[原创]选择你的第一把高级琴

下面是一篇很值得读的文章，题目是《选择你的第一把高级琴》("Considering Your First Good Instrument")。作者是Susan M. Barbieri，节选自《Violin Owner’s Manual》。文章是用英文写的，最近我比较忙，等有空了我在翻译成中文给大家。（文中的价格为美元）

Considering Your First Good Instrument

After conquering the “Bach double” last year, I knew I was ready. I’d logged three years of work as an adult beginner on the violin and was playing first violin in a string quartet. My student instrument was starting to sound shrill under my ear, sluggish under my hand, and too bright to blend with the quartet. It was time to step up.

With a rough budget in mind, I visited a reputable dealer and began the windowing process. I played about a half dozen fine instrument and quickly narrowed to two the violins I would take home and bring to my lesson. One was lovely sounding violin costing $4,000; the other, which I’d begun calling “the Chicago” because of where it was made, cost about @2,000. I was leaning toward the less expensive instrument, which had the rich, silky tone and effortless response I wanted. But I wasn’t sure, so without telling my teacher or friends the prices, I conducted blind “taste tests” to get listeners’ opinions.

Each time, “the Chicago”, the less expensive instrument, won out – prompting “oohs” and “aahs” from teachers and friends. I couldn’t be happier with my beautiful violin.

An instrument-buying experience can be fairly straightforward and stress-free, but not every beginning- to intermediate-level musician has an easy time making that first step up. For many, the process of buying a good instrument is an agonizing one. But with the right preparation and right attitude, experts say, it does not have to be. The key to making a good decision lies in asking the right questions of yourself, of the instrument seller, and of those who are closest to you musically.

ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

How do you know when you’re ready to move on to your first good instrument? Susan Leek-Dedon, who teaches at the University of St. Thomas Conservatory and sells instruments part-time for Miller and Fein Violins in St. Paul, Minnesota, says that usually an $800 student instrument will hold a player for a few years – whether he or she is a young or an adult beginner.

“This is especially true at beginner levels. You are still learning how to hold the bow. But once you get to a certain level, you start to outgrow your instrument,” says Leek-Dedon, who has taught for more than 20 years.

“For instance, when you’re trying to play a passage, it may not be as clear as you think it should be because the instrument doesn’t respond. And when you’re going up in position, again, it’s not doing what you want. Another telltale sign is, ‘Wow, I’m hunkered down on my bow arm but it’s just not giving me the power I want – even though I’m doing everything my teacher tells me to do.’”

Once you know you’re ready for a new instrument, it’s important to consider your goals as a player before you actually go shopping. Claire Givens, owner of Claire Givens Violins in Minneapolis, asks prospective buyers to consider how their instrument will be used. In a hall? In a church? Are you a young prodigy or an adult amateur playing for your own enjoyment?

“Figure all the out. Then go into it with an absolute open mind about sound and response”, Givens says. “People get the best instrument when they come in and don’t say, ‘I want something old’ or ‘I really like brown violins’ or ‘I was told to stay away from French instrument.’ Instead, they come in and say, ‘I really want to experience every one of these instrument and see what they can do for me.’”

SETTING A BUDGET

People often ask Givens about pricing. She says there are four things that go into pricing any instrument: authenticity, quality of craftsmanship, condition, and sound. First-time buyers won’t be able to determine authenticity and quality of workmanship, but Givens says that if you do business with a reputable dealer, you can get a crash course in how to listen and how to look at the condition of an instrument.

How much to spend depends on a lot of things, Leek-Dedon agrees, but as a general rule she advises that it’s reasonable to double or triple the value on your first step up from beginning instrument to a quality instrument. “I had a young woman come into the shop who had been playing less than a year,” she recalls, “She was not that good, but she showed good consideration, had a good ear, and probably could do well with it in the future. She had been told by a public school teacher that she should spend $3,000 or $4,000 on her first instrument. I said, ‘Well, I think that’s really high.’ Sure, I’d like to sell a more expensive instrument. But sometimes you place yourself with a too-expensive instrument and you’re not ready for it.”

WHERE TO PURCHASE YOUR INSTRUMENT

Several experts warn against trying to buy your first good instrument at an auction, although prices there may be low. As St. Paul instrument maker and dealer John Waddle points out, auction house’s viewing room will be big and unfamiliar, with lots of other people playing and talking. You’re not going to have sufficient time, they’re not going to let you take the instrument out for a week and try it, and no follow-up services will be provided.

