Anyone ever taught themselves the violin?

[WestwardHo1]

I need to learn a new skill before my brain withers and dies 😨 I have always been a musical person and learned several instruments as a child and teen, but my DM refused point blank to let the violin be one of them. Possibly to save her own sanity which I can kind of understand. In middle age though I want to learn, though probably couldn't afford lessons and the regular attendance.

I have a good ear and it looks easy enough to pick up a decent ish instrument. But has anyone else done this successfully? Or any stringed instrument? Or do any violinists out there have any advice? Fortunately my immediate neighbour is rather deaf, and at any rate he plays his radio loudly at 2am when he can't sleep, so I won't feel too guilty.

@WestwardHo1 are you in London? You could join ELLSO for an affordable way to learn violin or there may be an equivalent late starters' orchestra where you are?

Oh hell just have a go! Having said that I bought a cello last year (for both me and the youngest - he was the one who nagged me into it) and its fallen by the wayside. I just haven't got time. I'm 49 as well. He is obsessed with learning the guitar though so I'll let him off.

We found a violin in my grandparents' loft and I decided to have it restored and have lessons.

I'm early 50s and also just wanted to do something different to make my brain work!

I also play piano and clarinet (the latter I haven't touched for years as like you it was what my parents chose
for me to learn- I was desperate for a flute but we had a clarinet in the family already!).

Anyway, I found a violin teacher who was happy for me to have fortnightly lessons as I couldn't really justify the money for weekly lessons.

He says that because I was musical already, I've picked it up quicker.
E.g. where you have to hear that your finger is in the correct place to know that you're in tune.

I didn't have that screechy stage for very long (it helps that apparently my violin is a very good one!) and I really enjoy it. I'm learning the suzuki method where you memorise each piece which I really didn't think I'd be able to do as normally I can't remember anything at the moment, but I can do it and I think it's really helped.

My initial thought was to just have a few lessons with my teacher and get the basics right and then teach myself, but I enjoy it so much and as other people have said, there is a LOT of technique to remember.

Enjoy whatever you do decide to learn!

I'm pretty much as far from London as you can get in England!

@CrochetMadRosie it sounds as though we are very similar, musically speaking. What you say with hearing the right note before you play it applies to me too. I don't exactly have perfect pitch but it's fairly close. I'll have a hunt for a good violin in the loft though I fear I might be out of luck! However there seem to be several for sale locally, possibly other 49 year olds having a musical mid life crisis

Thanks for your replies, everyone.

Does anyone else have any tales of taking up an instrument in mid life?

@WestwardHo1 yep. Took up the flute during lockdown and have recently taken up the bass recorder. I am trying to resist either buying an electric piano (was grade 8 many decades ago) or a great bass recorder.

My grandad was self taught on the violin and was offered a place many, many years ago with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. He didn't take it in the end because we're in NI and he decided it was too much travelling. Sadly, I have not inherited one iota of his musical talent. He also taught himself the piano. He was like a dog with a bone when he wanted to learn something. His bedroom was full of projects, like deconstructed engines, when we were kids😆

It sounds as if you have the musical talent, so while not impossible, you'd benefit from lessons to push you through the part where you sound bad, which is long.

Strings in general, plus the higher tones of the violin, and the difficulty of bow placement, mean the violin sounds merely bearable for quite a few years generally.

Go for it, but acknowledge the fact that in terms of grades, just because it's something you are familiar with, only really once you are 6+ is getting slightly bearable.

I wouldn't try to self teach.

You need someone to be able to see what you're doing with how you hold it and your right arm height and position.

The Physics of violin playing is surprisingly hard! You are trying to draw the bow across the strings at a right angle to a curve.

Presumably that's what someone had to do with the first violin.

Oh he sounds awesome!

My late dear dad was a self taught musician. He played the guitar, the harmonica, the piano and all manner of whistles. Had a go at the bodhrán despite not being remotely Irish. He did have a stab at the violin at school but lost heart after miming his way through a concert once.

My niece is having violin lessons. She's been playing two years and while it can still sound quite wince-y, she can certainly play some tunes now and is making good progress.

Well quite!

How hard can it be?

I teach two adult beginners the violin and they’re doing g really well.
i think you can self teach but it would probably be much slower.
if the violin is the instrument you love then that is what you should learn.
i teach in N Devon if you’re in that area.
the violin is a beautiful and really cool instrument so I’d say go for it but I am quite biased!

Oh that's great @jynnerso ! If only I was a bit closer. In Westward Ho in fact! (just my user name, but I'm actually much further west than that)

Glad your adults are doing well. Proves it can be done.

Nothing ventured nothing gained - you can presumably already read music so that's one hurdle. There are lots (and LOTS) of YouTube videos showing how to hold it and move the bow arm. ABRSM exam books are good to work through.

Do almost all practice in front of a mirror so you can check it looks right from all angles. That's been the main thing that helped me.

Spend £50 on improving the strings (pirastro or similar), makes even cheap instruments sound a hundred times better.

Hi , I've been learning the F4 Mandolin for some time now.

We chat, we argue, we hug. You get the picture. :))))

Sorry that should read the F style Mando.

F4 Gibson... The stuff of dreams.

See Bill Monroe, Chris Thile, Jethro Burns, David Grisman, Caterina Lichtenberg, Avi Avitali. To get a flavour.