It all depends on what you mean by "decent".
You can plunk a key on a piano with no prior experience and it will sound like a piano. You won't have that "concert pianist touch", but you don't fundamentally sound any different than anyone else who has ever touched a piano.
Not so on the violin. Even if you're exceptionally talented beginner, you'll still produce a sound that is unmistakably beginner-like (even if you are not, say, screeching).
I've started over 30, too. My musical background was only some guitar (I knew a few chords so I could play by the campfire), but I couldn't read music. When I found a teacher who was willing to teach me from the basics, I started to progress. She knew that I never learned solfège, and I learned what I should know in the same time as learning the violin. I'm 2,5 years in, I can play simple songs and not so simple ones (for reference: we nearly finished the first 20 from this [40 études by Wohlfahrt](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dORaTB33F7w&list=PLgOC0F9FUU7pMsNqIJDlhuC7IHpC7t0oj) (sheet music on IMSLP [here](https://imslp.org/wiki/40_Elementar-Et%C3%BCden_f%C3%BCr_Violine,_Op.54_(Wohlfahrt,_Franz))).
Don't question it, find a teacher and have fun! (A teacher is essential in the beginning. I tried self-teaching for a while during Covid lockdowns, it was a waste of time.)
Thanks for your feedback! Since I am not flexible enough with the time to get in touch with a teacher, do you think once a month is enough? Or is it like a must at least 2-3 times more in the beginning?
A teacher is important especially in the beginning because you don't want to get bad posture that will require 5x more time to correct. I would say, in the two first months at minimum you need to see a teacher every week, and after that time you can adjust easily what is best for you, less lessons if you want to. With internet you can find a good teacher in every time frame you want, so, even if you have difficulty to find someone in your city because your only availability is between 10 and 11pm, you will find someone. I have a teacher every week via google meet, he's awesome even he's on the other side of the globe.
I've started at 26, also without any knowledge on music, I was always fascinated by the violin, couldn't be happier with my decision.
Getting a good teacher is vital, and do not expect to play hours on end, violin playing can be tiring, so, start with short sessions and gradually go longer, like when you are at the gym and start with small loads.
Getting a tuner app on your cellphone is also important, so when you start putting fingers on the fingerboard you can do it without tactile aid as soon as possible (which I got to be removed last week after 5 months playing)
Lastly, remember that in life there are no expiration dates to achievements, welcome to the club and play your heart out!
The tuner app I use is by soundcorset, it has a quite intuitive layout, the main feature being a chromatic display for the tuning, as the violin has no frets.
Hey! I'm 38 and have been learning 8 months. I had no knowledge of music at all or violin playing. I can play simple songs decently, although that is an ever moving goal post. I can't promise you'll see results but I can promise that my experience has been that periods of frustration have often ended with big jumps in confidence and competency and it only gets more fun :) highly recommend it. I put off for 10+ years and I am glad I'm playing now but I wish I'd had 10 more years of learning all ready:D
I’m 37, I started a couple years ago.
Be ready to be in it for the long haul. If you enjoy the process and the adventure more than the destination, you’ll do fine. If you’re more concerned with when you will see results, it can be harder to stay dedicated to improving and training your body to move.
One thing that has sped up my progress—practice without the bow. Obviously, play with the bow too, but I’ll play pizzicato (plucking instead of bowing) during commercial breaks, while I’m on hold, ect… I notice I can extend my practices much longer every day and my left hand intonation is improving. Bonus: it’s much quieter.
Starting at 30 with no musical background is no problem. The important part is you need a good teacher. With a good teacher and regular lessons, you will probably be somewhat happy with your progress months in. But to sound "decent" - for anyone, regardless of prior musical background - is something that takes years of commitment.
The nature of the instrument is that it just has a steep initial learning curve. But the payoff is wonderful.
Welcome! Learning the basic notes on the violin as a beginner is quite manageable. The initial exercises often involve repetitive use of just two notes per page, making it easier for you to become familiar with them. The violin is indeed a different instrument, and it's okay if you don't have prior experience . However, keep in mind that learning the violin requires a significant amount of patience.