Teacher commissions can be another potential pitfall for the unwary or uninformed buyer. Some dealers pay teachers who help students pick out an instrument from their shop. The commission is usually a percentage of the sale price of the instrument. Not all shops and teacher engage in the practice, and when the buyer is informed that a commission is being paid, there is nothing unethical about a teacher being reimbursed for the time and effort he or she puts into helping a student make a difficult choice. But buyers should be aware that in some cases commissions are paid without their knowledge, and then the objectivity of the teacher’s advice can legitimately be questioned.

Even putting aside the question of teacher commissions, Mark Bjork, a professor of violin and pedagogy in the University of Minnesota’s music department, advices buyers to take their teacher’s opinion into account, but never to neglect their own feelings about it. He recalls his own experience with a student who was trying to decide between two violins.

“I had had a chance to try them before she did, and they were both very nice examples, but one of them, I felt, was much better sounding than the other one. She came in after a week or so of trying them and said she had made her decision, and it was not the instrument I would have chosen. And I was a little bit surprised until heard her play them. She sounded much better on the one she had chosen. I didn’t, but she did,” Bjork says.

Bjork adds that students should consider instruments being made by contemporary makers because of their high quality as well as the fact that old instruments frequently are out of shopper’s price range. In fact, he adds, sometimes a top-of-the-line mass-produce instrument will be better than a bad handmade one.

But if he believes the student will run up against certain limitation with a particular instrument, Bjork doesn’t hesitate to point that out. And if he sees a student leaning toward something that he thinks is going to be a bad investment, he says so. Bjork believes it’s important to think of that first good instrument as an investment. He advices students to buy from a reputable dealer who will give them a good trade-in policy on the one that they’re purchasing. Buy from someone who is apt to have a selection of things for you to view if and when you do decide to trade up, he says.

But according to Waddle, some shoppers seem excessively worried about investment value. “Many people understand investment value more than they understand sound,” he says. His view is that in the lower price ranges, say $2,000 and under for a violin, you’re not going to get an investment instrument. So you need to decide how important that is to you.

Waddle always tells people to sit down and figure out a comfortable price range, then look at instruments within that range and call and make an appointment with the instrument maker or sealer. Tell him or her price range. That way, the maker or dealer can have several appropriate choices ready for you to try. (Givens adds that it is helpful to bring in your present instrument and bow to give the shop owner an idea of what you are accustomed to hearing.) Then begins the process of testing and narrowing down the choices.

HOW BEST TO SHOP FOR YOUR NEXT VIOLIN

Leek-Dedon has three criteria she asks prospective buyers to think about when they come into the shop: How clear and responsive is the instrument? How do you like the sound? Is it comfortable to play or does your hand become fatigued?

A common mistake, Waddle says, is that shoppers set forth without a plan. Be organized. Know what you’re going to play and do it fairly quickly. “I don’t recommend practicing in the shop,” he says. “And don’t try to impress the other people in the shop with your playing. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve had pick up the violin, launch into the Tchaikovsky violin concerto, and about two bars into realize the violin is not in tune.”

Another problem, Waddle has observed, is that very shy, young players who come in with their partners are frequently afraid and don’t know what to do. “They need to say to themselves, ‘OK, I’m going to play a G-major scale, I’m going to start on the G string, I’m going to play all the way up to the E string, then I’m going to play a simple piece, maybe a slow piece, and then I’m going to play a fast piece.’ You need to pick a violin up, do that process, and put it down. It doesn’t need to take more than an hour to try six violins.”

“People can only keep a sound in their mind for a few seconds,” says Givens. “So don’t play long excerpts. That way, you can sense a contrast immediately. As you get more practice, you can retain the effect of sound and memory of sound longer, but at first, ten or fifteen seconds might be it. I line up four instruments at a time, max. And I put shoulder rests on every single one so they’re ready to just pick up, put under the chin, and play. I ask the shopper to narrow those four instruments down to two or one. Then I bring in some more. And I keep doing that until it’s impossible to be discriminating. And I try to get people to move ahead as much as possible, quickly, because for about 20 minutes you have your maximum concentration. After that, it’s really hard work to remember and discriminate and focus.”

Givens also tries to help people develop a vocabulary to use in evaluating instruments. You’re going to get your best help if you can develop the words to communicate what you’re experiencing. “This one’s too bright,” for instance. “This one’s too edgy.” “I don’t like the E string on this; it dies after second position.”

And while it’s common to take a used car to a mechanic or two for an opinion, Waddle says evaluating instruments from other shop makes many makers uncomfortable. “It really bothers me when somebody takes an instrument out on trial from my shop and brings it to another shop for their opinion – like they’re going to get an objective opinion from the other shop. And if people call me and they’ve got a violin from another shop, my feeling is, why are they asking me? If they don’t trust the other person, why they want to buy from them?”

