下面是一篇很值得读的文章，题目是《选择你的第一把高级琴》(“Considering Your First Good Instrument”)。作者是Susan M. Barbieri，节选自《Violin Owner’s Manual》。文章是用英文写的，最近我比较忙，等有空了我再翻译成中文给大家。

　　Considering Your First Good Instrument

　　After conquering the “Bach double” last year, I knew I was ready. I’d logged three years of work as an adult beginner on the violin and was playing first violin in a string quartet. My student instrument was starting to sound shrill under my ear, sluggish under my hand, and too bright to blend with the quartet. It was time to step up.

　　With a rough budget in mind, I visited a reputable dealer and began the windowing process. I played about a half dozen fine instrument and quickly narrowed to two the violins I would take home and bring to my lesson. One was lovely sounding violin costing $4,000; the other, which I’d begun calling “the Chicago” because of where it was made, cost about $2,000. I was leaning toward the less expensive instrument, which had the rich, silky tone and effortless response I wanted. But I wasn’t sure, so without telling my teacher or friends the prices, I conducted blind “taste tests” to get listeners’ opinions.

　　Each time, “the Chicago”, the less expensive instrument, won out – prompting “oohs” and “aahs” from teachers and friends. I couldn’t be happier with my beautiful violin.

　　An instrument-buying experience can be fairly straightforward and stress-free, but not every beginning- to intermediate-level musician has an easy time making that first step up. For many, the process of buying a good instrument is an agonizing one. But with the right preparation and right attitude, experts say, it does not have to be. The key to making a good decision lies in asking the right questions of yourself, of the instrument seller, and of those who are closest to you musically.

　　ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

　　How do you know when you’re ready to move on to your first good instrument? Susan Leek-Dedon, who teaches at the University of St. Thomas Conservatory and sells instruments part-time for Miller and Fein Violins in St. Paul, Minnesota, says that usually an $800 student instrument will hold a player for a few years – whether he or she is a young or an adult beginner.

　　“This is especially true at beginner levels. You are still learning how to hold the bow. But once you get to a certain level, you start to outgrow your instrument,” says Leek-Dedon, who has taught for more than 20 years.

　　“For instance, when you’re trying to play a passage, it may not be as clear as you think it should be because the instrument doesn’t respond. And when you’re going up in position, again, it’s not doing what you want. Another telltale sign is, ‘Wow, I’m hunkered down on my bow arm but it’s just not giving me the power I want – even though I’m doing everything my teacher tells me to do.’”#p#分页标题#e#

　　Once you know you’re ready for a new instrument, it’s important to consider your goals as a player before you actually go shopping. Claire Givens, owner of Claire Givens Violins in Minneapolis, asks prospective buyers to consider how their instrument will be used. In a hall? In a church? Are you a young prodigy or an adult amateur playing for your own enjoyment?

　　“Figure all the out. Then go into it with an absolute open mind about sound and response”, Givens says. “People get the best instrument when they come in and don’t say, ‘I want something old’ or ‘I really like brown violins’ or ‘I was told to stay away from French instrument.’ Instead, they come in and say, ‘I really want to experience every one of these instrument and see what they can do for me.’”

　　SETTING A BUDGET

　　People often ask Givens about pricing. She says there are four things that go into pricing any instrument: authenticity, quality of craftsmanship, condition, and sound. First-time buyers won’t be able to determine authenticity and quality of workmanship, but Givens says that if you do business with a reputable dealer, you can get a crash course in how to listen and how to look at the condition of an instrument.

　　How much to spend depends on a lot of things, Leek-Dedon agrees, but as a general rule she advises that it’s reasonable to double or triple the value on your first step up from beginning instrument to a quality instrument. “I had a young woman come into the shop who had been playing less than a year,” she recalls, “She was not that good, but she showed good consideration, had a good ear, and probably could do well with it in the future. She had been told by a public school teacher that she should spend $3,000 or $4,000 on her first instrument. I said, ‘Well, I think that’s really high.’ Sure, I’d like to sell a more expensive instrument. But sometimes you place yourself with a too-expensive instrument and you’re not ready for it.”

　　WHERE TO PURCHASE YOUR INSTRUMENT

　　Several experts warn against trying to buy your first good instrument at an auction, although prices there may be low. As St. Paul instrument maker and dealer John Waddle points out, auction house’s viewing room will be big and unfamiliar, with lots of other people playing and talking. You’re not going to have sufficient time, they’re not going to let you take the instrument out for a week and try it, and no follow-up services will be provided.