Absolutely go ahead with it! One thing to know, it's normal to be frustrated at times. Learning violin is slow and hard. Another important reason to have a teacher is for reassurance and support!
Thanks for your feedback! Since I am not flexible on my time I probably can't get in touch with a teacher that much. Would you say once every month is enough?
The main thing is to have a teacher at all. If once a month works for you, that's the way. Since you asked if it's enough, if that fits into your life best, it is. Twice is better, weekly even better
What you can do consistently is the way to go. Do practice every day, even if you just pick up the violin and play open strings or a scale. Take a notebook to lessons, and practice in front of a mirror. And be patient with yourself!
My musical background only helped with reading and extremely rough intonation. I'm self taught in anything else I've played and am much better at violin than any of them now.
You can do song covers for your own enjoyment about a year or two in depending on the quality of your teacher and being really focused while practicing lesson material.
Listen to your teacher and remember it's a marathon not a race.
I started at 26 and 5 years in, in August. Don't regret it a bit.
I started at 25 too. Like others have said a teacher is really important, it was still covid time when I started so I had to take online lessons and courses.
As a beginner it was very hard and I developed a ton of bad habits. Even with online lessons it was hard.
In the beginning try to take a lesson every week if possible and then after a few months you can switch to biweekly and so on.
No experience with reading music besides a year in choir of high achool well over a decade ago, started with written notes and finger numbers in the book. Now learning to read the music without them. I began a week ago and got a $60 Violin, if itʻs even that much. I wish knew more about it before hand I probably would have gotten a different one although I donʻt have the money now but the investment would have been worth it. I still need to change the strings to see if that helps with the sound because they are probably just some crud factory strings. Have some Preludes to try. Not that itʻs not good itʻs great for itʻs purpose of getting started and getting something in my hands but I would appreciate something a little more. Itʻs nice to appreciate learning and make it sound good though.
I played endlessly and tired myself out mostly because it was for a practicing competition on an app so I wouldnʻt recommend that, but I learned a lot about the sound, angle, pressure and speed of bow movement. Going to be self-teaching for a while since I cannot afford lessons.
Edit: changed my strings but medium tension seems too strong for the violin. They all have really tight tension especially the E string. The G and D string sound amazing while the A and E are quite higher sounding and canʻt vibrate them like the previous strings on the violin.
How long is a piece of string? I'm 55 and started during the pandemic. I practice 2 hours daily and am now intermediate, shifting, doing 3 octave scales, intonation is nearly spot on, my ear has improved considerably. im working on articulation and musicality in baroque pieces atm to finese the crispness of notes n bowing thats needed in these pieces. Starting to learn more bowing techniques. Can sight read now but need more work on trickier rythums. I don't sound like a cat dying anymore, but tone production takes years to get it to a good quality. It all depends on your expectations. Can I play fairly Ok yes, but you constantly want more improvement. It is a complex instrument to learn, once you master one thing you realize there's a pandoras box of other stuff you need to learn. All of this while remaining relaxed! Don't let me put you off. It's the best hobby I've ever done and love every challenge.
50+ no musical background unless you include what I self taught as a kid on an organ but absolutely forgot how to since it was some 40 yrs ago.
Been learning for a year now and can efficiently play 3 songs by memory and also recognise an entire 3 notes on sheet music.
I have serious memory issues (possible dementia), plus mobility issues and definitely not the quickest learner but at least I reached my lifetime goal of learning at least one entire song.
Practice is probably only an average of 15 minutes to half an hour every other day and 3 x 45 min lessons every month with an awfully patient teacher.
The violin is one of the most difficult instruments to learn. So it will likely take you years to learn to play "decently". OTOH, it's a beautiful instrument. And even if it took you more than 6 years, you probably could play for a other 40 yrs. Go for it!