MAKING THE FINAL DECISION

Once you’ve been to a shop and have narrowed the selection to one or two instruments, it’s a standard procedure to take it out for a week, try it at home, take it to a lesson, and take it to orchestra rehearsal. You need to try it in all the situations in which you play. You should remember that instruments might not sound their best until you’ve played them for a half hour. “If an instrument has some essence or quality that you like, give it some time,” Givens says, “because you need to play a lot of instruments for half an hour before they warm up, before the colors and the responsiveness really show themselves.”

Givens also emphasizes the importance of buying an instrument in good condition. Otherwise two years may pass and old repairs will fail, old cracks will develop into something more serious, or the neck will collapse. All of a sudden, your instrument has to go in for a major restoration that costs thousands of dollars – and it comes out sounding and feeling much different from what you remembered and loved. That’s a heartbreaker, Givens says. So do business with places that are concerned about condition and can offer follow-up support and care.

In addition, do business with a shop that offers future trading or selling options. Most places will give 100 percent trade minus any kind of repair necessary to put the instrument into saleable condition. Also, find out if the company you bought the instrument from will put it on the market for you if you don’t need it anymore. Some always will, and some never will, Givens says.

Above all, the thing to remember about buying the first nice instrument is that you’re the one who needs to be happy with it because you’re the one who is going to be playing it. There are many audiences to consider, but the most important audience is yourself. The sound that instrument makes under your ear must be pleasing. Trust your own judgment about its responsiveness, its voice.

“When you practice, you want a sound that’s really inspiring and satisfying,” Givens says, “I feel that way about my cello. When I sit down to play, regardless of how much time I’ve had to practice, I want that sound to be glorious.”

考虑到您的第一个良好工具




征服后的“巴赫双”去年，我知道我准备好了。我记录作为一个成年人的小提琴初学者3年的工作，并发挥一个弦乐四重奏第一小提琴。我的学生文书开始在我耳边尖叫声，在我的手缓慢，太亮，以融入四方。这是一次加强。




随着一记粗略预算，我参观了一个有信誉的经销商，并开始窗口过程。我打了约一半，12个优秀的工具，并迅速缩小到两个小提琴我想带回家，把我的教训。一个是漂亮可爱的小提琴4,000元，另外，我会开始称呼为“芝加哥”，因为在那里了，费用大约@ 2000。我是倾向较便宜的工具，它有丰富的，柔滑的语气和轻松的回应，我想要的。但我不知道，没有告诉我的老师或朋友的价格的话，我进行了盲目的“口味测试”得到听众的意见。




每一次，“芝加哥”，越昂贵的仪器，赢得了 - 提示“惊叹”和“惊呼：”老师和朋友。我不能与我的幸福美丽的小提琴。




一种工具的购买经验可以相当简单，并强调，免费的，但并不是每个开始到中间层次的音乐家有一个时间之容易，首先加强。对于许多人来说，买一个好的工具是一个痛苦的过程之一。但正确的准备和正确的态度，专家认为，它并没有如此。在作出一个好的决策，关键在于该文书的要求卖方自己正确的问题，和那些谁是你最亲密的音乐。




问正确的问题




你怎么知道当你准备好进入你的第一个好工具？苏珊韭菜，Dedon，谁教在圣托马斯大学学院和销售在圣保罗文书的一部分，米勒和芬党小提琴时，明尼苏达州说，通常是800元，学生仪器将于数年的球员 - 无论他或她是一个年轻的或成人初学者。



“这是真实的，尤其是在初级的水平。你还在学习如何把握鞠躬。但是，一旦你到达一定程度，你开始长大了你的乐器，说：“韭菜，Dedon，谁拥有超过20年教授。



“例如，当你试图播放的一段话，它可能没有清楚你认为应该是因为该文书不响应。当你打算在位置，再次，它不是做你想要的。另一个警示信号是，'哇，我就蹲在了我的弓臂，但它只是不给我权力我想 - 尽管我做的一切我的老师告诉我做'。“



一旦你知道你正在寻找一个新的工具准备好了，重要的是要考虑作为一名球员，你的目标之前，你真正去购物。克莱尔吉文斯，吉文斯小提琴所有者的克莱尔在明尼阿波利斯，要求准买家考虑如何将使用他们的工具。在大厅？在一个教堂？你是一个年轻的天才，或者为自己的享受成人业余比赛？



