Violin Forum/Message Board

[Verdi]

Hi, just wanted to throw out a comment for some feedback.

Learning the violin late in life is not all that do-able. And here are some of the reasons I have discovered.

1. It takes years before you are good enough to solo. If you just want to fiddle on the back porch or for your own enjoyment then go ahead. But if you are hoping to do solo gigs and you are already old, in 5 years you will be that much older. I personally don't want to be up in front of everybody being old making my solo debut on the violin.

2. It's hard to find a teacher who knows how to teach adults. Most Suzuki teachers revert to the childish "Mississippi stop stop" lingo that I don't think adults can relate to.

3. I don't think Suzuki is for adults that are already musicians on other instruments. Adults that already know music would better profit from another teaching method.

4. Violin is so impossible to learn. It's all body english. It's not like any other instrument. In learning piano you can play a chord and you've got the sound. In guitar you can strum a chord and you've got the sound. And everytime you return to the piano or guitar you can get the same sound. With violin the notes are only in the same place if your hand is in the same place.

With violin it's different everytime. Maybe you'll get the tone today and maybe you won't. Violin all depends on how you stand, or how you hold your arm, or how you hold your fingers, or how you hold your head, or your rosin, or your strings, or your bridge..............

5. The industry caters to youth. There's a Teen Strings magazine but not a Senior Strings magazine. Older people that are featured in magazines are usually long time players.

6. It is very expensive. You need a good setup. Now that I'm at the point of upgrading from my beginning setup I don't have the money. Lessons are easily $200.00 a month plus the payment on a professional setup is prohibitive. So I am stuck with my student setup.

All in all, my experience is that violin is best done when learned young. It can be done when you are over 50 but it's very frustrating because it takes so long to get it to sound like a violin.

There are many other instruments that can be more easily enjoyed than violin.

I love it but it seems un-doable, impractical, and futile at this point.

Just my thoughts. Thank you for reading.

[Steven Potter]

My experience has been the exact opposite.

I started playing violin about 4 years ago (at age 52) and I totally love it. I’ve been taking weekly lessons for most of the time. After my first two years I took my Grade 3 exam at the Royal Conservatory and passed with “Honours”. I’m now preparing for a Grade 5 test sometime next year.

I’ve been very lucky to have several professional string players as close friends. They’ve let me join them in several quintet performances. But, even if I had no performance venues (other than the RCM) I would still carry on just the same, because I love the sound of the instrument.

Re: hard to find teachers for adults? Not my experience; I’ve had 2 so far. Not a problem in Toronto.

Re: impossible to learn? Extremely challenging, yes! Impossible, no.

Re: too expensive? Certainly not. For about $300 you can get a decent Chinese violin on eBay and make good music. (No doubt others on the Forum will scoff at this but I’ve done it. Maybe I was just lucky. My newest violin is also Chinese ($2,500 Jay Haide) with AMAZINGLY beautiful tone.

No one would argue with the benefits of starting young. But I’m sure there are many others like me who came to the violin late in life and found it to be a source of inspiration and profound enjoyment.

My humble advice…

If you do “love it”, throw yourself into it. Focus on your bowing more than getting proper notes/pitch. Try to make beautiful sounds and practice in a room with good acoustics. Make your instrument SING. If you don’t feel a change in heart after a few months, then yeah…maybe it’s not for you.
_________________
Steven Potter
Toronto

[ollieken]

Hi Run search On u tube for one arm fiddler & see if you still
think Learning is impossible some one here May have the link i cant copy it for some reason also Search U tube for learn to play
Some kind folks have some short lesson,s that may help you
Good Luck Ken

[Mat Roop]

here is the link... the chap must have been some determined... must be from New Brunswick!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYmqC5XznEw

[little lady]

What a great video!!!! That should make us never complain about
anything again. It defies the imagination.
I started violin in 1990 at age 36 to put the example for my children who
were also studying music (piano and clarinet). I told them I would do
something for homework, too. (I already played piano). Anyway, it is
something I have kept up and enjoyed (the children are grown now), and I have gone farther in it than I ever imagined I could. (play on a
community orchestra, in the Church orchestra and give classes for
beginnners at the Church.) Okay, I will never be Jascha Heifetz, but it
has enriched my life in many ways especially by providing an avenue for
me to get out and meet people and share music with them. I have met so many wonderful people thru music who I would never have met before.
Don't give up. But be the best you can at whatever you decide to do.
And be satisfied with the violin that you can afford to buy.

