I finally bought a new viola a couple of weeks ago at the Blackerby Violin Shop in Austin.
It was really another special day in my life.
I had used my violin, on which my previous violin teacher had adjusted viola strings, for learning viola about for two years. So, I had hoped to get a new viola, as planning to take the individual instruction class for viola in the next semester.
After trying several violas, I knew there is no other choice except for purchasing far more expensive one than I had expected. I had brought $500 with me, thinking of one between $200 and $300. The cheapest one in the shop was, however, $550. (The first one I had tried was more than $2,000!) Additionally, when I had tried the bow about which the clerk, who was assisting me, had said it is to enter for the professional level and able to use almost forever I was crazy about to get it, though the price, $299.
The size of my viola, produced by ‘Samuel Eastman,’ is '15'. My full size violin is '14' as a viola according to the clerk in the shop. So, my viola (the right on the photo) looks slightly bigger than my violin (the left on the photo).
Meanwhile, there were some options to pay for my purchases. One of the options was that I rent the viola ($550) with only $30 a month, as accumulating $15 credit every month. The credit is reflected to the cost when I buy it. The other option was that I pay half of the cost at first, and then the rest of it with the three times for three months evenly. I had chosen the second option for paying my viola and bow. In other words, I had handed the money, $500, to the shop for just half of the cost.
It was really another special day in my life.
I had used my violin, on which my previous violin teacher had adjusted viola strings, for learning viola about for two years. So, I had hoped to get a new viola, as planning to take the individual instruction class for viola in the next semester.
After trying several violas, I knew there is no other choice except for purchasing far more expensive one than I had expected. I had brought $500 with me, thinking of one between $200 and $300. The cheapest one in the shop was, however, $550. (The first one I had tried was more than $2,000!) Additionally, when I had tried the bow about which the clerk, who was assisting me, had said it is to enter for the professional level and able to use almost forever I was crazy about to get it, though the price, $299.
The size of my viola, produced by ‘Samuel Eastman,’ is '15'. My full size violin is '14' as a viola according to the clerk in the shop. So, my viola (the right on the photo) looks slightly bigger than my violin (the left on the photo).
Meanwhile, there were some options to pay for my purchases. One of the options was that I rent the viola ($550) with only $30 a month, as accumulating $15 credit every month. The credit is reflected to the cost when I buy it. The other option was that I pay half of the cost at first, and then the rest of it with the three times for three months evenly. I had chosen the second option for paying my viola and bow. In other words, I had handed the money, $500, to the shop for just half of the cost.
Also, I replaced the viola strings into ‘Zyex’. I learned that ‘Dominant’ is not the best strings for the violin and viola. Choosing the brand of the string on string instruments, first of all, depends on individual tastes rather than the brand and second of all, the kind of the strings, such as C, G, D, and A, for the viola or G, D, A, and E, for the violin. Although I could not remember all about the best fixing order for the instruments, I know that getting a sense to the favorite sound of the strings is more important to choose the brand of the strings, and the strings should be replaced every year for the best condition.
At any rate, I have been happily practicing the violin and the viola independently since then. I am working on Suzuki vol.3 for both instruments along with some scales on the viola, as dreaming to join in the orchestra or the string ensemble one day... :-)
