How hard is the violin?

Is playing the violin tough? 

An endless number of people ask me this question and to be honest, I don’t have an answer. Sure, everyone has their own opinion but that may or may not be true in your case. There are more than a thousand instruments in the world and it won’t be fair to call the violin a tough instrument. But yet there are some common challenges most violinists face.

I decided to learn to play the violin a year back and I was not at all aware of the challenges I was going to face. None of my family members are musicians, so I had to learn a lot of things on my own. 

The violin is not an instrument that needs to be played once a week. You can never master the violin like that. You must practice each and every single day for at least an hour. Violin is a lot about muscle memory and consistency. You need to know the finger movements and bow techniques. But don’t worry, with time and effort it is pretty simple. 

The next challenge I faced when learning to play the violin was to get rid of my bad habits. I used to hold the bow in the wrong position which I didn’t realize until my teacher told me. I had to put in a lot of work to get rid of that habit. So, it is very important to master the basics at the very beginning. You can improve later but it’s gonna cost you a lot more time. 

Last but not least, the violin is a very fragile instrument. It’s crucial to take good care of your violin. You must regularly clean it with a dry cloth to remove dust and other particles. It is also important to take care of your bow. Avoid touching the hair in your bow as it might damage it and reduce the quality of sound. 

Learning music is like learning a new language. Music itself is a very unique language. In order to understand and speak this unique language, you must love music, listen to music, and try to create music in your own special way.

Make sure to check out my book ‘The Gem of Portia’ which is now available for purchase as an ebook as well as paperback on Amazon.

#Violin #PragyaShashidharan