10/30   What's the difference between a violin and a fiddle?
        \_ They are physically the same.  The difference is
           in the way the instrument is played.
                \_ by the way I want to learn how to play a fiddle but the
                   music guy on Shattuck thinks that I should buy a better
                   (and more expensive) violin if I'm serious about it.
                   What do you guys think?
                        \_ Which music guy?  Someone gave me a fiddle
                           recently, and I've been considering actually
                           learning it too.  I went to Ifshin on University
                           and they gave me a list of teachers and their
                           styles.  -jones
                    \_ practice technique on a cheaper instrument and
                      upgrade later once you're sure you want to put $
                      into it and have some experience, i.e., know what
                      your prefs are wrt sound.  "Better" may mean
                      something different to you after you've played for a
                      little while.  If you're planning to perform, that
                      may change things too.  Bow quality matters too, of
                      course.  --goetz (violinist)
                \_ Well of course the guy that wants to sell you one
                   thinks you should get a better one.  You should
                   probably start toward the low end unless the low
                   end sounds so bad and is so much more difficult to
                   play (as is the case with guitars) that you might
                   give up more easily.  Also, you can always sell
                   whatever you buy.  If you buy a used one, depreciation
                   should be close to zero.
                   \_ How is a bad guitar more difficult to play?  I thought
                      only the sound differs.  --- yuen (non-guitarist)
        \_ What's the point of playing music instrument? It's not like you're
           going to be smarter, and you are definitely not going to make any
           money from it.
           \_ BECAUSE YOU CAN IMPRESS CHICKS!!! DUH!!!!!!
                \_ With your violin playing?  No.  Might as well recite your
                   own bad poetry.
           \_ Can I nominate this for Troll of the Week? (yeah, I know, it's
              Monday, but I find this one hard to beat). But anyway, to
              answer this: Why? Cuz it's FUN TO DO. i don't play the
              piano expecting to be Chopin or expecting any monetary
              compensation. It's relaxing. It's challenging. It's a hobby.
              \_ i think that trolls that stray from the main topics that piss
                 people off tend to be weak as trolls, even if they would
                 be more offensive outside the motd.  to most people,the above
                 might be a more provocative comment than something about
                 the relative merits of working on a computer in industry or
                 in a university, but here the latter will piss alot more
                 people off.  to troll well, you must know your audience. also,
                 a good troll seeks to piss off the kind of people who like to
                 flame, not random users who passivley read the motd.
                                                -thetroller
                 \_ You have no idea what you're talking about.
              \_ What's the point replying to this? It's not like you're
                 going to be smarter, and you are definitely not going to make
                 any money from it.
                      \_ High action (distance from string to fretboard),
                         poor craftsmanship -- bad frets, bridge, nut, etc.
                         The guitar can sound "wrong" and the beginner
                         may blame himself/herself and give up. -- jsjacob