Violin Lessons for Adults (Is It Too Late To Learn?] (2023)

FAQs

Is it too late to learn violin at 30? ›

In other words, there's no reason you can't become a great adult violin player - whether you pick up the bow for the first time at age 30, 50, or beyond. That being said, here are seven tips for adult beginner violinists that will enhance your learning experience.

You are never too old and it is never too late to start learning the violin. While learning the violin can be a lot of fun at any age, there are some important reasons why learning the violin as an adult is even more fun, making right now the perfect time to learn! Let's take a look at why adults should learn violin.

So how long does it actually take, to sound good on the violin or viola? As a teacher, I would say that most students take around three to five years to start sounding good and probably 10 years to sound like a completely fluent player.

How many hours does it take to learn violin? Malcolm Gladwell once said that to become an expert or master an instrument, you need 10,000 hours of practice.

You can make a lot of progress in just a few years if you practice hard and stay committed to learning the violin. It is reasonable to expect to reach a fairly 'professional' level in 10 years. But even after reaching a professional level, you can still improve!

Anyone can learn to play the violin, at any age. Mastering a new skill, regardless of what it is, always involves desire, discipline and determination; and learning violin is no different. Your age does have a factor in how quickly you'll be able to adapt to the instrument.

Violin Has A Stiffer Learning Curve

Both instruments are difficult to master, but when it comes to the start violin is much tougher. There are all sorts of awkward positions that you would need to learn. Things like how to hold the bow, placing the chin rest at just the right angle and more.

It can easily cost more than value of the instrument itself just to make it playable at all, to say nothing of actually sounding good. In short, while they may be inexpensive, VSOs are ultimately a waste of money.

1,5 to 2 hours a day

Great to get good progress on your instrument. You can do scales, exercises and etudes and have enough time to work on your repertoire and orchestra scores.

How hard is it to get good at violin? ›

The violin is one of the hardest musical instruments to learn. The combination of a demanding bowing technique and getting the pitch just right on a fretless fingerboard can make it particularly challenging. Like any instrument, it takes time and commitment to master.

The most effective practice routines include five or more days of practice each week. However, recreational violin players will probably enjoy a more relaxed practice schedule of three to four days a week.

While everything an adult beginner needs can be accomplished in a 30 minute lesson, most often adult beginners feel more comfortable with a 45 minute lesson. This gives more time to practice with the teacher, and understand the bigger picture.

Learning violin is an intricate process. If you can't afford to pay for lessons there are lots of free resources, but be wary. If you have a good ear, an analytical mind and good body awareness it is possible to learn the basics, but there are many details you can get wrong without a teacher.

The violin is not easy to learn. It needs years of practice to master in. Each musician has different criteria. Violinists know everything about the instrument.

The true difficulty of violin playing lies in executing the bow strokes with precision. A violinist must simultaneously control the angle of the bow and pressure applied to its hair. If you add only a tiny bit too much pressure, you will hear a scratching sound.

“Is the violin harder to learn than the guitar?” The short answer is: Yes, the violin is harder to learn than the guitar. There are several reasons for that. First of all, the violin does not have a fretboard, which means you will have to find every tone by ear.

Antique violins are well-aged, but seasoning is not the only factor that gives vintage instruments their unique tone quality. Violins sound better and become more responsive the more they are played. Before a violin is even made, aging is already a factor.

Is it easier to learn violin or cello? The cello might be slightly easier to learn, due to its repertoire and more natural holding position. However, both instruments have similar difficulties in technique and sound production, and neither have frets.

What is the hardest thing to play on the violin? ›

Form and Posture

You'll face the first common challenge when learning to play the violin before you even play a note. There is a proper way to hold every instrument, but with the violin, unlike the piano, you'll have trouble making a sound if you don't get your form, posture, and bow hold right.

The highest playable note on the violin is A7, assuming that your violin is tuned in perfect fifths. However, it's important to note that E7 is a practical limit for composing violin music, as the notes above this are difficult to play and not commonly used in violin sheet music.

Perhaps one of the easiest orchestral instruments to learn is the timpani. The timpani usually comes in a set of 2, 3 or 4 drums. What is this? Each of those drums is tuned through the use of a foot pedal.

