You’ve always wanted to learn the violin, but now you’re asking yourself, “Am I too old to learn the violin?” Is there a point when it’s too late to learn the violin? Can adults even learn the violin?

I feel like I have a special authority to answer the question “Is it ever too late to learn violin” because I was an adult beginner. Well, adult-ish. Most professional violin teachers start anywhere from ages 2-10. I started playing violin when I was 15, which is unheard of. I was essentially an adult beginner.

I went from knowing nothing about violin to successfully auditioning, getting accepted, and receiving scholarships for several prominent University Music Programs. And I did all of that in less than 3 years!

So if anyone can answer your question, “Am I too old to learn the violin?” I can and the answer is NO!

While I may have had the disadvantage of lost time as an adult beginner, I had the advantage of an analytical mindset, dedication to practice, and a discerning ear. Three things that most 5 year-olds don’t have!

Here’s what I learned during my journey to learning the violin as an adult.

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How to Learn Violin as an Adult

Set-Up a Daily Practice Routine and Stick With It

One of the benefits of being an adult violin beginner is the ability to organize and structure your time. Setting up a regular practice routine will help you make progress by allowing you to practice the same thing several days in a row.

Need more practicing tips? My 30 Day Practice Challenge will help you practice the RIGHT way and skip all the frustration!

Don’t Compare Yourself With Others

As adults, we are constantly wondering how we measure up with others.While it’s great to listen to better players, it’s tempting to constantly beat ourselves up for not sounding as good or staring to play violin sooner!

My violin teacher always told me that there’s always someone younger and prettier than you that can play twice as well. How true that statement is! You have your own unique skillset and approach to learning the violin, so don’t beat yourself up! Your journey is unique. Your obstacles are unique. If this is what you want to do, then do it and don’t worry about everyone else!

There is No Timeline. You Will Never Absolutely Master The Violin

That might sound disparaging, but when you think about it, it’s encouraging! No matter how well you play the violin, you will never be at a point where you can’t learn anything else. That’s the beauty of the violin. It always has something to teach us. So slow down. There’s no rush. Learn to enjoy small accomplishments. Learn to enjoy the process of making progress and you will always love playing the violin!

Why Violin Teachers Love Adult Beginners

When I started teaching violin, I quickly realized something. I loved teaching adults. Sure, kids are sweet and fun, but let’s face it. The majority of kids are taking violin lessons because their parents want them to play violin. I always had to entice children to practice violin with practice rewards, cheap toys from the Dollar store, or the occasional threat to discontinue lessons with them.

Adult beginners are totally different. They WANT to learn violin. Teaching someone who is as passionate about the violin as you are is a violin teacher’s dream! My adult beginner violinists always came to me with questions, insightful thoughts, and wonderful suggestions for me! Who could ask for a better student?

Even when my adult students came to lessons without having practiced much in the previous week due to life getting in the way, there was always something to talk about and discuss. Violin lessons with adults are never boring or routine!

From my own experience, I knew that adult beginners have several advantages to learning the violin. When I started teaching violin, I realized how important these advantages were. Here’s what I learned.

Advantages of Learning Violin as an Adult

These are my general observations after teaching violin for 15 years. There are always children that don’t follow these typical patterns, but they are rare!

Children

Extrinsically motivated
Rely on teachers to constantly analyze and correct their playing
Have to be taught what “sounding good” sounds like
Have goals made for them
Take time to understand music theory (and usually don’t enjoy it)
Struggle to focus during practice time
Must be made to practice
Don’t voluntarily listen to violin and fiddle music
Don’t realize importance of violin community and support
Enrolled in online course, jam sessions, and community orchestras BY adults

Adults

Intrinsically motivated
Analytical thought process allows them to make faster progress and “be their own teachers.”
Discerning Ear: Adults know what they want to sound like
Make their own goals
Understand music theory quicker and how it applies to violin
Know how to focus during practice time
Want to practice!
Listen to violin music regularly
Seek out other violinists to learn from and be around
Seek out their own opportunities to enjoy playing violin (online courses, jam sessions, community orchestras)

As you can see, there are a lot of advantages to learning violin as an adult. So if you’re wondering, “can adults learn the violin?” Yes, absolutely. And they usually make faster progress than children for the reasons I mentioned above.

Disadvantages of Learning Violin as an Adult

Let’s be honest, there are some things adults will struggle with more than children.

The Discerning Ear

This is both a strength and a thorn in the side. As adults, you’ve been listening to music, and probably a lot of fiddle and violin music for years. You KNOW what a good violinist sounds like. That’s great. That gives you a goal and something to work towards. You also know when something sounds bad that it’s not supposed to sound that way.

That skill is a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because it will allow you to progress faster. It’s a curse because you will also beat yourself up because you never sound as good as you want to sound! The lesson to be learned: don’t beat yourself up! Remember, the discerning ear is an asset.

Tension While Playing Violin

Most adults (myself included) deal with tension issues. To be honest, I think children deal with these issues too, they just aren’t as aware of it. For instance, I’ve never had a 6 year old come to a lesson and say, “I can’t figure out how to get my left hand to relax.” But I hear that all the time from my adult beginners! Playing the violin is a demanding physical skill. You’re asking your muscles to do things you’ve never asked them to do before. Dealing with tension and learning to relax while playing is something you’re probably going to deal with. Don’t worry, I know lots of ways to help you out with that!

Previous Injuries

The longer you’ve been alive, the greater chance you’ve developed issues from previous injuries. I recently dealt with De Quervain's tenosynovitis in my left hand that affected my playing for a year and made me totally rethink how I use my left hand. (Just so you know, I didn’t get De Quervain’s from playing violin. It developed after trying to lift something heavy and supporting the weight just on my fingers and wrist—don’t do that!)

I personally think these injuries can make you a better player. Having to work around a problem makes you analyze what’s going on more so than someone who hasn’t dealt with that issue. So embrace your injuries. They can teach you a lot about how to play (and how not to play!)

Is 25 Too Old to Learn the Violin?

People often tell me their age and ask, “Am I too old to learn violin?” No! I’ve had students in their 70s and 80s start learning violin and make phenomenal progress. You’re never too old to learn the violin.

What is the Best Age to Learn Violin?

However old you are. Seriously, next year, you will be a year older and you’ll wish you started violin today. There’s no ideal age to start learning violin. But the longer you wait, the older you’ll be when you start, so start now!

How to Get Started Learning Violin Today

I hope you’ve realized that you are never too late to start learning violin. If you’ve already played violin but took a break, it’s also never too late to start learning violin again. Ready to start learning (or relearning) violin today? I’ve got a free 1 hour course just for you. “How to Play Violin in 1 Hour.” It’s great to refresh the basic fundamentals or learn violin from scratch! Sign up today.

Learning Violin as an Adult is Awesome!

Yes, there were many times I would have given anything to start a year sooner. Now I’m grateful I didn’t. Learning the violin later made me a better teacher, and I also believe it made me a better human being! You’re never too old to learn violin so start your journey today!

Happy Practicing!

~Lora