The Rough Guide to Violin & Viola: The Essential Tipbook [Paperback]

Hugo Pinksterboer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 19, 2000

A new series of concise, pocket guides help you make the most of your musical instrument.

Rough Guide Tipbooks guide musicians -- both novice and experienced -- into choosing the instrument that's right for them. Each Tipbook is divided into the "Basics", the use and main parts of the instrument and learning how to play; the "Guide", practical tips on selecting an instrument as well as maintaining, tuning, and buying accessories; and the "Contexts", the history of the instrument, how it is made, and the main brands on the market. A terrific reference and a great gift, Rough Guide Tipbooks will enhance anyone's feel for their instrument and make them a better musician.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides; 1 edition (October 19, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1858286514
• ISBN-13: 978-1858286518
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 4.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #768,801 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable Resource!, January 20, 2001

By 

eleison - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Violin & Viola: The Essential Tipbook (Paperback)

This is an excellent book for the beginner! The following chapters are included: The Violin and Viola, A Quick Tour, Learning To Play, Buying Or Renting, A Good Violin, Good Strings, A Good Bow, Accessories, Tuning, Violin Maintenance, Back In Time, The Family, How They're Made, The Makers. Also included is a glossary, index, extra sources, and pages to write down your own information on your violin and strings. The book is very straightforward and teaches all the concepts well. Of major bonus is the fact that it emphasises that all violins sound different with different types of equipment -- it doesn't say, "this is the best violin" or "this is the best string". The illustrations are clear and help explain a lot of the concepts. This book teaches you all the basic (and some more advanced) ideas of the violin and its accessories.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous little book!, September 18, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Violin & Viola: The Essential Tipbook (Paperback)

Books like these are treasures. I can't think of a single topic the author left out: the history, the major names, how the viola differs, how the violin works, how it's made (even how the trees are cut!)...and on and on. The pictures are skillfully drawn, too, though the prose hardly needs them. And yes, the prose! I'd say buy the book even if violins hold no interest to you. When you have writer's block, pick up this little gem and read a chapter or two. The beautiful prose alone will get your own words flowing again. Throughout the book are wonderful little anecdotes as well. Somehow, this book says so much in scant few pages. The author clearly knows his subject and how to communicate it. I wish he'd written my calculus textbook!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must have, March 2, 2004

By 

Sara Swihart (Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tipbook - Violin and Viola: The Best Guide to Your Instrument (Paperback)

I'm a new violin player and this book has been extremely useful. Not only does it cover the basics like care and maintainence, but it also has information about buying a violin. This will be very useful when I upgrade from my student model. I also learned at there are different kinds of strings, so when I broke one, I had a little bit of a clue about what to ask for at the music store. This book has been a huge help to me and would be great info for any new violinist.