 8 months before the exam?

to be fair, before i started the violin i already had good deal of musical trainings in general since 4 years old, as well as grade 8 in piano. so i can just focus on everything about violin, and sight reading was extra easy cause mainly just single line melody.

then, teacher and environment played a big role as a whole. my teacher is that kind of "the more you hardworking the faster you learn" kind of teacher, means, he will NEVER reserve any inputs for the students. if the student is ready, he'll straight spoon feed all kinds of necessary things to student. whether the student want to follow and practice hard, it's up to the student. back then, i was a full time music student too, so i have free time to practice all day long, and people around me are all being competitive (in a good way) so i was kiasu and practiced hard.

not to say my teacher is suitable to everybody, obviously i reckon finding the right teacher is essential as a starting point, hence i highly recommend my teacher. mind you, i'm not his only student to scored grade 8 under 3 years.

cause the client is a guy.

i used to have one gold mounted E.Dorfler that i bought for about RM4400, but it was around 7 years ago. sold it earlier last year for slightly under RM4000...

it was a very balanced bow with very good sound, but having the same "problem" that it's being on the heavy side, and not very smooth. bought an old french bow for RM2700+- that sound 10x nicer and very smooth on strings, with very bold volume yet on the light weight side.

oh looks like i bought a junk.

i reckon that liez is a more capable and knowledgeable person than i am. everybody should listen to him from now on.

This post has been edited by little ice: Jan 4 2011, 05:59 PM

my teacher charge RM100 per hour. although i don't recommend, if financial is an issue, he's able to give you lesson per 2 weeks, so it's about RM200 per month, regardless of what grade you're in. he don't do 30mins per week lesson though.

but since liez has produced a record breaking grade 8 holder. why don't you try to learn under him?


i reckon that you don't get carried away too much by all these grading things. acquiring a certain grade only means the player can play those 3 exam pieces, scales, and others that're required in the exam. no more, no less.

in the professional world, examination board gradings are practically meaningless. it's about either one can play, or not.

i don't like the idea of rushing for exams. the reason is very simple, i've seen so many yada yada certs holder who cannot play something decent. it seem that this phenomenon is getting worse each year.

i'd rather produce a student who can really play, than who can pass exams. it's easy to pass exams, but it's difficult to impress the audiences.

a good start. playing notes and playing music are very different.

good luck finding the right teacher.

the common way of playing 3~4 notes chord is to strike on the bottom 2 notes then aim for the higher 2 notes, as quick as you can (or comfortable).

however, notice that only the highest note is 3 count, so you only need to hold the top note after playing the chord.

as for how to do it nicely, it need to be demostrated. best is to search the title of the song you're playing on youtube, you'll get a lot of references and start from there.