We’ve all been worried sick about learning the violin at some point in our lives, whether in the late forties or early teens. Often we spent more time worrying and less time learning! But, what if we told you that age is just a number and you can master the violin anytime? Let us tell you why and how.
Age is just a number. Mastering the violin can never risk your knowledge if you have enough determination and desire. The only factor that age focuses on is adaptability. There’s no way around it – a child can absorb the methods faster than an older candidate. But age has never been the sole factor in the history of learning violin.
Here are short few tips I provided in the table That I consider the Best Way to Learn Violin at Any age.
| Few Ways To Master The Violin At Any Age | Considerations |
|---|---|
| Find a suitable instrument | Consider the material, price, size, and condition of the violin. |
| Have your own practicing routine | Practice the scales, arpeggios, repertoire, and etudes. |
| Stay committed | Practice, practice, practice! Merely 25-30 minutes a day is enough. |
| Choose a personal learning style | Take one-to-one, online, or group lessons. |
| Play for others | Build your confidence and try performing in front of friends and family. |
So, we have the gist of it. But is that all? We still have a bag full of ideas and tips to share with you. Moreover, we haven’t even begun elaborating on your most primary question – can you learn violin at any age? The truth is relatively modest and educational. Stay tuned to know everything – regardless of your age!
5 Best Ways to Learn the Violin at Any Age – A Guide
Everyone pushes their way through to the end-game of learning the violin differently. Although learning the violin later in life seems intimidating, we can assure you that it’s possible. Since we want to cater to all age groups, techniques, and learning styles, we will guide you through multiple ways of learning the violin.
Therefore, skim and test these fundamental stages and correspond them to your needs and preference.
A Suitable Instrument
So, you’ve decided to go for it and learn the violin, but can you learn the violin by yourself? Surprisingly, if you have the right instrument as guidance, you can! Choosing the correct tool for yourself matters and depends upon suitability.
Before the purchase, some key factors that you must look into are the violin’s condition, size, material, construction, and price. Generally, beginners prefer opting for a mid-ranged instrument that doesn’t lack in quality.
These instruments can be affordable and efficient at the same time. You can also opt for second-hand violins if you only want to test this field initially. However, you must look into the quality and condition of the violin for a second-hand purchase.
A Routine
Do you have a violin practicing routine yet? Don’t worry; it’s never too late for that after you purchase your first instrument. If you’ve ever wondered – How can I learn violin at home? you’ll be delighted to know that with a suitable device and a structured learning routine, you can accomplish it all. With violins, there are specific levels such as:
- Scales
- Arpeggio
- Etudes
- Repertoire
You can move onto the next level as you finish one. But, is it too late to learn violin at 21? and maintain a routine? Not if you’re in it to win it. Many People commit to much more during their twenties.
Choose A Learning Style
Beginners must choose one style of playing the violin that can influence their drive and motivate them to do more. Gathering knowledge on all the basics is a necessity to realize which kind you like the best.
Fortunately, you can acquire these skill sets in numerous ways. But, I bet you’re wondering – are violin lessons expensive? Take a gander at some ways to learn the violin so you can choose according to your budget.
- Personal Instructor: Local instructors in your area can bestow you with a more hands-on approach. It’s a powerful traditional manner of learning especially, for beginners. However, it’s not the most likely option for everyone, hence take a look at our next choice. If you’ve ever wondered – Is it too late to learn violin at 30? Think again! Most personal instructors cater to students within the age range of 20 to 50.
- Online courses: Formally attending the classes might not be possible for all of us. The good news is that international online courses are available for those who fail in the former category. They’re just as effective and provides enough boost to stay motivated.
- Group Classes: You can join multiple community or public facilities to benefit from a group full of violin learners. Engaging with other practicing musicians is vital. It enriches your playing style and lets you test multiple settings.
Play For Friends And Family
To get ahold of your nervousness, practicing in front of others, has proven to be highly beneficial for musicians. Breathe in, kick back and go with the flow. Don’t let your overdrawn nerves drive you. Moreover, the more you practice and play for your acquaintances, the greater your chances of becoming a confident violinist.
Practice, Practice, Practice!
Sounds a little bit cliché but the Best Way to Learn Violin at Any age is to Practice! Now, your routine and instrument are set. How can you learn the violin without some dedication and practice? It’s entirely impossible. Commit to some level of persistence. You can also decide to switch things up and decide what you want to work on that day. The good news is that only 25-30 minutes of practice per day is more than satisfactory to lead you to become a master There are several courses online that can help you to learn violin at any age. In the next section, I will give you some recommendations.
