What are some things I should look for when buying a snowboard (URGENT?

I am buying a violin for college, what are things to look for when buying?

• I am spending about a $1000 and going to a good dealer in fine violins. What are things I should look for in a violin? I want to use obligato strings so what style should I buy? german italian etc. What should I look for in tone?

• Answer:

  it's good you're going to a dealer. you might want to take along your teacher, but only if you love him/her and trust his/her opinion. no 2 violins are the same. not even factory made ones. don't necessarily go for the aesthetically pretty violin; the ugly one may have the best tone.. make sure it doesn't have cracks. or structural issues. We can't tell you what you want in tone. most of the time you're going to want a violin with deep sound, but balanced with brightness (loudness). you're going to want to spend about 1/10 to 2/10 of the price of your violin on a bow. so like, 1000 dollar violin=100-200 dollar bow. Generally, european violins are the best. Especially German and French. Frenchies are expensive though. Generally, Chinese instruments aren't the best, but don't be turned off at all of them. One of my friends has an amaizng Chinese cello. took him to all-state. twice. the day before you you go to the dealer, don't listen to any music. don't play any music. don't think at all. plan it to be relaxing. get a good night's sleep. Buying a violin is fun, but can take hours. you could play as many as 10 violins. Keep an open mind. tell the dealer your price range. as you start playing them, tell the dealer what you liked about that instrument. start wide, then narrow. use the same bow for all instruments. when you get it down to 3-5 that you absolutly love, put a shoulder rest on all of them, and have them lined up ready to play. Play a short scale on each, the same scale. do this in the low range and the high range. play each instrument in those really high positions; make sure you can actually reach up there (something I failed to do...) it's a fun experience, something to go through. but your ears and brain will be fried. suggestion: take a break before you go through the final stretch. once you pick your instrument, maybe consider a bow. The most important thing in choosing an instrument: not how much it costs. not where it comes from or how old it is. the mot important thing is you. The instrument you pick. make sure you love it. with all your being. It is an extension of you. It's your instrument. you have to absolutly love it. have to. every single permament thing about it. ( I love my violin. I love the way it plays, the way it sounds. I can deal with the fact that it's 1/8 inch bigger than a normal violin. I have major peg issues though... for 350 dollars that can be fixed. pegheds baby.. :p) Ok. so in short. suggestion: take your teacher or some other knowledgeable person in music. European instrument generally are better, Asian instruments are subpar. very generally. tone: you pick it. as you play them, you'll figure out what you like. maybe consider getting a bow too. take your time; walk in with an open mind. get plenty of rest beforehand. Love the instrument you pick. Have fun :)