Chris,

Lots of good advice, but something missing.

The first thing to do is to listen. A lot. A whole lot. And then listen some more.

Decide where you want to go before taking the first step. Who do you want to sound like? Who inspired you to think seriously about playing the instrument.

People who give you advice about "the instrument" tend to fall into two camps.

People who have classical training and play violin tend to take a "one size fits all" approach. Find a violin teacher (professionally trained) and learn the right way to do things. Once you have acquired certain general skills you can apply them to particular genres.

People who play fiddle tend to be a bit more anarchistic. Find the person who makes the sounds you want to hear and do what they do, whatever that is. There's a bit of a tendency to view classical training as something to be overcome rather than pursued.

My experience with FIDDLERS is that every possible approach works for some and doesn't work for others.

I've played with fiddlers in their 90s who do everything wrong (as far as classical violin playing is concerned), have done everything wrong for decades, have suffered no physical, moral, or spiritual damage as a result and sound great.

I've played with fiddlers who have had classical training who do everything right (as far as classical violin playing is concerned) and who leave me comatose.