Sizing Chart for Violin, Viola, and Cello
A useful guide for : |
Don't know what size to get? Listed below is some useful information about instrument sizes. Find out what size violin, viola, or cello you have. Find out what size is right for you. |
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Instrument Measurements Chart | ||
Violin sizing by Arm Length | ||
Violin Sizing by Age | ||
Cello Sizing Tips | ||
Violin Size |
Arm Length |
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 |
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). Some 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.
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.