What You Should Know Before Taking Violin Lessons

Important factors to consider before taking violin lessons

“My life is about music” this expression is very often heard from people who are strongly interested in art and especially in music. Some people just like to listen to music, whereas others are so much involved in music that they make music almost a part of their soul as they listen deeply, dance to, and many times play a chosen instrument.

These types of people love to live and breath music and make it a part of their daily lives. It goes without saying, they are often eager to learn and play a musical instrument.

The choice of a musical instrument is very wide, of course. Despite a universal love for music, many people’s taste differ when it comes to favorite musical instruments. This choice becomes even more complicated when it comes to musical styles. Each instrument is unique and sounds original in different music styles.

No musical instrument sounds like the violin does. Violin music is touchy, flat, harmonious, and melodic. It is both combined with any type of musical instrument and it sounds impressive and unique when played without any other sound.

It’s true that everyone likes at least some style of music. Some people are eager to learn to play on a musical instrument.

Beginning is a very risky and hard process that a person faces when learning something. That’s why it is very important to think properly about how to do something before doing it.

There are some important points that one should take into consideration when taking violin lessons.

1. Aim and motivation.

Everyone who wants to take violin lessons should consider his/her aim to play on the instrument. People who learn to play on violin may have different aims and motivations.  The first group of people, who take violin lessons, love music to death. They devote all their energy, time and life to the learning process. This group of people sees the whole world in the framework of music and nothing else. They take lessons all day long and cannot imagine life without violin. Violin music makes them relax. It takes them to a marvelous fairy-tale world, where everything is wonderful. These sorts of people often appear on big stages, get fame through their talent and devotion to their work.

The second group of people take lessons just for educational purposes.They go to music school or just take online lessons in order to get in touch with music art; they get introduced to different styles of violin music. The third group of people who want to take violin lessons are just intended to play his/her favorite violin music. These learners do not spend much time and energy on learning process. Though it seems not so much hard work, it is a hard work. And besides not every person can do it well without proper learning and spending much time to practicing it.

2. Mental and physical ability

One should consider the mental and physical abilities for learning process. The learning process may be easy or difficult depending first of all on the musical talent that is to say the hearing ability a person has. There are a number of extra talented violinists who are very famous for all times in all over the world like Niccolo Paganini, Antonio Vivaldi, Arcangelo Corell and others. Playing on violin is the meaning of their being and they are considered to be the “forever teachers” of violin. If one has a talent to play on violin, the talent should be developed to professional degree. Besides the spending time and efforts on learning process are also very important factors that should be taken into consideration. If a person is hard-working, motivated and a bit talented, he will get success by all means.

3. Age

The third factor that is to be taken into account is a person’s age, who is going to take violin lessons. Life-long learning is very actual, but learning something at an early age is easier and more effective. Besides, it is difficult to imagine a person over 50 years, who starts learning to play on a musical instrument like a violin, because it will be very confusing and difficult for him than for a person who is younger.

There are many young violinists in the world. An interesting fact is that there is no starting age for taking violin lessons. The world youngest recorded violinist is Vasnssa-Mae. She recorded both the Tchaykovski and Beethoven violin concerts when she was 13. And of course it is true that young people are more interested and involved in learning process than the elder ones. They don’t have enough nerves, patience and energy to spend on learning new things.

4. Patience, Tolerance, Occupation

We live in a “busy” world and not many people can spend much time on taking violin lessons. But if one decides to take the lessons he/she should properly plan his/her timetable for working effectively. Taking violin lessons demands much time and energy that’s why one should find extra time for it. Besides it always difficult for a person who works very hard all day long and is always very tired of everyday working to concentrate the mind in something that is just pleasant for him/her.  In any situation, in any sphere of a work it is important to be patient, tolerant and hard-working in order to get the wished result.

One should do his/her best in his/her work in order to feel the pleasure of the good result of a work. As far as nothing good is got easily, patience and tolerance is exactly what a person needs in learning process It especially refers to the beginner learners  that the violin lesson taking process may sometimes be disappointing, annoying. And in such cases the beginner learner should be more attentive, should have patience and tolerance in order to overcome all the difficulties and obstacles in learning process.