　　Teacher commissions can be another potential pitfall for the unwary or uninformed buyer. Some dealers pay teachers who help students pick out an instrument from their shop. The commission is usually a percentage of the sale price of the instrument. Not all shops and teacher engage in the practice, and when the buyer is informed that a commission is being paid, there is nothing unethical about a teacher being reimbursed for the time and effort he or she puts into helping a student make a difficult choice. But buyers should be aware that in some cases commissions are paid without their knowledge, and then the objectivity of the teacher’s advice can legitimately be questioned.#p#分页标题#e#

　　Even putting aside the question of teacher commissions, Mark Bjork, a professor of violin and pedagogy in the University of Minnesota’s music department, advices buyers to take their teacher’s opinion into account, but never to neglect their own feelings about it. He recalls his own experience with a student who was trying to decide between two violins.

　　“I had had a chance to try them before she did, and they were both very nice examples, but one of them, I felt, was much better sounding than the other one. She came in after a week or so of trying them and said she had made her decision, and it was not the instrument I would have chosen. And I was a little bit surprised until heard her play them. She sounded much better on the one she had chosen. I didn’t, but she did,” Bjork says.

　　Bjork adds that students should consider instruments being made by contemporary makers because of their high quality as well as the fact that old instruments frequently are out of shopper’s price range. In fact, he adds, sometimes a top-of-the-line mass-produce instrument will be better than a bad handmade one.

　　But if he believes the student will run up against certain limitation with a particular instrument, Bjork doesn’t hesitate to point that out. And if he sees a student leaning toward something that he thinks is going to be a bad investment, he says so. Bjork believes it’s important to think of that first good instrument as an investment. He advices students to buy from a reputable dealer who will give them a good trade-in policy on the one that they’re purchasing. Buy from someone who is apt to have a selection of things for you to view if and when you do decide to trade up, he says.

　　But according to Waddle, some shoppers seem excessively worried about investment value. “Many people understand investment value more than they understand sound,” he says. His view is that in the lower price ranges, say $2,000 and under for a violin, you’re not going to get an investment instrument. So you need to decide how important that is to you.

　　Waddle always tells people to sit down and figure out a comfortable price range, then look at instruments within that range and call and make an appointment with the instrument maker or sealer. Tell him or her price range. That way, the maker or dealer can have several appropriate choices ready for you to try. (Givens adds that it is helpful to bring in your present instrument and bow to give the shop owner an idea of what you are accustomed to hearing.) Then begins the process of testing and narrowing down the choices.

　　HOW BEST TO SHOP FOR YOUR NEXT VIOLIN

　　Leek-Dedon has three criteria she asks prospective buyers to think about when they come into the shop: How clear and responsive is the instrument? How do you like the sound? Is it comfortable to play or does your hand become fatigued?#p#分页标题#e#

　　A common mistake, Waddle says, is that shoppers set forth without a plan. Be organized. Know what you’re going to play and do it fairly quickly. “I don’t recommend practicing in the shop,” he says. “And don’t try to impress the other people in the shop with your playing. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve had pick up the violin, launch into the Tchaikovsky violin concerto, and about two bars into realize the violin is not in tune.”

　　Another problem, Waddle has observed, is that very shy, young players who come in with their partners are frequently afraid and don’t know what to do. “They need to say to themselves, ‘OK, I’m going to play a G-major scale, I’m going to start on the G string, I’m going to play all the way up to the E string, then I’m going to play a simple piece, maybe a slow piece, and then I’m going to play a fast piece.’ You need to pick a violin up, do that process, and put it down. It doesn’t need to take more than an hour to try six violins.”

　　“People can only keep a sound in their mind for a few seconds,” says Givens. “So don’t play long excerpts. That way, you can sense a contrast immediately. As you get more practice, you can retain the effect of sound and memory of sound longer, but at first, ten or fifteen seconds might be it. I line up four instruments at a time, max. And I put shoulder rests on every single one so they’re ready to just pick up, put under the chin, and play. I ask the shopper to narrow those four instruments down to two or one. Then I bring in some more. And I keep doing that until it’s impossible to be discriminating. And I try to get people to move ahead as much as possible, quickly, because for about 20 minutes you have your maximum concentration. After that, it’s really hard work to remember and discriminate and focus.”

　　Givens also tries to help people develop a vocabulary to use in evaluating instruments. You’re going to get your best help if you can develop the words to communicate what you’re experiencing. “This one’s too bright,” for instance. “This one’s too edgy.” “I don’t like the E string on this; it dies after second position.”

