WHAT
SIZE VIOLIN SHOULD I GET?
Violin
comes in 8 different sizes: 4/4 (also called full size), 3/4, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8,
1/10, 1/16. 4/4 size being the biggest and 1/16 size being the smallest. All
adults, regardless of their size, use the 4/4 violin. There is another uncommon
size, 7/8, usually used by female professional violinist who wants a full-size
violin sound but whose hand might be a little small for the full size violin.
So violin makers would make violins just a little smaller than full size to
accommodate these players.
To
measure what size violin best suits you, you need to know the length between
your neck and the middle of your left-hand palm (when your hand is fully
extended and raised perpendicular to your body, just like holding a violin).
About 50% of the teachers prefer students to use the length from the neck to
the wrist for measurement instead of the neck to mid-palm approach. The violin
size determined by the neck/wrist approach would be the size that is more
comfortable for students to hold. The violin size determined by the
neck/mid-palm approach would be the biggest size students should use.
If
you have a teacher, you should ask for your teacher's recommendation. If you
don't have a teacher, we would recommend using the neck/wrist approach for
students not using full size. For students who are deciding whether to
used 3/4 or 4/4 size, use the neck/mid-palm approach. This is because it is
always better that students feel comfortable holding and playing the violin.
However, while deciding between 3/4 or 4/4, if neck/mid-palm approach allows
for 4/4 size, then buying a 4/4 size is more economical since you don't have to
buy another bigger size violin later. This is completely based on economical
consideration. You should still decide what best suits your need.
The
following chart lists the length of each violin size. Find your length using
the your preferred approach and use that to determine the size of violin to
get.
|
Violin Size |
Length (in inches) |
|
4/4 (Full Size) |
23 |
|
3/4 |
22 |
|
1/2 |
20 |
|
1/4 |
18 1/2 |
|
1/8 |
16 1/2 |
|
1/10 |
15 |
|
1/16 |
14 |
Another
more general way of determining the size is by age. If the above, arm
length information, is available, it is the more accurate way to determine
size. Otherwise, you can use the age chart below to make the
determination.
|
Violin Size |
Age |
|
|
|
4/4 (Full Size) |
12 year and older |
|
|
|
3/4 |
10-11 |
|
|
|
1/2 |
8-9 |
|
|
|
1/4 |
6-7 |
|
|
|
1/8 |
5-6 |
|
|
|
1/10 |
4-5 |
|
|
|
1/16 |
3 and below |
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
||
WHAT
SIZE VIOLA SHOULD I GET?
Viola comes in 4 different sizes: 16", 15",
14", and 13". 16" size being the biggest and 13"
size being the smallest. All adults, regardless of their size, use the
16" viola. There are 2 other less common sizes, 15-1/2" and
16-1/2". 15-1/2" size is for people who are in between
15" and 16" sizes while 16-1/2" size is for people who wants a
little more sound volume out of their viola.
To measure what size viola best suits you, you need to
know the length between your neck and the top of your left-hand palm when
your left arm is fully extended and raised perpendicular to your body, just
like holding a viola. The top of your palm is where your palm connects
with the fingers and not where the palm connects with the wrist.
If you have a teacher, you should ask for your teacher's
recommendation when choosing the size. If you don't have a teacher, we
would recommend using the above method to determine size.
The following chart lists the length of each viola
size. Find your length using the above method and use the following
chart to determine the size of viola to get.
|
Viola Size |
Length (in inches) |
|
|
|
16" |
26 |
|
|
|
15" |
24 1/2 |
|
|
|
14" |
23 |
|
|
|
13" |
21 1/2 |
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
||
CELLO?
Cello
Sizing Tips:
Seat the child (or yourself) so that the knees are bent at a ninety degree
angle. The instrument should rest such that the upper rim of the cello body
rests on the sternum (breast bone), and the left knee contacts the curve
below the lower bout corner. The C string (the lowest string) peg should be
near the left ear, with the neck a few inches away from the shoulder, and
the left hand able to reach both ends of the fingerboard with ease.
|
All
measurements are in Inches. 1
Inch = 25.4 mm |
Size |
Body
Length |
Total
Length |
Max
Width |
|
Cello European Standard |
4/4
Full |
30 |
48 |
17.75 |
|
7/8 |
28.50 |
46.5 |
17 |
|
|
3/4 |
27.25 |
45 |
16 |
|
|
1/2 |
26 |
42 |
15 |
|
|
1/4 |
23 |
38.5 |
13.5 |
|
|
1/8 |
20 |
33.5 |
11.75 |
|
|
1/10 |
17.75 |
29.5 |
9.75 |
|
|
Cello Suzuki Standard |
4/4
Full |
30 |
48 |
17.75 |
|
3/4 |
26 |
42 |
15 |
|
|
1/2 |
23 |
38.5 |
13.5 |
|
|
1/4 |
20 |
33.5 |
11.75 |
|
|
1/8 |
17.75 |
29.5 |
9.75 |
|
|
|
Size |
Body |
Total |
Max Width |
|
Viola |
16.5 |
16.5 |
27 |
9 |
|
16 |
16 |
26.5 |
8.75 |
|
|
15.5 |
15.5 |
26 |
8.5 |
|
|
15 |
15 |
25 |
8.0 |
|
|
14 |
(4/4
VI) |
23 |
7.5 |
|
|
13 |
(3/4
VI) |
21.75 |
7 |
|
|
12 |
(1/2
VI) |
20.5 |
6.75 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Violin |
4/4 |
14 |
23.5 |
7.5 |
|
7/8 |
13.5 |
22.5 |
7.25 |
|
|
3/4 |
13 |
21.75 |
7 |
|
|
1/2 |
12.5 |
20.5 |
6.75 |
|
|
1/4 |
11.5 |
18.75 |
6 |
|
|
1/8 |
10.25 |
17.25 |
5.5 |
|
|
1/10 |
9.25 |
16 |
5 |
|
|
1/16 |
8.25 |
14.5 |
4.45 |
|
|
All measurements are in Inches.
1 inch = 25.4 millimeters |
||||