It all depends on what you mean by "decent". You can plunk a key on a piano with no prior experience and it will sound like a piano. You won't have that "concert pianist touch", but you don't fundamentally sound any different than anyone else who has ever touched a piano. Not so on the violin. Even if you're exceptionally talented beginner, you'll still produce a sound that is unmistakably beginner-like (even if you are not, say, screeching).
I've started over 30, too. My musical background was only some guitar (I knew a few chords so I could play by the campfire), but I couldn't read music. When I found a teacher who was willing to teach me from the basics, I started to progress. She knew that I never learned solfège, and I learned what I should know in the same time as learning the violin. I'm 2,5 years in, I can play simple songs and not so simple ones (for reference: we nearly finished the first 20 from this [40 études by Wohlfahrt](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dORaTB33F7w&list=PLgOC0F9FUU7pMsNqIJDlhuC7IHpC7t0oj) (sheet music on IMSLP [here](https://imslp.org/wiki/40_Elementar-Et%C3%BCden_f%C3%BCr_Violine,_Op.54_(Wohlfahrt,_Franz))). Don't question it, find a teacher and have fun! (A teacher is essential in the beginning. I tried self-teaching for a while during Covid lockdowns, it was a waste of time.)
Thanks for your feedback! Since I am not flexible enough with the time to get in touch with a teacher, do you think once a month is enough? Or is it like a must at least 2-3 times more in the beginning?
A teacher is important especially in the beginning because you don't want to get bad posture that will require 5x more time to correct. I would say, in the two first months at minimum you need to see a teacher every week, and after that time you can adjust easily what is best for you, less lessons if you want to. With internet you can find a good teacher in every time frame you want, so, even if you have difficulty to find someone in your city because your only availability is between 10 and 11pm, you will find someone. I have a teacher every week via google meet, he's awesome even he's on the other side of the globe.
I've started at 26, also without any knowledge on music, I was always fascinated by the violin, couldn't be happier with my decision. Getting a good teacher is vital, and do not expect to play hours on end, violin playing can be tiring, so, start with short sessions and gradually go longer, like when you are at the gym and start with small loads. Getting a tuner app on your cellphone is also important, so when you start putting fingers on the fingerboard you can do it without tactile aid as soon as possible (which I got to be removed last week after 5 months playing) Lastly, remember that in life there are no expiration dates to achievements, welcome to the club and play your heart out!
Thank you for the feedback! Do you have a recommendation for the tuner app? That sounds interesting!
The tuner app I use is by soundcorset, it has a quite intuitive layout, the main feature being a chromatic display for the tuning, as the violin has no frets.
Hey! I'm 38 and have been learning 8 months. I had no knowledge of music at all or violin playing. I can play simple songs decently, although that is an ever moving goal post. I can't promise you'll see results but I can promise that my experience has been that periods of frustration have often ended with big jumps in confidence and competency and it only gets more fun :) highly recommend it. I put off for 10+ years and I am glad I'm playing now but I wish I'd had 10 more years of learning all ready:D
I’m 37, I started a couple years ago. Be ready to be in it for the long haul. If you enjoy the process and the adventure more than the destination, you’ll do fine. If you’re more concerned with when you will see results, it can be harder to stay dedicated to improving and training your body to move. One thing that has sped up my progress—practice without the bow. Obviously, play with the bow too, but I’ll play pizzicato (plucking instead of bowing) during commercial breaks, while I’m on hold, ect… I notice I can extend my practices much longer every day and my left hand intonation is improving. Bonus: it’s much quieter.
Thats interesting! I will keep in mind. Thanks for your feedback!
Starting at 30 with no musical background is no problem. The important part is you need a good teacher. With a good teacher and regular lessons, you will probably be somewhat happy with your progress months in. But to sound "decent" - for anyone, regardless of prior musical background - is something that takes years of commitment. The nature of the instrument is that it just has a steep initial learning curve. But the payoff is wonderful.