　　And while it’s common to take a used car to a mechanic or two for an opinion, Waddle says evaluating instruments from other shop makes many makers uncomfortable. “It really bothers me when somebody takes an instrument out on trial from my shop and brings it to another shop for their opinion – like they’re going to get an objective opinion from the other shop. And if people call me and they’ve got a violin from another shop, my feeling is, why are they asking me? If they don’t trust the other person, why they want to buy from them?”#p#分页标题#e#

　　MAKING THE FINAL DECISION

　　Once you’ve been to a shop and have narrowed the selection to one or two instruments, it’s a standard procedure to take it out for a week, try it at home, take it to a lesson, and take it to orchestra rehearsal. You need to try it in all the situations in which you play. You should remember that instruments might not sound their best until you’ve played them for a half hour. “If an instrument has some essence or quality that you like, give it some time,” Givens says, “because you need to play a lot of instruments for half an hour before they warm up, before the colors and the responsiveness really show themselves.”

　　Givens also emphasizes the importance of buying an instrument in good condition. Otherwise two years may pass and old repairs will fail, old cracks will develop into something more serious, or the neck will collapse. All of a sudden, your instrument has to go in for a major restoration that costs thousands of dollars – and it comes out sounding and feeling much different from what you remembered and loved. That’s a heartbreaker, Givens says. So do business with places that are concerned about condition and can offer follow-up support and care.

　　In addition, do business with a shop that offers future trading or selling options. Most places will give 100 percent trade minus any kind of repair necessary to put the instrument into saleable condition. Also, find out if the company you bought the instrument from will put it on the market for you if you don’t need it anymore. Some always will, and some never will, Givens says.

　　Above all, the thing to remember about buying the first nice instrument is that you’re the one who needs to be happy with it because you’re the one who is going to be playing it. There are many audiences to consider, but the most important audience is yourself. The sound that instrument makes under your ear must be pleasing. Trust your own judgment about its responsiveness, its voice.

　　“When you practice, you want a sound that’s really inspiring and satisfying,” Givens says, “I feel that way about my cello. When I sit down to play, regardless of how much time I’ve had to practice, I want that sound to be glorious.”

　　各位中文翻译来了

　　选择你的第一把高级琴

　　去年在攻克《巴赫小提琴和双簧管协奏曲》之后，我知道我已经准备好了。我成年学琴三年了，已经开始在弦乐四重奏担任第一小提琴了。我觉得我的那把学生琴的声音开始变得刺耳，反应不灵敏，同时太明亮的声音与四重奏显得不协调。是到了换琴的时候了。

　　在制订出一个大概的预算之后，我到一个信誉比较好的琴行转了转。大概在试了6、7把琴后，我迅速将目标锁定在了两把小提琴上。我把这两把琴带回家，在上课时试拉。其中的一把标价4000美元，声音甜美；另外一把2000美元，产地是芝加哥，我习惯叫它“芝加哥”。我开始倾向于较便宜的这把琴，因为我喜欢它的饱满、细腻的音色和迅速的响应。但是我还是不大确定，于是我没有告诉我的老师和朋友琴的价钱，请他们鉴赏这两把琴。#p#分页标题#e#

　　每一次较便宜的“芝加哥”都胜出 – 老师和朋友们都对它的表现赞叹不已。我的心里特别高兴。

　　买琴的经历可以很简单，但是对于初级或者中级的演奏者来说就可能会比较麻烦。很多人都会觉得买高级琴是一种痛苦的经历。但是如果有充足的准备和正确的态度，那你就可以轻松地买到一把好琴。做出正确决定的关键在于对自己、卖家和音乐圈的朋友们问一些正确的问题。

　　问正确的问题

　　如何知道你已经准备好购买你的第一把高级琴呢？苏珊·里克贝登现在在圣·托马斯音乐学院教书，业余时间在明尼苏达州圣·保罗的米勒费恩琴行卖琴。她认为不管对于幼年或成年初学者来说，通常一把800美元的学生琴可以陪伴学琴者好几年。

　　有着二十几年教学经验的里克贝登说：“对于初学者来说通常是这样。这时你还在学习如何持弓。但是在你达到一定程度之后，你的琴开始不能满足你的要求了。”

　　“比如说，你在演奏一个小节的时候，你可能会觉得声音不够干净因为你的琴响应太慢了。或者在高把位的地方，声音不尽人意。另一种征兆是‘哇，即使我按照老师教我的方法去做，用尽全力去拉弓，还是得不到我想要的爆发力。’”

