how hard is it to play the violin?

Question

i'm 21 and have always wanted to play the violin and i have a son who is a year and a half. i was curious if its too late for me but i may become renued if i try to introduce the instrument to my son? any comments would be appreciated.

Answer 1

I play the viola which is like a violin it isn't that hard it just takes practice..it's never 2 late 4 anything..so go 4 it u may want 2 rent a violin first tho in case u change ur mind..the bad part is u get calluses after a while!!

Answer 2

First of all, allowing your son to see that this is an important goal for you is an excellent way to show him that learning is a life long quest and not just something we force our young people to do. You have certainly picked a challenging instrument, but if that is your passion, you should go for it.

A few things you need to know going in:

1. No matter how much you want to do it by yourself, learning is done justas much by example as it is by individual effort. You are learning from someone else even if you are watching someone perform that activity on television. Don't be afraid to get some lessons, or at least some peer mentoring with someone that you trust, and who plays the instrument well.

2. You have to be willing to sound bad before you can sound good! This is just the truth. The violin is different from fixed key and fixed pitch instruments in that the closer you get to perfection, the worse it sounds until - - - - - it's Perfect! Most people will not tell you this, or conveniently forget that it was part of their learning process and neglect to pass this on.

3. When you learn to play the violin, you are going to break some strings, pull some hairs out of your bow, break your rosin, (rosin is just tree sap that has been heated, treated, hardened and caked into a more convenient form. IT is brittle and when dropped, cracks fairly easily) and even break your bridge once or twice. If you don't break that bridge, you may watch it warp or fall over. Nothing holds it on there but the pressure of the strings. Develop a working relationship with someone who can get you through the first months of these minor problems. They will seem like insurmountable calamities if you don't.

If you are going to introduce the instrument to your son, do it through a program like Suzuki or Musicopia. It makes for a nice outing and you will ensure that bad habits are not learned and reinforced. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

from my experience I have been playing the piano for 15 years I have only been playing the violin well it was kind of off and on for about three years with a violin teacher.I have started again since January I started to take violin lessons.The violin is hard but since I have a background in piano everything that I learn for violin is not that difficult i am not starting from scratch I have applied everything I have learned in my 15 years of piano to violin it really does help to have a background in a different instrument like piano it kind of is not so intimidating I always feel in learning something new in violin that can be really hard but not intimidating. I guess it is always best to start off on instrument that isn't so intimidating and develop fundamentals and skill in order to play the violin it would benefit so much.

Answer 4

I play several musical instruments (unfortunately not the violin) however I will throw in my two cents. Assuming all had equal motivation and dedication to study and practice, there are three types of people: normal ability, less than normal ability and naturally talented. The good news is that any one of the three types can learn to play a violin (or any instrument).

Most people have normal ability. They can learn to master the instrument pretty well. The less than normal ability people have a much tougher time but if they break the task down to small bites and work hard they can become competent on the instrument. Talented people have a very easy time learning and understanding the instrument. However, what is difficult for the truly talented is to stick with the program. It all comes so easlily they tend to loose their motivation to learn all the details and the dedication to study the more difficulty parts. It is only the truly talented and truly dedicated that become virtuoso.

Applying this to your situation, you can learn to play the violin or any instrument with a little effort. If your goal is to play well enough to please yourself and your friends, well enough to sit in with an ensemble or become the next Pearlman all depends on how much you naturally bring and how much you dedicate your life to it.

If you want to be a violin player that is definately possible. If you want to be a violinist that will take a lot more work but should be within your scope. If you wish to be a virtuoso you probably should have started as a child. It is possible but not likely.

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Answer 5

First thing, I don't think it is too late for you to start to play the violin, but if you really think it is, you should introduce it to your son. Whatever you choose, make sure that you have a dedicated teacher (private or public) that is willing to help you play well. Nobody wants to annoy themselves playing a song worser and worser, and only have the private teacher say, "Oh, practice a little, you'll get it. Pay me 20 dollars and see you next week."
The violin, in my opinion, is a really good instrument. All string instruments were made to represent the voice. There are many amazing techniques, and once you get them, music seems to get even better. Be careful, though, string instruments can easily be broken. You might want him to start later, unless you will make sure to watch over your son.
Hope that helps!

Answer 6

It's not at all too late for you to study violin, and if you study with a teacher who uses Suzuki method, you can start teaching your son, as well. With the Suzuki method, the parent is the home teacher, so this would be perfect for you.

See:
Am I too old to learn the violin, which has always been my dream?
http://beststudentviolins.com/PedagogyTech.html#3

Suzuki Association of Americas
http://suzukiassociation.org/

Good luck!

Answer 7

Most instruments are not easy to play, you have to put in a lot of time, study, and patience. But it's never too late to do anything that you want to do. I just read about a women at 95 who earned her degree from college. So if I were you and this is something that you always wanted to do go for it!!!! It would be great if you started your son at about three with the Suzuki method a lot of kids are successful using that method, and if he has any musical talent that's the way to start.

Answer 8

the violin is hard but well worth it .... if you start now you could be a help to your son later on ... as for your son they do make toy violins that allow them to mimic the movement (they are called Cherub that's the brand name) most children can't focus enough to make music until 5

Answer 9

people say the violin is hard, but it really isn't. i started when i was 6. it is not too late for you. but, i would say you should start you kid when he is 4 or 5. if you want to buy a violin i would reccommend a glaciel. and for the bow, get horsehair, NEVER FIBERGALSS!!!

Answer 10

yeah you can learn to play at any age... if you wanted you still could play... it might take you longer and more effort to get good at it but you can do it... as for your child they make really small violins but around the age of four you could try to get him to hold the violin and get him started on playing, but at that age you would need a private teacher to train him... but it is possible... good luck...