Nowadays people are very busy with their work and it’s very difficult to earn for living. And not many people can spend their spare time, their money and energy on their hobbies or on just their favorite activates. That’s why is a person is too busy it will be more difficult to concentrate on a new beginning learning process. After all, it’s very hard in these days to find spare time, to be patient and tolerant in order to make one’s wish of learning to play violin come true.

5. Music style

Music styles you are interested in are also important factors that should be taken into consideration. Violin is a serious musical instrument and serious music genres and styles are played with the help of violin.    Violin as a musical instrument is adopted in some music genres like classical music, blues, folk, jazz, etc.. And therefore any beginner violinist should take into consideration that learning to play violin and not loving the music of these genres is absurd. And anyway it is preferable to like the music style you are playing.

It seems impossible for a violinist to play classical without loving or feeling the deepness of it.  One may like only violin music others may prefer violin with piano music or with saxophone music or with some other musical instrument. That is to say always take into account what kind of music you are going to play with the help of violin before you start to take the lessons.

6. Ways of taking violin lessons

In the 21st century the ways of taking violin lessons differ. One may choose to take lessons at music schools or at home. It is even possible to take violin lessons online using different educational videos and violin playing lessons. But after all if one has time to attend lessons at a music school, he has the opportunity to feel the cultural atmosphere and share the violin playing practice with the ones who are also playing the violin. Online violin lessons are very popular nowadays. If a beginner learner does not have time to attend music school in order to take violin lessons, online lessons are very effective for him/her. They spend no time, no money on taking the lessons, they take no means of transportation at the same time having the opportunity to get prepared anytime and anywhere they want.

Online violin lessons have both advantages and disadvantages. Some people get tired of learning process very soon and learning at home they have a chance to control their time as they want. They can practice anytime they want. Learners can choose their favorite violin lessons or can change the lesson they are tired of if they are online learners. But at school this chance is not given to them.

Besides, they can have any kind of information they are interested in about violin online, without asking the teacher or going to the library. There are also some disadvantages that refer to online violin lessons. Violin learners and especially the beginner ones do not have the chance to go deeper in the art atmosphere, they do not get in touch with the violin as a type of art. They can never understand what violin playing is as an art. Besides there is another disadvantage concerning to taking online violin lessons. They can never play violin with another musical instrument, which is much more interesting and attractive. Anyway online lessons are proper for a person who is very busy and is eager to play violin.

There are also some seemingly not so much important but in fact difficulties that one should consider when taking violin lessons. For example if one is married and has a baby it becomes almost impossible to take violin lessons, because one can practice neither the time baby is awake nor the time he is asleep. Or another annoying reason may be the neighbors who don’t stand violin music or just it makes them feel discomfort.

7. Learning process for people with physical disabilities

There are many obstacles for people with physical disabilities when they want to play violin. The musical instrument playing process demands a certain standing and moving way that a person having some physical difficulties may not play. There is no alternative means of playing violin suggested to people with physical disabilities. And it becomes a very sad situation.

8. Music lesson experience

Another important factor for the beginner violin lesson takers that should be taken into consideration is the music lesson experience that a person may have gained before starting to learn to play on violin. That is to say if a person can already play on the piano or on guitar it will be much easier for him/her to play on violin. But if one starts learning from the very beginning, it will demand much hard work and patience, love and devotion to succeed in learning process.

A small research was made among the young violinists at music school. The research was made to find out what factors they took into consideration when they chose to have violin lessons. And here are the results:

I have chosen   violin lessons because violin is very attractive and I can relax listening to it. It takes me to another world. Playing the violin makes me feel the freedom and kindness of the world.

It is harder to play on violin than to play on piano that is why I have chosen for me to overcome the difficulties of playing violin.

I have chosen violin because Vivaldi is my favorite composer and the only thing I dreamed of was to play the world famous composer’s works.

I have chosen to play on violin taking into consideration that big stages are waiting for a talented person like me.

9.  Success or failure

If you are strongly intended to succeed in your violin lessons, you will do it. You will overcome all the difficulties on your way. But do not be disappointed if you sometimes fail to overcome them. Remember there is no success without failures and difficult moments. You just try to make your dream of playing on violin come true. These are some of the main factors we have introduced to you to consider when taking violin lessons. Good luck and wish to see you on famous stages.

These were the most common factors that any violin lesson taker should take into consideration.

One should always think carefully before choosing to do something, because every decision is important and influences on a person’s life.