Online Courses Recommendation
These are the best courses out there for learning violin at any age.
Masterclass by Itzhak Perlman
The best part is that attaining violin knowledge from each class can be made simpler right at home. Check out the Masterclass by Itzhak Perlman, a world-renowned violinist. You can focus solely on this course and elevate your skillset astonishingly.
You will find 19 highly detailed lessons to skim. Each of them is within the range of twenty minutes and consists of in-depth discussion regarding violins. You can pay $15 per month to access unlimited classes. Moreover, you can acquire violin-focused lessons and knowledge from over a hundred instructors in 11 categories.
Streaming anywhere and anytime is just another bonus! So, are you ready to get that personal touch and enrich your expertise?
Skillshare
A similar platform specializing in violin lessons is Skillshare. Not only will you be able to expand your instrumental skill in one category but many more! You can attain everything to get you started on your violin journey and keep learning. You can continue even after you’ve understood the basics of the violin. Starting from violin scales to composing tracks – it’s all possible!
Develop and nurture your violin skill through Skillshare. And when you’re ready, spread out your wings even more and get accustomed to more courses on all platforms.
Fiverr
For adult learners (age 30 or above), Fiverr has been an effective platform. You can hire a personal violin teacher and get the best online and one-to-one teaching and learning experience. If you’re willing to spend less but get optimized results, be sure to skim the site.
Providing vocal learnings and lessons is a blessing. And as if that’s not enough, with Fiverr, you can get ahold of affordable teachers and courses for children and adults alike. They will assist you in every step and help you mold into a musician by teaching you the music theory. Simply, filter and sort to hire the best!
Benefits of Learning The Violin
It all boils down to this – Is it ever too late to learn the violin and benefit from it? It’s an intriguing question, but the answers are in your favor, no matter what your age is.
Playing the violin has shown advantages of advanced attention span and memory in multiple studies. Furthermore, it’s known to positively impact the overall mental health and functionality in many children as it gives a push to various brain functions, speech, language, and reading skills.
Nonetheless, it serves as an emotional vent for mostly teenagers (age 12 to 15) too. But let’s face it, teen, or not, every once in a while, we need to imitate our inner pressure via loud or subdued music – fortunately, this is it.
Playing the violin enforces strict posture correction for all kinds of users. Whether a child or a grown-up, you can profit from more potent upper body strength, upright posture, and developed motor skills due to playing in a fixed posture. Lastly, the violin’s tones and melodies can soothe the heart. It’s unknowingly a famous breakthrough for relieving stress and lowering levels of anxiety and depression.
Why Learning The Violin is Not Limited To Children
It’s considered that the earlier children start to learn to play the violin, the faster it impacts their cognitive abilities positively. Clearly, understanding the instrument earliest comes with more significant interests as children reciprocate their musical capacities and incorporate them into their daily tasks and duties.
These extended privileges that children have over adults (age 40 to 50) have often raised the question – Are you ever too old to learn to play a string instrument. Luckily, adults are in the clear. Grownups might take a prolonged time to ease in with this instrument but, it’s not impossible. Children’s added benefit with learning the violin early is that it consciously and unconsciously influences their brain development, learning abilities, and cognitive skills. If you want to learn violin as a hobby but not as a profession, then age wouldn’t be a problem.
Violin As A Hobby For Adults
People counteract with becoming a professional violinist later in life because it takes up more than half a chunk of your day every day. Believe it or not, practicing more than a couple of hours to learn the violin can be highly straining.
In reality, professional violinists enforce a minimum of eight hours per day of practicing and learning. Safe to say, to become an experienced and successful violinist, you must start very early. Moreover, when you add the perks of children learning the violin over adults, the pressure intensifies for those looking to make a career out of violins later in life.
Did you know that learning the violin to become a professional requires a fair share of the time? On average, you would need four to ten years to reach that level and only if you practice diligently every day.
Thus, if you ask any expert – Can adults learn to play the violin? They would affirmatively encourage you, and so would we! However, the truth is, for adult learners, many of the outcomes remain realistic when it’s only bound to a hobby and not a career.
Now, your mind must sway in another direction, and you could think – Is it difficult for an adult to learn the violin (age 18 to 25)? Fortunately, not if you have the correct instruments and guidance.
