I'm 17 years old and I play the violin for my local church. A lot of people expect the violin to be loud, by loud they expect the sound to carry out to distant places without the aid of an amplifier. I am often told to play louder, which is not easy since my playing is muddled by the singers and other noise. Of course, this issue was resolved with an amplifier/mic. But it irks me when people show me how it's done. They take my violin and press the bow harder to make a stronger sound. They'll say things like 'It's pretty loud. Why can't you do it?" Of course, it's loud, the instruments close to your face. And often, I am compared to the flautist. Which brings us to the question, how many violins should play alongside a single flute? There are times when during service, I'm not able to use my amplifier or use a microphone since it's limited. My playing is barely audible amongst 20 singers and a flute that's pointed to a mic, I might as well not be there.
Sorry, I wound up ranting... It's just frustrating being constantly compared and dictated by people who haven't played the instrument themselves.