“图所有来。然后把它跟一个绝对的建立健全和应对“开放的心态，吉文斯说。 “人们得到最好的工具，他们进来时，不说'我想要的东西老'或'我真的很喜欢棕色小提琴'或'我被告知要远离法国文书了。'相反，他们进来，说'我真的想体验这些工具的每一个，看看他们能为我做。“



设定预算




人们常常问定价吉文斯。她说，有四个有利因素，把价格的任何文书转到：真实性，工艺，环境质量和声音。首次购房者将无法确定真实性和做工质量，但吉文斯说，与有信誉的经销商，如果你做生意，你可以得到一个崩溃的过程中如何倾听和如何看待一项文书的条件。



花多少而定，韭菜，Dedon同意，但作为一般规则，她的建议，它是合理的两倍或三倍于你的第一个步骤从开始向质量仪器仪表在价值上的很多事情。 “我有一个年轻女子进店谁打了不到一年来，”她回忆说，“她并不好，但她表现出良好的考虑，具有良好的听，也许可以用它做的很好未来。她曾告诉公立学校的教师，她要用她的第一项文书3000美元或4000美元。我说，'好吧，我觉得这真的很高。'当然，我想卖一个更昂贵的仪器。但有时你的地方用太昂贵的仪器自己和你没有准备好。“



何处购买乐器




一些专家警告不要试图在拍卖会上买你的第一个良好工具，虽然价格有可能较低。由于圣保罗仪器制造商和经销商约翰瓦德尔指出，拍卖行的观察室将大和不熟悉的人与其他玩，谈论很多。你不会有足够的时间，他们不会让你花了一个星期的文书和尝试，并没有跟进服务将提供。



教师佣金也可以为买方的粗心或不了解情况的潜在陷阱。一些交易员支付教师帮助学生挑选谁从他们店的工具。该委员会通常是仪器的销售价格的百分比。并非所有的商店和教师在实践中进行，当被告知买方佣金的薪酬，有没有什么一个被老师不道德偿还的时间和精力，他或她将帮助学生作出艰难的选择提出。但是，购买者应该知道，在某些情况下支付的佣金没有他们的知识，然后在老师的意见，可以合法地客观性提出质疑。



即使撇开教师委员会，马克比约克，是小提琴和教学法在明尼苏达州的大学音乐系教授的问题，建议买家考虑到他们的老师的意见，但它从来没有忽视对自己的感情。他回忆他与一个学生来决定谁是试图在两个小提琴的经验。



“我有机会尝试一下她之前，他们都是非常好的例子，但其中一人，我觉得，明显优于其他1探空。她进来后一个星期左右的审判他们，并说她已使她决定，这不是我会选择的工具。我是一个有点惊讶，直到他们听到她的发挥。她听起来就好多了，她选择了一个。我没有，但她没有，“比约克说。



比约克补充说，学生应该考虑文书被当代厂商由于其高品质以及旧文书的事实，经常外出购买者的价格范围内。事实上，他补充说，有时一个顶级的在线大规模生产工具会比一个坏手工为佳。



但如果他认为学生对某些限制将运行与一个特定的仪器，比约克也毫不犹豫地指出这一点。如果他看到一个学生，他认为对的东西将是一个错误的投资倾向，他这样说。比约克认为，重要的是要想到这一点，首先作为一个良好的投资工具。他建议学生购买有信誉的经销商谁给了他们一个良好的贸易政策上的那个他们购买。有人买谁是容易的事情有一个选择，如果你认为你做决定时的贸易时，他说。



但据瓦德尔，一些购物者似乎对投资价值过分担心。 “很多人明白投资的价值比他们理解的声音，”他说。他的看法是，在较低的价格范围，例如一个小提琴2,000元以下，你不会得到一个投资工具。所以，你需要决定是多么重要你。



瓦德尔总是告诉人们坐下来，想出一套舒适的价格范围，然后在这个范围内看文书，并呼吁并进行仪器的制造商或与封口机的任命。告诉他或她的价格范围。这样，制造商或经销商可以有几个为你准备尝试适当的选择。 （吉文斯补充说，它有助于使你现在的工具，弓给店主一个你所习惯听到的想法。）然后开始了测试，并缩小了选择的过程。



如何以最佳的购物您下次小提琴




韭菜，Dedon有三个标准，她要求买主时，要考虑到店：今后如何反应是明确和工具？你喜欢你的声音？它是舒适的发挥还是你的手变得疲倦？



一个常见的错误，瓦德尔说，是集购物没有计划中提出的。举办。知道你要玩，做它相当快。 “我不建议在店里练习，”他说。 “而不要试图打动你的演奏在与店铺的其他人。我不能告诉你有多少人我已经拿起小提琴协奏曲到柴可夫斯基小提琴，发射和两个酒吧到实现调小提琴是没有。“