Factors To Consider Before Learning The Violin At Any Age
Whether you’re a teen or an adult, you have questioned yourself – Is learning violin difficult? Frankly, mastering any stringed instrument has a few ups and downs. You can never expect smooth sailing with violin, either.
For example, adults always worry – Can you be too old to learn violin? It’s almost funny and cute that they think so. Because if you have the drive, everything’s possible! Let’s look below at the details of the list above. These are some disadvantages and advantages that each age group might face.
Learning Curve
Generally, the learning curve seems to be steeper throughout for all ages. However, in most cases, it appears to be slower and then rapidly increasing for children. Teens have a steady and gradually increasing curve. Whereas, for older learners, the curve is steep in the beginning then flattens out entirely.
Physical Ability
Children and teens could adjust quickly to the posture while playing the violin. When it comes to physical ability, Many people start at age 20. Even though it might take some time, the posture and stand eventually settle in and remain put if the student keeps practicing.
On the contrary, adults face multiple difficulties in mimicking the pose due to the newness and, more so, if they have weaker bones. Children benefit from the stance the most as it affects their overall upper body strength and poses.
Practice Hours
Children and teens are often entitled to practice, whether the parents or teachers force it. Sure, they might have plenty of spare time to commit to it. However, when the pressure spikes that cause them to practice against their will, their drive and desire to learn the violin could diminish over time.
Similarly, adults and older people (age 40 to 50) might have to scramble around to find space between their busy schedules. But the plus point is that nobody forces them to practice. So, if there’s drive and desire for the adult to learn, they will make time!
Patience
It’s somewhat surprising that children and teens can be calm and adaptive during the entire ordeal. They believe in a theory that teachers know best. Hence, they leave it up to them ultimately. They also try to absorb as much information as they can and reciprocate
On the other hand, adults can be stubborn and have a hard time slowing down if needed. It also takes them a long time to get out of their comfort zone. Thus, the delays are evident. So, as an older learner, if you wonder what age is too late to start violin? Truthfully, it’s never too late but, you have to be adaptable!
Consistency
Children are consistent with lessons even if they’re not forced. But, that’s the catch, if they’re forced into it, how long will it be viable? More than often, teens can’t be forced into it, thus it’s safe to say that they’re learning because they want to which leads to consistency. Adults might have to cancel often due to busy schedules. However, their entire journey could be on and off due to such reasons. Hence, they might take longer to learn the basics and go up the ladder.
Listening To Music
How often do children get to listen to violin music to enrich their knowledge? This is a tricky one for children as it might not always be within their reach and they might be unwilling too. Parents often fail to realize that it’s a vital factor; hence, they slack to incorporate it into their child’s routine.
But, can you learn how to play the violin as a teenager and listen to violin music to expand your knowledge? Or, is it too late to learn violin at 16? It’s a possibility because, at this age, teens are involved with listening to music throughout the majority of the day. Adults could commit to it, too, if they were diligent. Simply, pop in your headphones during a workout. What’s the harm in that, right?
Performance
Children are timid. Hence, they might refrain from performing at all. If you’ve gone to your fair share of recitals, you know that children are more prone to nervous breakdowns on stage. Stage fright is common in all teens and adults too. But, even if they need to muster up all their strength, they take up the challenge and avoid any possible mishap.
The Correct Age To Start Learning Violin
Experts believe that three years is the perfect age to take up the violin. It’s the earliest stage and can reinforce the child’s cognitive ability. On average. 4-5 years of age is recommended. I’ve already told you what is the right age to start learning to play the violin but, how you could achieve it is also a dilemma. Even with children over five years, parents always face an issue regarding the correct age. They wonder if they have waited too long and lost all shots.
But, can you start learning the violin this late in childhood? Frankly, no amount of time-delayed or age gaps can ever assure that you’re late. If you have gathered anything from this article, you will comprehend by now that only your will, desire, and drive to learn the violin can be enough motivation that you’ll ever need. Generally, the entire concept regarding children learning the violin revolves around suitability, better fundamental developments, solid coordination, and more adaptability to practicing. If you start early, you get more time to polish too.
Final Words
So, can you learn violin at any age?
Whether you’re in your fifties, thriving teens, or a mere child, anybody can learn the violin at any age. The key ingredients to starting late are desire, drive, and motivation!
It’s a no-brainer that you will have many more hurdles than a child while learning the violin late in life. However, when you’ve chosen violin as a career or hobby, there’s nothing that can stop you except yourself. With continuous persistence, you can tune your way to the finish line.