Although flute is a better and easier option than a violin to learn, you must follow your passion. You can choose any instrument to play but your interest is something that will make the journey easier.

However, the viola is actually often more difficult to play than the violin. Some of the reasons for this are the viola's larger size and commensurate heavier weight.

A well cared for second hand student violin could be as good if not better than the new equivalent. It's tone woods will have matured and often you'll find that the violin has been fitted with better strings than original. Older used violins often produce a more mellow tone than the modern violin.

A quality beginner violin can start at about $600, with intermediate, university-level violins at $1,500, and professional violins at several thousands of dollars.

Violin lessons boost memory and mental capacities.

Many studies show that playing the violin (alongside other musical instruments) even for just a year positively affects your brain's capacity for memory. It can also improve your reading skills, language processing, speech and attention span.

Can you practice violin quietly? ›

That said, you can affix a practice mute (a piece of rubber or metal) under the bridge of the instrument to significantly reduce the vibration of the strings, and hence the overall volume. This is a good option for those okay with a little bit of sound emanating from the instrument.

Also Called. First Chair, First Violinist, Concertmistress.

That said, the first violin part is often considered "harder" because typically it shifts to higher positions and can have more virtuosic stuff in there.

If you would like to play the violin professionally, commitment to many years of hard work is essential. So, exactly how long does it take to learn violin? Well, the answer is entirely up to you. With a continuous and steady training schedule, you can make a lot of progress toward your goals in three to five years.

How much does a good violin cost? A good violin for a beginner costs about $500. A good intermediate violin will cost ca. $1,000-2,000 while a good violin for a professional violinist may cost anything between $5,000 and $50,000.

Violin Bow Hold and Posture

As you're first learning to play violin, focus your attention on perfecting your posture and bowing technique. Little details like how your pinky rests on your bow, the shape of your wrist, and the way you stand can have a monumental impact on how you sound.

1. ODE TO JOY. If you want to learn how to play some Beethoven, this is the perfect place to start. Classical music is one of the most challenging types of music to master, especially on the violin.

An instrument's level of difficulty to learn is a significant consideration when choosing a musical instrument. The violin is harder to learn than the piano as the player must learn to play in tune with a pleasant sound. With the keyboard, pitch, and fundamental aspects of sound quality, are built-in.

For those who are starting violin, it is important that they start before puberty, if their finger length is to be affected the most. The finger bones of the left hand will grow more in length as a result of playing the violin.

It can be hard to practice more than four hours a day, but studies show that the more you practice the more you will be willing and want to play. Professional violinists practice sometimes more than eight hours a day.

Is it better to practice violin standing or sitting? ›

Your sense of balance is very different between sitting and standing you need to learn both. An orchestral or chamber music performer will most likely sit (and have the music in front of him). Unless you have a specific disability, when performing a concerto or for a solo recital the violinist generally stands.

A recent study conducted by caloriecount.com has found that on average 1 hour of violin playing burns approximately 175 calories – the equivalent of 1/2 a Snickers Bar or 2 glasses of wine. Playing the cello for the same length of time sheds approximately 140.

The simple answer to this question is NO, you are never too old to learn music or to play an instrument. Assuming you can still use your hands to hold a fork and knife or catch a ball, there are two main things you need to learn to play an instrument.

In fact, the oldest violin in existence today is one built by Andre Amati around 1565.

No matter which subject, topic, or art it is, you can learn anything or build anything at any age. When it comes to mastering or learning a musical instrument, whether it is a guitar, violin, piano, etc., you can learn it at any age.

The fiddle remains one of the easiest instruments to learn late in life by senior citizens and children.

A good violin for a beginner costs about $500. A good intermediate violin will cost ca. $1,000-2,000 while a good violin for a professional violinist may cost anything between $5,000 and $50,000. Of course, you can always buy a more expensive violin as an investment, even if you're a beginner.

In-person lessons are the best way to learn the violin. If you have the ability to take violin lessons from a teacher in your area, try to make this option work first. A teacher who meets with you for lessons can help you purchase a quality violin, and then periodically assess your instrument for any mechanical issues.

Before a violin is even made, aging is already a factor. Tonewood is cut from the oldest trees possible, and then it is sealed and aged for even longer in a controlled environment. This process allows the wood to dry out and oxidize, resulting in a more durable and more resonant piece of wood.