　　在确定你已经准备好要换一把新琴后，应该认真考虑一下你演奏的目的是什么。克莱尔·杰恩是明尼阿波利斯市克莱尔·杰恩琴行的店主。她通常会问买家将会如何使用小提琴。在音乐厅？在教堂？你是音乐神童，还是自娱自乐的成年业余演奏者？

　　“回答了这些问题之后，再用开放的眼光来选择琴的音色和响应。”，杰恩说道，“能够买到最合适的小提琴的顾客不会说：‘我想要一把古琴’，或者‘我真的喜欢棕色的琴’，或者‘有人建议我不要买法国琴’。他们通常会走进我的店里说：‘我真的很想试一试所有的这些琴，看看那一把适合我。’”

　　制订一个预算

　　人们经常问杰恩价格方面的问题。她认为有四个因素影响小提琴的价格：纯正性、工艺水平、保存状况和音色。没有经验的买家可能鉴别不出纯正性和工艺。但是杰恩说，如果你到信誉好的琴行，他们会简单地教你如何听音色及检查琴的保存状况。

　　里克贝登认为要花多少钱取决于很多因素，但是通常来说你的新琴的一个比较合理的价格应该是你现有初级琴价格的二至三倍。“我有一位年轻的女客户，学琴还不到一年。”，她回忆道，“她演奏水平不高，但是她考虑得比较周全，同时有一副好耳朵，应该在以后会有比较大的进步。她的老师告诉她花3000至4000美元来买她的第一把琴。我说：‘嗯，我觉得不必花这么多钱。’当然对于我来说，卖越贵的琴越好。但是，对于顾客来说，你可能还没有准备好去使用太贵的琴。”

　　去哪里购买你的琴

　　虽然拍卖会的价格会比较低，但是很多专家建议不要去那里购买你的第一把高级琴。就像圣·保罗的小提琴制作师和经销商约翰·瓦德指出的那样，拍卖会的鉴赏室比较大，你对那里的环境比较陌生，同时有很多人在演奏和交谈。你没有足够的时间来试琴。他们不会让你把琴带回家试拉一个星期，同时也没有售后服务。

　　教师的佣金对于不知情的买家来说可能也会是一个陷阱。一些琴行会付佣金给帮学生挑琴的老师。佣金一般是与琴价挂钩的。当然不是所有的琴行和教师都这么做，同时如果买家知道要付佣金的话，那么教师通过帮助学生选琴的劳动来获取一定的报酬也是无可非议的。但是买家应该清楚在有些情况下，佣金是在他们不知情的情况下付出去的。在这种情况下，教师的建议可能就不是很客观、公正了。#p#分页标题#e#

　　即使不考虑教师的佣金，明尼苏达大学音乐系的小提琴教授和教育家马克·佐克建议，买家在考虑老师的建议的同时不要忽略自己对琴的感受。他回忆起一位学生在两把琴之间做出选择的经历。

　　“我碰巧在她之前拉过这两把琴。两把琴都不错，但是我觉得其中的一把音色比另一把好很多。她在试拉一星期左右后告诉我她已经做出决定了。让我没想到的是她选的琴并不是我认为比较好的那把。直到她分别演奏那两把琴给我听的时候，我才明白在她手中那把我认为音色较差的琴反而听起来更好。”

　　佐克补充道，学生们应该多考虑当代琴师的琴，因为这些琴的质量很好，同时古琴的价格经常会超出学生们的支付能力。他说，事实上一些质量好的量产琴有时比低级的手工琴还要好。

　　但是如果佐克认为学生需要选择更好的琴，他也会立刻指出。他会经常提醒学生把钱投资在合适的琴上。佐克认为应当把购买第一把高级琴当作一种投资。他建议学生们从信誉好的琴行买琴。这些琴行对卖出的琴提供很好的回购政策，如果你决定卖掉原先购买的琴，他们会给你很多选择。

　　但是瓦德指出，有些买家过分注重琴的投资价值了。“很多人对琴的投资价值的理解比对琴的音色的理解还要高。”，他说。他的观点是，低价位的琴，比如说2000美元以下的，没有什么投资价值。所以你应该想一想琴的投资价值对你来说是不是很重要。

　　瓦德经常建议买家坐下来想一想自己可以接受的价位，然后在联系制琴师或者经销商在这个价位范围内进行挑选。这样，制琴师或者经销商就可以提供适当的琴让你试用。（杰恩还补充道，应该带着你现在用的琴和弓去琴行让琴行的人了解你习惯听的音色。）然后通过试琴逐渐缩小选择范围。

