Should i learn violin?

Question

I have attended piano basic class but the violin is my favourite since I was young. I feel bad every time I play the piano because I did not choose the violin. So should I stop learning the piano and start to learn what I love? I am 14 now and is it too late to play the violin. And is it possible to learn by myself by watching YouTube videos? I will be really pleased if you recommeng me some good channels.

Answer 1

There was a very comprehensive question (and answer) on this site yesterday which will probably give you much food for thought: Am I too old? Is it too late?: A guide to a popular question

The answer of course is yes, just get on with it. And why drop piano? Keep the two going. At your age, there aren't things like a job, a family, a mortgage, grown up responsibilities to consider. You should have more time than you will in 8 or 10 yrs time!

Knowing some things about music from piano will help, and even without a teacher I beleive most folks will give it a good, successful go. You won't get recommendations from this site, sorry.

Answer 2

I don't really know either, because I'm first and foremost a guitar player, but I own both a violin and a keyboard instrument.

Music theory is often taught in keyboard context, and many of the best players I've heard are really good with piano and related instruments, even if they make something else their focus. Learning it will not be wasted.

Violin is a bear to learn, but the things that make it hard also make it wonderful. Intonation is all in you, and your ears likely aren't prepared — mine weren't — but once you've developed, you can get exactly the right notes, be they 440 12TET, blue notes, or full-on microtonal. Bowing will sound horrible at first, but in good hands, it can go from quiet to loud, strident to breathy, punchy to infinite sustain.

To me, these are complementary. One instrument does things that the other physically cannot.

I'm old and I'm still learning. Yes, there are those who started playing before they could walk, but there are others who came to music later and are still great.

Answer 3

Yes, you should since that is your passion.

I'm assuming you have a violin (not viola, those are different) that works to a fine extent. If my assumption is wrong then I will say that you can find a used one that is like new near you. There are many sites for that and that is how I got my Williams Allegro 3 for 200$, it was like new too. So if you are lucky you can find a high-quality one for cheap.

If your parents are forcing you to learn piano, then talk to them. Tell them that piano isn't the instrument that you want to learn and that violin is something that captures your interest. They should understand, hopefully.

I am 14 now and is it too late to play the violin

Is it too late for me to become good at piano?

Grace, I asked the question above that gave answers to that but about piano a bit ago, I am 13 and everyone told me that it is never too late to learn an instrument. Violin, however, is much more difficult from what I have read. It may take more time than piano, but you can learn at any age. Just because people start at very young doesn't mean that they are good. Remember that!

And is it possible to learn by myself by watching YouTube videos? I will be really pleased if you recommend me some good channels.

You may be able to learn to some extent, I am teaching myself, using an online course, but I have my big brother that knows some stuff about music to teach me about performance, he plays guitar. There probably courses online that can teach you, I'm not sure since I play piano and I haven't really checked for violin, but there may be some good ones, just don't get an app, those don't normally teach well. Some courses may have app forms so those will be better.

Some courses may require you to have an electric violin, like how some piano courses require you to have a keyboard to plug into the device you are using (computer, Ipad, etc.), to me this is either a hit or miss but it depends on you if you are learning from it well and if you are invested in it.

You can get live lessons, like the video chats you do for school but instead of the teacher talking about square roots, they're teaching you about violin. There is a website for this but I can't recommend stuff on here, just know that lessons can be as cheap as 15$ depending on the teacher and how long you want. You can get a good bit of lessons for this price. You need a good internet connection and a device to do the video chat on, so it's good if you have a budget. I haven't done this but I have heard that it is good for teaching.

Youtube is better for learning specific songs, like how I get sheet music from there if I can't find that song's sheet music off of a website. You can learn songs from your favorite shows or a YouTuber's song on there easier. But you can learn the basics on there, I learned how to place my fingers correctly and I learned some music theory. For you, you may find someone that shows how to hold the bow and violin correctly and how to move the bow to produce the music correctly. And how to take care of your instruments and how to clean it properly. It also can give you inspiration. You may also be able to learn different styles. Don't expect to learn everything.

In a summary, you can become learn at your age (If you can, define learn for me. Learn, for some, may be knowing how to play some simple stuff but for others learn could be knowing how to play concert-level songs). And you can learn from YouTube but you'll only get so far compared to other sources. Just keep going at it and if you have a question on your technique ask a question on here or to someone you know that has experience in that area. Just keep your dedication, it will help you a lot.

Answer 4

Yes, or else, you'll have some regrets later, because you hadn't started sooner, BUT...

I recommend finding a good teacher around your place, because you'll progress way faster.

First, because of the budget you are using to "hire" the teacher, you will be taking it more seriously. Second, because if you have a teacher, you'll want to practice enough... so the teacher won't get mad. Third, teachers are three dimensional, compared to two dimensional videos. Fourth, teachers are interactive, unlike videos, so for example you got something wrong, the teacher would correct you, as for a video, it won't. I can even insert a fifth reason, they are more interesting than videos.