Best of luck; instead of a Teacher - can be expensive - buy and use a cheapo metronome do the 'bowing' exercises in Suzuki Bk 1. That should alert you to beginners 'craze'-or in plain language insanity -.

The instrument and Bow should not be that big of a problem since with good Bow technique few of them sound bad, least I have never found one that bad I would not use if I had no choice.

Lesson one; expensive Bow doth not a Fiddler make.

Often folks hear one thing in their heads, play it, but the audience hear something else.

Lesson two; learn one tune properly at a time, don't be playing the entire book every time you open it. Slow down!

Hanging around Classical Students is not a good idea; they will try to correct you, and if you've any talent at all they tend to break your stuff so it works wrong.

Lesson three; when not in use lock your fiddle case.

Putting any Rosin on the Bowhair may be a bad idea for the first ten years. You might give it one lick once every year.

Lesson four; it ain't the Bow stupid - it's the MISbowing that is making it sound like a cat trying to scratch its way out of a tin box.