Violin Forum/Message Board

[violinguy]

Which in your estimation is the easier instrument to learn to play and why? Thanks.


vg

[techfiddle]

You can point out the differences, but questions about which instrument is more difficult are really unanswerable, since doing anything well is difficult. I don't think a decision should be made to play any instrument, based on which is harder or easier, anyway.

I guess the main differences are that the cello has perhaps less to do in most venues, less virtuosic passages, fewer notes, in other words. But cellists sometimes have problems with sitting so much in that particular posture (and hemorrhoids), so you have that to deal with.

I took a methods course in college, and really loved the cello. But then I started teaching in a rural area for a while which had no cello teachers and no cellos for sale, and started selling the student level cellos, which very frequently were not set up very well, which resulted in a lot of broken strings due to rough nuts on the fingerboard. A local amateur luthier gave me a little file to fix that, but I became afraid of getting hit in the face with the strings.

The sound of the cello, played well, is very beautiful, but I think it's physically so very different from the violin, and has its own set of requirements. Mostly the cello is used in orchestral and chamber music works, or pick up orchestra parts which back up popular venues, but where the music is written down. I can't image anyone teaching themselves the cello, as the instrument really doesn't play much of a part in folk music.
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[little lady]

Another thing to consider is that the cello uses more clefs than the violin. If you play violin, you need to be able to read treble clef. But the cello uses bass clef and also treble and alto clefs at times.

[Amalia]

Three of my sons play cello and none of them have hemorrhoids yet.

[techfiddle]

[Amalia]

In regard to the original question, I don't think that you can really say that one or the other (violin or cello) is definatively easier. If there is a difference, it would most likely be in the player's physical comfort with each instrument. For example, a small person with small hands would probably find the cello more difficult than the violin. A person with a bad back or a shoulder injury might find the violin more difficult. I have long fingers (for a woman) so I could probably play either, but I chose the violin and have never become bored with it. I've tried the cello occasionally (since we own 3 of them) and the first thing I notice with I do is that a bit more "muscle" seems to be needed, but the right arm is not held so high, so there is some compensation there.

Actually finding the notes is different but not that much different. Reading the extra cleffs in only a temporary problem. All in all, I'd chose based on which sound I liked best and which had more music available of the type I enjoyed listening too.

P.S. I love the Bach Cello Suites but I have them transposed for the violin so I can play them on my violin. They don't sound as beautiful, but still beautiful. When I want to hear them played gorgeously, I listen to my Daniel Domb CDs.