5 reasons why the violin is one of the hardest instruments to learn

The violin is considered one of the most difficult instruments to learn. If I had known that before I started playing, I probably would have picked the viola! 😂

What makes the violin so difficult is subjective and can differ from person to person, but here are a few reasons that learning the violin is challenging (at any age).

Posture.

Holding the violin and the bow is far from natural. Proper positioning requires us to contort our hands and bodies in ways that aren’t necessary for day-to-day life. Additionally, playing the violin calls for the use and development of very fine motor skills that might not otherwise

Additionally, the violin is one-sided. It is held on the left side of the body and the bow hand must move towards the left side as well, which can lead to a feeling of being unbalanced. On top of this, it is vital to stay as relaxed as possible while playing in order to get the best sound.

The absence of frets.

Guitarists have frets, piano players have keys, and wind players have either keys to press or holes to cover. The string family is unique in that there are absolutely no markers for the finger positions, which significantly increases the difficulty of these instruments. String players must develop a mental map of the instrument and internalize where each of the fingers should be placed to produce their desired note. Since the violin is the smallest member of the string family, the margin of error is also the smallest, increasing the difficulty even more! Moving the finger even a quarter of an inch or less will change the pitch of the note.

Bowing.

Bowing is another element that is unique to string players. As mentioned above, a violinist’s bow hold must be correct and relaxed in order to produce a good sound. Poor sound quality is one of the top reasons beginner violinists end up quitting, especially adults. When there’s a disparity between how students want to sound and how they actually sound, it’s easy to feel frustrated and discouraged. Bow bounces, bow shakes, scratchy sounds, and noisy neighbors are all a part of the process and will go away with time. Mastering bow technique is playing the long game.

Independence of the hands.

Have you ever tried to rub your belly and pat your head at the same time?! That’s kind of what it feels like to play the violin! Not only are our hands doing two totally different things (bowing and fingering), but they also have to move at different speeds! Say you needed to play a long slur. Your left hand would need to move quickly, while your right hand would need to move slowly. The best practice technique to target this issue is to see how many of those notes you can play in one bow. This forces the left hand to move quickly while the right hand to moves slowly.

Time.

To master the violin (or any instrument), students must accept this one truth: it’s going to take longer than you think. This applies to learning technical skills, pieces, and feeling truly satisfied with your playing. Many students quit just before they have a huge breakthrough. Don’t let that be you. <3