Did you know that violins come in multiple different sizes? It’s true! While most adults play on full size violins, there are 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/10, and even 1/16 size violins for children. Whether your child is 3, 7, 14, or even if you’re an adult student yourself, getting the right size violin is crucial to learning the instrument. For children who need a fractional sized instrument, getting them the right size violin will allow them to handle the violin much better than they would with a violin that is too big.

Won’t my child grow into a full size violin?

While, yes, your child will very likely grow into a full size instrument, there are several reasons why this logic will end up hurting them in the long run. First, when I say “hurt”, I partly mean that quite literally and physically. Holding the violin is not natural – meaning no other time in life are you likely to hold up your left arm over to the side of you in the way you would to hold a violin. Even without an instrument to hold up, your arm is probably going to get tired after a few minutes of holding it up if you’ve never done this before! Violins seem like such little things, but they’re heavy when you hold one for extended periods of time. If your body hasn’t developed the necessary muscles and endurance to comfortably hold a violin for extended periods of time, we risk injuring the student by overusing the muscle. The smaller the violin, the lighter it is. If your child has the benefit of being able to start on a smaller size instrument, you will be doing them a favor as they will be able to develop their muscles slowly over time rather than rapidly putting stress on them.

Second, a smaller child is set up for failure if their instrument is too big to handle. We need to be able to move around freely on the fingerboard in order to play the instrument. There is a lot of work in the first year (and many times longer) with posture (holding the instrument correctly). The most common thing I see when a child has an instrument that is too big for them is that they’re not able to hold it properly. They need to have a straight left wrist in order to comfortably access every note on the fingerboard. If they’re struggling to reach the top of the neck of the instrument in the first place, they don’t have a chance of keeping that wrist straight. This will cause (on top of constant nagging from their teacher) them to play out of tune, making it extremely difficult for them to develop their ears. Playing in tune is a challenge when everything is set up right – it’s near impossible if the student also has other factors working against them.

All of this is sure to frustrate the student, and in my experience, they will be more frustrated than they will have fun. They will hurt, their teacher will be nagging them constantly about their posture, and they won’t be able to make a nice sound with their instrument. No child wants to fail. Having an instrument that is too big for your child will likely result in them losing interest.

Buying multiple instruments for my child as they grow sounds expensive.

I have great news! In a lot of areas, you can rent string instruments. When your child outgrows theirs, you turn in the violin for a bigger one. I recommend renting your first instrument to everyone, even if they’re an adult student who will be starting on a full size instrument to begin with. Here’s why: how many times have you or your kid been ALL about something, totally invested, can’t get enough… just to lose interest in a few months? I love the violin, but I’m not foolish enough to believe that it’s for everyone. It’s a rewarding, but very challenging, skill. To put it bluntly: the violin is too hard to enjoy if you just “kinda” like it. Renting an instrument is a smart option financially if you’re unsure of the commitment.

In Grand Rapids we’re lucky to have Meyer Music – your one stop shop for getting sized, renting, and helping with repairs for your instrument. If you go during normal business hours during the week, they’ll even change a broken string for you while you wait. All included in the rental fee! If recommend Meyer Music to all of my new students. If you’re not in the Grand Rapids area, Shar Music does online rentals. Even though they’re based out of Ann Arbor, they will ship you a rental instrument. They’ll help guide you through the process of measuring your child to see which size violin is right for them as well.

I would love to hear from you! Let me know what your thoughts are about this below!