I never thought much about violins until we inherited over 60 of them. First impressions were that this was a simple instrument. You practice in a quiet place for hours on end and have a nice time making music. However the more I got involved with fixing up the violins, the more I got to see just how much more there is to violinists and their relationship with their instrument. It is like the onion analogy, the relationship has layers.

The first layer is getting started. Most people start out taking violin lessons as a kid. Mom and Dad figure as long as the music coming out of the practice room is pretty good, things are nice. You may start with a rental violin or with a child’s mirecourt violin of your own. Then you need the case, the bow, the rosin and the music stand. You sign up for lessons and start making music. However it is hard to make beautiful music on the $100 special factory made violin that you bought on the internet. The teacher is complaining of headaches and the sound coming out of the room is not giving the expected joy to the ears of the parents. If you show any signs of perseverance, the folks get you a nicer violin that doesn’t squawk and squeal but makes nice music. With your lessons you are getting better and you need some fine tuners to get the tone just right. You want a new case that will take better care of your violin and has a pocket to carry your sheet music. Your bow wears out and you find out it is cheaper to buy a new bow than to have an ordinary bow rehaired. You’ve got to make the trips to the music store for sheet music or nowadays you can buy it on-line.

After a few years, hopefully the lessons are paying off and the music you are making is starting to sound very nice. You need to find the best teacher and get an adult 4/4 size violin. If you are really good the violins start getting really expensive. . You learn how to maintain your violin and build a repertoire of sheet music. You have joined a youth orchestra and the traveling is starting. What is also happening is that the passion that musicians have for their music is now building within you.

For violinists, the passion means that you grow to love everything about violins and everything can be adapted to a violin theme. Violinist love everything violins. You never have trouble finding a gift for a violinist; just find something with a violin theme. You can buy theme sheet music, jewelry, ornaments, bookends, books, pictures, posters, tapestries, clocks and even bottles of liqueurs. As long as it has a picture of a violin or is in the shape of a violin, it is something that will make them happy. They will wear the clothing or the jewelry or decorate with pictures or ornaments. They will look at the violin picture books or play the music.

For the actual violin and bow, the limits to what one can spend will fit any budget, no matter how large a bankroll you may have. The collection we inherited is not common as I have heard of other violinists who love violins so much that they want as many violins as possible. They like to look at them, have them fixed, hold them, play them and hear them played. Violins are one of those passions that fill the soul who have that passion