Great experience(s)!
After many years of disuse and no practice, I decided to bring out my good ol' violin and take a shot at it again. To my dismay, when my sister had borrowed it many years ago, she had broken both of my bows and failed to tell me. Dejected but determined, I went on the hunt for a new one. After a bit of research online and visiting a couple of shops closer to me, I decided to make the 45 minute drive out to Young Musicians. They had a great deal of selection online, so after calling I decided the drive might be worth it.
Upon arrival, I found that not only were they extremely knowledgeable, they were also very competitively priced and had a huge on-hand selection.
Young Musicians strictly deal in stringed instruments and their corresponding accessories, repairs, and if you don't want to buy, rentals.
I also picked up (in a second trip) a new set of strings and a (well advised) practice book. During my most recent trip, I brought my instrument with me and he offered to replace one of the strings for me right there in the shop.
While he was replacing the string, he noted that my bridge was very high, recommended that I might consider lowering it, and then offered to reshape it for me while I waited.
Oh. My. God.
What a huge difference it has made in both the sound and the ease of playing! Little did I know, that I had been playing with a bridge much too high for MY ENTIRE LIFE. I have had the bridge replaced before, and they just shaped it the same as the old one! I didn't know any better because, I'm talking, I had been playing this way since I was seven years old and it had ALWAYS been hard. I had always wondered why I had a more difficult time with vibrato and quickness of fingering after practicing as long and hard as I had while the other students seemed to play with ease.
Had it not been for this wonderful place, I likely would have continued playing with difficulty for the rest of my life out of ignorance.
In addition to this, the woman helped me pick out a beautiful bow that handles well which had further encouraged me to play longer.
After visiting just about every shop on the Tarrant County side of the metroplex, I have determined that Young Musicians far superior to their counterparts and is worth your time and money. Shops like this don't exist like they once did.
Keep this place alive, y'all. read more