[Barry1963]

[Shirley]

Verdi - what I thought when I read your post is, "Of course he is right!" The durned bowed instruments are pesky, uncooperative things. Sometimes they team up with our electronic gadgets and are out to get us.

All those things you say about small differences in manner of playing altering the outcome are true, too - but that is what sticking with it is supposed to alter - we get better at doing some things correctly, time after time. Consistency.

I returned to the viola after 50 years (I played in HS, awfully, no teacher, etc)... It was truly like beginning over, but with correct instruction. So many times I was going to quit (I was in tears, but I'm a girl).

The problem is not that we are old to start with, but that we have an adult's outlook. One would think that this view of the situation would be one of wisdom, but no...we know what Heifitz, Bell, etc., sound like, and we ridiculously compare ourselves to them. Kids just saw away and are happy.

Again, you are completely correct that playing the violin is impossible. I don't believe for a minute that Midori is really playing like that - it is done with mirrors and good sound men but I keep on trying, and by gum, I do seem to get a little better as time goes by. Not enough time left to get really good - you are correct there, too, but in a way, so what? If one can play well enough to get any pleasure out of it, it is worth it to some.

I think your post is interesting and thought-provoking. Just try not to let it get you down, until you give it more of a try than you think you should. Good luck!!

Shirley

[ollieken]

Shirley You are right electronic gagets & Instruments out to get us this computer is one but i won out
Now the instuments I was doing not too bad them a van ran me down took the left elbow out of joint .
hard to get the arm under the neck now .
I healed , & back to learning to play again then I was using a hand grinder & the disk shattered tore up three fingers on the left hand had to have skin grafts lucky did not cut the cords ,Went back to the guitar played with two fingers got the fingers going again back to the fiddle

I can play over 50 old time tunes on the fiddle play guitar & mandolin.
If I would have sat back & said poor me i will never learn I would still be sitting there feeling sorry for my self you have to have your mind made up that you are going to learn
I am 67 & getting a lot enjoyment with this kind of music .

I know it is hard for some folks to learn, Today there are so many things to help with learning dvd cd
U Tube this forum for good advice By the way the fingers makes the note the bow makes the music Just keep at it Ken

[Mat Roop]

Ken.. I always thought you were a young buck... Now I know!.. maybe there is hope for me yet. I just seem to get into the rut of spending extreme time on the fixing and restoration side.... no wonder I can't play!!
Cheers, Mat

[Shirley]

Ken - Holy Moly! You tell 'em - all of us. You are living proof of the maxim, "Just do it." Act as though you can't fail. I'll try to keep that foremost in mind.

And I love wht you said - "The left hand makes the notes, the right hand makes the music." Wonderful! Thanks.

And wow - no more belly-achin' from me! Thanks so much for your post, and continued good luck!

Shirley

[ollieken]

Shirley Thank you for the kind words . Folks have to remember that a all of great players made all the strange noise as anyone learning As you know trying to make a living get`s in the way & time moves on & all at once you say 50 yr`s ago
We have little ones that comes to our group six Years & up that can play up a storm they cant wait to get up on stage & show us old people how it`s done . A pleasure to watch & listen to .

Mat Roop Don't wait too long with your playing. Time wont wait & soon you will be in the same club as us old foggies & sitting in your rocking chair smoking your pipe is not going to be a good place for you to practice hee hee hee or did you stop having birthdays. I will check with Larry on that!!
By the way At last getting over the run down feeling now Have a good day all Ken

[kel]

[kel]

Verdi, cannot agree with your view

Age should not be a factor to deter you to learn and play violin
Key factor : Do u have passion for it? If yes, every moment you play violin you have your reward
_________________
Newbie Maker Kelvin

[mshikibu]

Yes, it can be expensive, and you do need to find a teacher who enjoys working with adults. But I have lots of adult students who learn the instrument quite well and get a lot of enjoyment from it.

It's like "following a path with heart": you can use violin study to help examine the history of man, the philosophy of art, and learn all kinds of lessons about patience and about yourself. Adults can learn a very great deal about music theory and history, and they can develop their playing skills to quite a high level.

[BillD]

Well, Verdi, you have received some feedback, and I think I'll leave you some more... think of it as food for thought.