I finally understand the comment--Student outplaying their instrument

January 9, 2026, 2:19 PM · If the shop you got her current one from has significantly better instruments, I wouldn’t hesitate to ask for a trial to record with. Or, since it sounds like her teacher is with her while recording, there’s a chance (but no guarantee) they’d let her record with one of theirs. The tradeoff is playing an unfamiliar violin. At least an option to see what works best.

I anticipate some “how do we make a better recording” questions sometime in the future :).

January 9, 2026, 3:40 PM · Yup, this is something we've navigated a number of times. Right now my son is even maxxing out the $100,000 loaner instrument he normally has! It never seems to end, even with 6 figure instruments.

Don't forget the bow as well -- sometimes upgrading the bow can buy you some time before upgrading the instrument.

January 9, 2026, 3:53 PM · Something is not right.

January 9, 2026, 6:57 PM · Today's six-figure violin (especially low six) is the low-five-figure violin of my childhood.

January 9, 2026, 7:00 PM · I've outplayed violins a few times over the years, but I think that once you get above the ~15K price point, it's possible to find one that is hard or impossible to outplay. The same is true with bows; my current best bow is a 120-year-old Bazin that I doubt I will ever outplay, though some bows cost 15-20x more.

January 9, 2026, 8:04 PM · The closest shop is 2 1/2 hrs away. The shop we purchased from is closer to 4. He teacher didn’t offer, so we won’t ask. It is a very low stakes recording, so it isn’t a big deal. But, her future does have higher stakes ones, so we are going to have to figure it out.

She already has a really nice bow. That is why I think she has managed this long.

Andrew, not sure why you believe something isn’t right. It is a real thing.

January 9, 2026, 8:27 PM · The demand for capable and correspondingly expensive violins may reflect the increase in the number of students reaching very high levels over the past 40 years. Competition for conservatory entry on the violin has always been high, but it's become insanely high because of the steep rise in the number of 15-year-olds who are insanely skilled. So what's "not right" reflects a trend that one would say is quite positive, at least for those of us who enjoy listening to classical music.

January 9, 2026, 10:58 PM · Old violins were once priced like used cars. Now like houses.

Edited: January 10, 2026, 7:59 AM · Amelia, sorry, I got distracted and started to think that these people were playing their instruments to destruction. Now I realise they are simply too good for their instruments.

Economics gets mentioned here occasionally, e.g. Stephen above. Recently I read Doughnut Economics which makes the good point that GDP can't be geometric, as geometric curves go to infinity and the planet doesn't have infinite resources. So it seems that soon every pro violinist will be able to outplay a million-dollar violin. Interesting to contemplate when and how the bubble will burst.

As Stephen hints, it will perhaps slowly deflate like the housing market, with 10,000 virtuosi with negative equity chasing 1,000 jobs.

Edited: January 10, 2026, 8:16 AM · It’s starting to sound like violinists need to understand that almost any violin will have its limits. Unless they can spend $millions, they may need to learn to play within the violin’s limits. And composers need to realize these limits, and not write unplayable music. Some of it is already ridiculous, IMHO.
I wasn’t really outplaying my student violin when my teacher suggest I shop around….it wasn’t projecting well. So I shopped. Now, the fiddle I picked out has its limits, I’m sure. But I doubt if I’ll ever reach them.
I think that some musician’s expectations of their instruments is unreasonable and unrealistic. Get the best one you can afford and live with it.
Amelia’s remarks not being ignored, that is. Good luck with your search!

January 10, 2026, 1:42 PM · I’ve heard this so many times over the years and I’ve seen it myself listening to players. I’ve heard audition panelists from music schools say that a violin prevented a prospective student from success, and I’ve heard the opposite as well—that a violin elevated a player’s playing in the audition in a way that would otherwise have been a flop. I’ve heard a number of people also talk about being more impressed by the violin than the player and even asking for details about the instrument during the audition.

You don’t necessarily have to spend a fortune for a better violin, but finding one that can do more really can make a gigantic difference.

January 10, 2026, 4:08 PM · @Nickie - I respectfully disagree with your comment suggesting that composers should avoid writing very hard pieces. There is a massive body of work that can be played by any intermediate to advanced player. But there are also pieces that only a few of the very best can play well, the Devil's Trill Sonata or Paganini 25 being good examples. There should always be that elite level in any endeavor that people can strive for, otherwise they might settle for less than their best.