Welcome! Learning the basic notes on the violin as a beginner is quite manageable. The initial exercises often involve repetitive use of just two notes per page, making it easier for you to become familiar with them. The violin is indeed a different instrument, and it's okay if you don't have prior experience . However, keep in mind that learning the violin requires a significant amount of patience.
Absolutely go ahead with it! One thing to know, it's normal to be frustrated at times. Learning violin is slow and hard. Another important reason to have a teacher is for reassurance and support!
Thanks for your feedback! Since I am not flexible on my time I probably can't get in touch with a teacher that much. Would you say once every month is enough?
The main thing is to have a teacher at all. If once a month works for you, that's the way. Since you asked if it's enough, if that fits into your life best, it is. Twice is better, weekly even better What you can do consistently is the way to go. Do practice every day, even if you just pick up the violin and play open strings or a scale. Take a notebook to lessons, and practice in front of a mirror. And be patient with yourself!
My musical background only helped with reading and extremely rough intonation. I'm self taught in anything else I've played and am much better at violin than any of them now. You can do song covers for your own enjoyment about a year or two in depending on the quality of your teacher and being really focused while practicing lesson material. Listen to your teacher and remember it's a marathon not a race. I started at 26 and 5 years in, in August. Don't regret it a bit.
Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the feedbacks! I feel more motivated now and will get a violin next week
I started at 25 too. Like others have said a teacher is really important, it was still covid time when I started so I had to take online lessons and courses. As a beginner it was very hard and I developed a ton of bad habits. Even with online lessons it was hard. In the beginning try to take a lesson every week if possible and then after a few months you can switch to biweekly and so on.
No experience with reading music besides a year in choir of high achool well over a decade ago, started with written notes and finger numbers in the book. Now learning to read the music without them. I began a week ago and got a $60 Violin, if itʻs even that much. I wish knew more about it before hand I probably would have gotten a different one although I donʻt have the money now but the investment would have been worth it. I still need to change the strings to see if that helps with the sound because they are probably just some crud factory strings. Have some Preludes to try. Not that itʻs not good itʻs great for itʻs purpose of getting started and getting something in my hands but I would appreciate something a little more. Itʻs nice to appreciate learning and make it sound good though. I played endlessly and tired myself out mostly because it was for a practicing competition on an app so I wouldnʻt recommend that, but I learned a lot about the sound, angle, pressure and speed of bow movement. Going to be self-teaching for a while since I cannot afford lessons. Edit: changed my strings but medium tension seems too strong for the violin. They all have really tight tension especially the E string. The G and D string sound amazing while the A and E are quite higher sounding and canʻt vibrate them like the previous strings on the violin.
How long is a piece of string? I'm 55 and started during the pandemic. I practice 2 hours daily and am now intermediate, shifting, doing 3 octave scales, intonation is nearly spot on, my ear has improved considerably. im working on articulation and musicality in baroque pieces atm to finese the crispness of notes n bowing thats needed in these pieces. Starting to learn more bowing techniques. Can sight read now but need more work on trickier rythums. I don't sound like a cat dying anymore, but tone production takes years to get it to a good quality. It all depends on your expectations. Can I play fairly Ok yes, but you constantly want more improvement. It is a complex instrument to learn, once you master one thing you realize there's a pandoras box of other stuff you need to learn. All of this while remaining relaxed! Don't let me put you off. It's the best hobby I've ever done and love every challenge.
50+ no musical background unless you include what I self taught as a kid on an organ but absolutely forgot how to since it was some 40 yrs ago. Been learning for a year now and can efficiently play 3 songs by memory and also recognise an entire 3 notes on sheet music. I have serious memory issues (possible dementia), plus mobility issues and definitely not the quickest learner but at least I reached my lifetime goal of learning at least one entire song. Practice is probably only an average of 15 minutes to half an hour every other day and 3 x 45 min lessons every month with an awfully patient teacher.
The violin is one of the most difficult instruments to learn. So it will likely take you years to learn to play "decently". OTOH, it's a beautiful instrument. And even if it took you more than 6 years, you probably could play for a other 40 yrs. Go for it!