　　如何最好的购买你的下一把琴

　　里克贝登会向到店里来选琴的顾客问三个问题：这把琴的声音有多干净，响应多快？你喜欢这把琴的音色吗？你拉这把琴时手觉得舒服还是觉得疲劳？

　　瓦德指出，有一个通病就是买家购买的时候没有一个明确的计划。要有备而来。“我不建议顾客在店里练琴”，他说道，“同时，不要在店里炫耀你的琴技。有很多顾客拿起琴就开始演奏柴可夫斯基的小提琴协奏曲，拉了两个小节后才发现琴还没调音。”

　　瓦德观察到的另外一个问题是一些很害羞的年轻顾客，他们和同伴到店里来经常有些害怕，不知道应该做些什么。“他们应该对自己说：‘好的，我要拉一下G大调音阶，我要从G弦开始拉，我要一直拉到E弦，然后我要演奏一首简单的曲子，可能是一首慢的曲子，然后我再拉一首快的曲子。’你应当拿起小提琴试拉。试拉6把琴最多也花不了一小时。”

　　“一个声音在人们的记忆中只会逗留几秒钟。”，杰恩说，“所以不要拉长的曲子。这样你就可以立刻感觉到声音的对比。通过练习你对声音的记忆可能会长一点，但是刚开始通常不会超过10或15秒。我一次最多会摆出4把琴。然后我在每一把琴上都放上肩托，这样拿起琴就可以马上拉。我让顾客从四把琴中选出一两把，然后我再拿出几把供他继续挑选。我让顾客一直这么做下去，直到分辨不出两把琴的音色差别为止。我尽量让顾客快速地完成这样的挑选过程，因为你最多只能集中注意力20分钟。20分钟后你就很难记忆、分辨声音并且集中注意力了。”

　　#p#分页标题#e#

　　杰恩还尽量帮助顾客想出适当的词来评估每把琴。如果你能够用适当的词来描述你对琴的感觉，那么你就可以得到最好的帮助。比如说：“这把琴的声音太亮了。”，“这把太尖锐了”，“我不喜欢这把琴的E弦，在第二把位声音就不好了。”

　　虽然我们在买二手汽车的时候会找一两位维修工评评车，但是瓦德说把一个店里的琴拿到另一个店里评估的做法会让很多制琴师感到不舒服。“我确实很不喜欢一些人把从我的店里拿去试拉的琴拿到别的店里去评估—好像他们可以从别的店里得到客观的意见似的。如果有人对我说他们那里有其他店的琴，我的第一反应是为什么他们要问我？如果他们不相信别人的话，为什么他们要从这些人那里买琴？”

　　做出最终的决定

　　在你把你的目标锁定在一两把琴后，按照惯例你可以把琴带走试拉一个星期。你可以在家、课上以及乐团排练时试拉。你应当在所有可能演奏的场合试琴。应当记住琴在演奏半小时之后可能才会达到最佳的状态。“如果一把琴有你所喜欢音色或气质，那就给它些时间。”，杰恩说，“因为你需要充分地演奏一把琴半小时让它热身，它才可以真正地展示音色及响应。”

　　杰恩还强调买保存状况良好的琴很重要。不然的话，过两年后，琴修过的地方可能又会出现问题，老的裂痕可能会发展得很严重，或者琴颈可能会塌陷。一旦这样你就不得不对琴进行花费几千美元的大修，同时修完之后，琴的音色会有很大的改变。这可能会让你很沮丧。所以最好在注重的保存状况同时可以提供售后服务的琴行买琴。

　　琴行能够提供日后的回购或销售服务也很重要。大多数琴行会以你买琴100%的价格回购，如果需要修琴的话则要减去相应的费用。同时还要看看如果日后你不想要这把琴的话，琴行能不能帮你代售。杰恩说有的琴行会帮你，但有的绝对不会。

　　总的来说，买第一把高级琴时应该牢记在心的是，你是否满意最重要，因为拉这把琴的人是你。你可能需要考虑很多听众的品味，但是你自己是最重要的听众。这把琴在你耳下发出的声音必须让你心情愉悦。所相信自己对琴的判断。

　　“当你拉琴的时候，你需要的是一个真正能让你振奋、满足的声音”，杰恩说，“我在我的那把中提琴上找到了这种感觉。当我坐下来拉琴的时候，不管我已经拉了多长时间，那种灿烂辉煌的声音还是让我百听不厌。”