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I Want to Learn How to Play the Violin But.
camlross asked:
I can’t read music.
To be honest, back at school music lessons never really interested me, although now I am older I hold a much higher appreciation to music and musicians. An instrument that particularly interests me the violin. Personally I have never played one, but I do know that you must be very talented to play well. To be honest I don’t really know what my question is. Do musicians ever start off playing the violin as their first instrument? And how do you learn to read music and is it difficult as it looks? In order to end up playing well, would I have to have started off at a very young age? Any other feedback from violinists regard this issue would be appreciated.
Tags: Read Music, Learn Music, Music Lessons
>> Do musicians ever start off playing the violin as their first instrument?
Yes, frequently.
>> And how do you learn to read music and is it difficult as it looks?
You need a good private teacher, and it’s not as difficult as it looks, it just takes time.
>> In order to end up playing well, would I have to have started off at a very young age?
No; plenty of people develop as musicians later in life.
>> Any other feedback from violinists regard this issue would be appreciated.
See:
Violin/Viola FAQ
How long will it take me to get really good at the violin?
If you want to play the violin, there is nothing stopping you. Age is not a limitation. You may be embarrassed to play for others at first.
Please find a teacher. Don’t try to do it on your own.
Violin methods teach you to read music one note at a time, or sometimes they start you with 4 and then add one more at a time.
Talent is difficult to prove. Any one who learns to do something is called talented, but nobody is instantly a great violinist or guitar player etc.
That is rambling but hopefully will give you an idea.
I’d first learn to read (treble clef) notes. Flash cards help. Once you’re fairly comfortable with them, you can start learning to match them up on your violin. Play lots of scales — over and over. They’ll help your brain get to the point where you see a note and automatically your finger goes to the right place on the fingerboard. This will take lots and lots of time and patience, but you’ll get it eventually.
Don’t worry too much about your intonation. That comes naturally with time and practice. After getting the basic notes and fingerings down, I’d focus more on having good posture, and being able to remain loose in the wrists/fingers/arms (absolutely crucial to successful violin playing, IMO). This is where you need a good teacher. Once you develop a bad habit in violin, it often takes months to fix it. I know this from personal experience : (
As a violinist (and pianist) myself, I find that I have a much greater appreciation for classical music – not just for its beauty, but for the amount of skill it requires to create the music!
anyway, I hope this helps. Good luck with learning the violin! It takes plenty of effort, but if you keep at it the results will rewarding!
Sure, you can start off playing the violin! It’s not at all uncommon. And certainly better to play an instrument you want to learn, rather than to trudge through learning one you don’t want to learn, but rather feel you “should”.
Reading music is like reading any written language. It takes effort and thought at first, but after practice it will come easily and you will become, so to say, fluent.
To play well, you don’t have to start at a young age. You just have to have enthusiasm and a willingness to work hard. You’re right that violin isn’t easy, but the sense of accomplishment you get from working on something for a long time and then playing it well is incredible.
In my own playing, I have come to realize what my teachers and mom always told me: that regular practice is the only way to improve, and that by not practicing, you will get rusty. For a long time I took lessons, practiced regularly, and got better. Currently I’m playing in my college orchestra, but I’m not taking lessons, nor am I practicing as much as I should. Consequently, I’m not nearly as good as I could be, but I’ve come to realize that I play because I have fun when I do it. I don’t want to be a concert violinist, I want to enjoy a hobby. And I do.
If playing the violin is something you want to do, go for it! It certainly is difficult (I don’t think any instrument is really “easy”, they’re just challenging in different ways), but it’s not impossible, and it’s a very rewarding experience. And at the very least, you’ll gain an even greater appreciation for classical music, and for those who make it.
Good luck!!