Bows and shoulder rests are considered a risky gift choice because of a fair amount of personal preferences and anatomy involved. However, there are many gifts suitable for all violinists. Scroll down to find the perfect present for the fiddler in your life!
1. Soundbrenner Core
Besides being a smartwatch, the Soundbrenner Core has a few useful features for violinists. It allows you to tune your violin with precision as well as stay on the beat thanks to its vibrating metronome function. Gone are the days of annoying metronome clicks, and the best part is that your violinist can wear it anywhere on their body!
2. Pirastro Evah Pirazzi Gold strings
German string maker Pirastro has been in business since 1798, so you might as well trust them. Their Evah Pirazzi Gold strings are warm, and powerful, and provide a great dynamic range. Although they are on the pricey side, they are durable and will provide a wonderful upgrade.
3. Magic Rosin
Your violinist can have the best strings there are, if they don’t have rosin, the violin will hardly make any sound. Usually, rosin comes in a soap-like shape and is a shade of brown because of its main ingredient, pine resin. If you’re looking for that extra touch, you can get pink glitter rosin or even a personalized one.
4. Artino PM-01 Practice Mute
If you want to make your violinist as well as their neighbors happy, gift them a practice mute. We all know how loud a violin can get, and it might refrain your conscious friend from practicing. The Artino PM-01 is one of the best mutes as it drastically reduces the sound and protects the instrument from scratches thanks to the rubber coating.
5. Scala Vilagio Music Stand
Although musicians are known for coming up with creative solutions, music stands tend to look better than having to deal with sheet music on an unstable surface. The Scala Vilagio Music Stand series offer a romantic wooden design that will add warmth to any household.
6. Fiddle Music of the Scottish Highlands
A fiddle book allows your classical violinist to discover a whole new repertoire and culture. Fiddle Music of the Scottish Highlands provides a large volume of airs, reels, jigs, and strathspeys, as well as 2 CDs.
7. Music book holder
While guaranteed to appeal to younger musicians, you don’t have to be a kid to enjoy this cat-shaped music book holder. Music book holders are rather easy to misplace, so you can never go wrong when gifting one.
8. Headway pickup
Sometimes you just want or need the violin to sound (even) louder. With the Headway pickup, you can do just that, no drilling is needed. It provides a warm and clear sound and does not require batteries or a preamp. It is also easy to put on and take off, which means you can move it from one violin to another very quickly.
9. Jakob Winter Alice's case
The Jakob Winter Alice case is an eye-catcher. Made of renewable natural fibers, it is a durable, shock-absorbing, and water-repellent case. Because the fabric used for the case is sold by the meter, each case is unique, and you won’t find another violinist with the same case.
10. Fiddle Kit
This one would make the perfect gift for DIY lovers who’ve got time on their hands. The Fiddle Kit allows you to assemble your violin with no previous background in luthiery. A great way to spend a weekend and a good reason to boast about your violin-making abilities.
Anja Drozdova is a Swiss-Russian musician and music teacher. She focuses on finding creative ways to engage students during piano and music theory lessons by using different mediums such as technology and visual arts. Anja also writes electronic pop music under the artist name Mlkshk. Her music is inspired by everyday life, scenes from childhood, and imaginary places, shapes and colors.
