Tension is the biggest cause of pain. You need to learn to relax your body when you are playing. This can initially be difficult -- there is a natural fear of dropping the violin or the bow, for instance. Beginners often have a "death grip" upon the violin and/or the bow. If you have this problem, you may find it useful to practice with the scroll of the violin against the wall, or while standing on or over your bed, so that you're not afraid of breaking anything if it drops.

For your information, painted instrument (only applies to string instrument) are the worst. It looks good but sounds bad.

Most of our violins are natural-coloured. So yes. It does not not need to stick another wood for that.

Those painted violins like red, blue, green, yellow, white, black and etc. They take a normal violin and it just straight apply those colour paint. Thus two layers of paint.

lolz...seriously been quite some time since i posted here...quite dead...

oh btw does heavier violins produce mellower tones? bcuz i went to a music shop and they sell these full size violins
which are lighter than my 3/4 and comparing the tones my 3/4 is mellower...

everytime i was about to give up, i always listen to world class violinist playing, or go concert and get inspired.

but to tell the truth, violin need a lot of patience and a lot of attention and a lot of effort and a lot of time. because violin is such an alien for human being (heck, even musicians), nobody can produce a decent sound by just picking up the violin and play.

have you picked up any other instrument in the past? it'll be really difficult for a non musician to pick up violin as it's so much harder just to play a decent twinkle twinkle little star. but don't give up, just spend time practice. if you don't spend time to practice, there's nothing more you can do.

oh me ah, always touch this touch that, change this change that, almost ruin a few violins before, because not satisfy with the sound and the hand start itchy.

but of course i gained a lot of knowledge after those experiences. but as i said, don't simply simply touch your instrument, don't be like me.

aiyo brudder, cost me a lot to learn that.

but i consider myself lucky, cause never destroy the instrument. just need to replace the parts.

Ah that's cool.

btw, i'll find an instructor in my college (they do have classes there too) and also to get that suzuki method book.