另一个问题，瓦德尔所说，是很害羞，年轻球员谁跟他们的合作伙伴往往害怕，不知道该怎么做。 “他们必须对自己说，'好吧，我要去扮演一个G大调的规模，我要开始在G弦，我会一直玩到E弦，然后我要去扮演一个简单的一块，可能是缓慢的一块，然后我要去扮演一个快速片。'你需要选择一个小提琴了，这样做的过程中，并把它放下。它并不需要采取一个多小时，试图6小提琴了。“



“人们可以在他们心中只保留了几秒钟的声音，说：”吉文斯。 “所以不玩长的摘录。这样，您就可以立即意义上的对比。当你得到更多的练习，你可以保留声音和声音的记忆不再有效，但在第一，10或15秒可能是它。我行，一次最多四项文书，最大。我把肩膀依赖于每一个一所以他们就可以随便，在下巴付诸表决，并发挥。我想请问购物缩小这四个文书中对一个或两个。然后我带来一些。而我继续做，直到它不可能是歧视。我试图让人们前进尽可能多，快，因为大约20分钟你有你的最高浓度。在此之后，它真的很难记住和工作歧视和重点。“



吉文斯还试图帮助人们建立一个词汇使用评估工具。你会得到最好的帮助，如果你能够开发出什么话来沟通，您遇到的。 “这一个太聪明，例如”。 “这一次太紧张。”“我不喜欢这个E弦，它死了。之后第二位”



虽然它的共同采取一项民意二手车到技师或2，瓦德尔说，从其他商店评价文书使许多厂商感到不舒服。 “这真的困扰我，当有人需要一个工具就从我的试验车间和它带来了另一个他们认为商店 - 就像他们会从其他店铺的客观意见。如果人们打电话给我，他们已经接到了另一个店小提琴，我的感觉是，他们问我为什么？如果他们不信任对方，他们为什么要购买呢？“



作出最后决定




一旦你去过的商店，并缩小了选择一个或两个文件，这是一个标准程序，采取了一个星期了，在家里尝试它，把它带到一个教训，并把它给乐队排练。你需要尝试所有的情况下，您玩。你应该记住，文书可能不健全，直到你已经打了一个半小时他们的最好的。 “如果有一些本质的工具或质量，您喜欢，给它一些时间，”吉文斯说，“因为你需要发挥一个半小时前，他们的手段很多温暖的颜色和之前的反应能力，真正展示自己“。



吉文斯还强调，购买一状况良好文书的重要性。否则两年可能通过老修理会失败，老裂缝将发展成为更严重的事情，或颈部会崩溃。突然之间，你的文书去了大型复修，成本数千美元 - 这听起来出来，感觉非常不同，你还记得什么和喜爱。这是一个令人伤心，吉文斯说。因此，与地方，大约的状况十分关心，可提供后续支持和护理业务。



此外，与未来的一间店铺，提供或出售期权交易业务。大部分地方将给予百分之百的贸易减去任何必要的维修条件的投入实用的工具。另外，看看你买的公司从仪器会将它为您在市场上，如果你不需要它了。有些人经常会和一些决不会，吉文斯说。



首先，要记住买第一好的手段是你是一个谁需要它高兴，因为你是一个谁去扮演它。有许多观众考虑，但最重要的观众就是你自己。仪器的声音在你耳边使得必须美观。信任你对自己的判断做出的反应，它的声音。



“当你练习，你想有一个声音，真是令人振奋和满意的，”吉文斯说：“我觉得我的大提琴方式。当我坐下来打，不管多少时间我不得不的做法，我想这声音是光荣的。“

既然是值得读的，就用谷歌替楼主翻译了一下，呵呵

宇宙语言！

这种有道翻译的东西，就是天书，没法看。

什麽乱七八糟的翻譯, Google的翻譯工具只能参考一下,還得改寫的, 例如題目翻作"挑你的第一把好琴"怎麽樣? 又如接下來的"Bach Double"應该是"巴赫的雙小提琴協奏曲"吧, 這篇文章是典型的美國人的口氣, 要翻好得在那浸幾年才翻得出那味道來. 這篇東西是寫得不錯, 值得讀一下. 頂一下!

自动翻译就是牛！得喝醉了看！

哎 伤不起的翻译 太长了 重点不突出

学习了