Violin Lessons?

Question

I am considering taking violin lessons, and I was wondering if at my age it was too late to start? I'll be 31 next month, but I do have musical background, I took 7 years piano lessons, and I spent middle school and high school playing marimba in band. Also, I was wondering how much do violin lessons normally charge and good violins usually cost (not used as i'd prefer new). Thanks so much!!

Answer 1

It's never too late to start violin, though it's a lot easier when you start young. However, that's no problem. Violin lesson costs vary from 10 dollars to well...a LOT per lesson. I would go to my local music store (usually music stores offer lessons) and ask if there's an available teacher there. if not, ask your friends, or search online.

My violin was purchased for about 1500 dollars (US). 300 dollars for the bow, (I think) about 150 dollars for the case, and the rest for the violin. It's very good.

As for other costs, tuning is no problem if you have a teacher who is willing to tune your violin every lesson, but you'll have to rehair your bow every 6 months or 1 year or so, and then there are the cases when strings snap, or the bridge falls off, etc, and also there are problems of climate problems. These can add up to a good amount (usually under 200 dollars) per year. The Suzuki Books don't cost too much either, you'll probably work at a rate of 1 book per year or so (at least, that's how I went) at first. You'll slow down eventually. You'll also need to buy a chin rest, but those last for a long, long while. I've used the same one for 2 years and will probably continue for 2 more decades...I suggest Kun or Wolf (I use Wolfe because I have a long neck..., and I can't remember how to spell the company name, it's either Wolf or Wolfe.)

If you've put aside money or have extra cash for buying a violin, I would deduct the total costs of maintenance per year from the balance first (I would put it as an average of 90 dollars if you're careful--50-75 dollars for rehairing and the rest for buying new strings, etc.)

I would get a professional's opinion on the violin--my first owned, not rented, violin was purchased for $300 and really sucked. The professional opinion might cost you a bit if they charge, but trust me, it'll pay off in the end. Unlike most pianos, a good violin will increase in worth as it grows older.

New violins are bad, very bad. New violins are factory made and of plastic or fake wood. You can tell the bad violins apart straight away, as their backs will be completely smooth (no line down the middle to show where the violin maker put it together). You will want to get an old violin, preferably hand-made. If you want to cut down on costs, get it overseas, however, this is not guaranteed to get you a good violin as anyone can easily lie online about the condition, age, etc. of the violin.

Hope that's enough for you. Good luck.

Answer 2

It's never too late to start something you're really interested in. Your musical background will help. I'm not sure what the current rate for lessons will cost. I only charge $10 for half an hour of piano lessons, and it's been years since I took violin (I was a kid and didn't pay for it myself). My violin was under $200. It was used, though, so expect to pay more for a new one. My only caution is that violin is THE HARDEST instrument to play--you have so much that can go wrong (not just learning the notes, like on a piano, but the position of your finger on the string will make it flat or sharp, plus the position of your bow on the strings will make it scratchy, squeaky, off-pitch, or just plain irritating! So go into it with determination, or don't do it at all. Violin can be absolutely gorgeous, but it takes a LOT of work to get it to sound that good. Good luck, and I hope you succeed!

Answer 3

its never too old to start! but it would be harder to pick it back up when your 31. If your town has a park district, they might offer violin lessons through that. I have a private teacher, and she charges $31 for a 45 minuet lesson. But you can always take lessons from highschool or college students that are very advanced. but my guess is that an average violin teacher will charge between 20-25 bucks per lesson.

Answer 4

The good teacher very important.