When first starting out you need to realize that the violin is one of the more difficult instruments to master. There are no frets on the instrument to guide you on where to put your fingers to produce notes. Also the positioning under the chin and the use of the bow takes a little time to master. It sometimes takes a good teacher to instruct a person on the proper technique for doing these things.
The next thing that you will need to do after you make your purchase is to tune the instrument. There are four strings and they are tuned to G, D, A, and E notes. You can use a tuned guitar or piano for this or if this is not an option you can go to the internet and use an online tuner which is available and easy to use.
Now you can practice holding the instrument. It is held with the left should and your left hand will be playing the fret board. The instrument is very lightweight and the strings are easy to depress. The right hand is now available for using the bow. It will be slid up and down on the string that you are depressing with you left hand.
Now you are ready for the fun part, learning to play your new violin. The first thing you will learn is how to place your fingers on the fret board and sound out each note. This does take practice but once you know it you will be stringing notes together to play a piece. While learning to master the notes may take some time it is like learning to ride a bicycle as you will not forget them.
The next thing that you will be doing is learning to read sheet music so you can play any piece on your violin. You will develop an understanding of octaves, beats and scales to further increase your musical knowledge. Take your time and as you get more proficient in one aspect proceed to the next. It won’t be long before you have the skills of an accomplished violinist.
