If you are thinking about learning violin, you might be asking yourself, “How hard is it to learn violin?” You may have heard that violin is the hardest instrument to learn. Or maybe you’ve heard that it has a steep learning curve.

The violin has garnered a reputation as a beast of an instrument to learn. While the violin is challenging, I believe this reputation has partly been allowed to thrive due to several reasons that have nothing to do with the violin itself.

So my answer to the question, “Is violin hard to learn?” is very different than other violin teacher’s opinions. I feel like I have a unique perspective due to my background to be able to answer this question for prospective adult learners. Why? Because unlike most professional violinists, I started learning violin at age 15. I was essentially an adult. (Learn more about my journey to learning the violin here).

Starting violin as an adult means I understand the emotions and ups and downs of learning violin from an adult’s perspective.

Before I answer the question, “is violin difficult to learn,” first, let’s talk about the common reasons people think learning violin is so hard (or harder than learning other instruments). And then I’ll tell you why I think these factors are exacerbated!

What Makes the Violin Hard to Learn?

There are two reasons people think violin is hard to learn. First, because there are no frets and secondly because it can be difficult to produce a good tone. Let’s break each item down.

No Frets
You’ve probably heard over and over again that the violin is hard to learn because there’s nothing to show you where to put your fingers on the fingerboard! Let me ask you this, how can a visual cue help you with an auditory skill? I’m not sure either.
Learning the violin is simply different then learning other instruments, not necessarily harder. Piano or guitar allows you to use your eyes to help you play the correct pitch. You can essentially “get by” for a long time without being forced to use your ears. With the violin, you are relying on your ears, or you should be. While that seems like it would be hard, it’s really not if you know what you’re listening for.
In fact, I can teach you where to put every finger on the violin fingerboard using only your ears in about 10 minutes. Of course, if you use tapes or stickers you could know where to put your finger in a few seconds. But would it be perfectly in tune? Probably not!
One reason people think the violin is hard to learn is because they aren’t taught correctly from the start. They’re taught to use their eyes to learn to play an instrument, which I equate with hiring a musician to do your taxes. It just doesn’t work.
If you’re using finger tapes and visual cues to try to place your fingers on the violin, it may be easier at first, but you will struggle in the long-run. So, start learning the right way and teach your ear to be in control!

2. It’s Hard to Make a Good Sound

Sure, you can plop a finger down on a piano keyboard and immediately get an evenly produced tone. Producing an even tone on the violin is…not quite the same. We use the bow to draw horsehair across the string to get the string vibrating to produce a tone. That leaves a lot open to variation and potentially incorrect technique.

For instance, use too much bow weight (or pressure) or not enough and you might not get a good sound. Move the bow too fast or too slow with the incorrect amount of weight, and you’ll also get something undesirable.

There’s lots of variation. But it’s this variation that also allows for an infinite array of tonal colors, dynamics, moods, and emotions. Sure, a master pianist can bring out colors as well. However, I played piano for over 15 years and could never even begin to bring out the sounds and colors in music like I could after only a few years with the violin.

People who like to say the violin is difficult to learn often state this issue with producing tone is what makes the violin so hard. Once again, I want to chock this up to not approaching the technique correctly.

To learn the violin, you have to divide techniques into easy to manage sections. Try to conquer everything at once and you’ll easily get frustrated. With my method of teaching, I start by teaching small, easy to manage tasks, like just keeping the bow straight (without even using the violin). Once you get the basics of how it feels, we move on to just using a few inches of bow right at the middle. When you’re good with that, we move on to different parts of the bow. It’s a challenge, but it’s not impossible when you approach it the right way!

Does the Violin Have a Steep Learning Curve?

Violin is considered to have a steeper learning curve compared to other instruments because it can be difficult to produce a good tone. Producing a tone is essentially the basis of playing any instrument. With many other instruments, the tone produced is dependent on the instrument itself! If you have a decent piano that is in tune, your tone will be good.

This is not necessarily so with the violin. While a good violin and bow definitely affects the tone, so does the violinist’s technique and muscle control. This is why it may seem harder to learn violin at first, compared with other instruments.

But again, it’s this variability that I think lends to the violin’s allure. As a musician, you have much more control over the sound produced than you do with guitar or piano. Yes, it may be a challenge to produce that sound at first, but once you learn the basics of sound production, the violin opens up possibilities like no other instrument! Which brings me to my next point.

What Makes the Violin Hard is Also What Makes it Amazing

The two things that make the violin hard (no frets and sound production) also offer endless possibilities and variation. For many instruments, pitch placement and sound production are determined by the instrument itself. Clarinets come with certain keys, guitars come with frets, trumpets come with buttons. With violin, you have control over these aspects. You can bend the pitch, slide back and forth between notes, and add in slides and other left hand effects for ornamentation.

With sound production, the possibilities are even more endless. Using the variables of bow speed, bow weight (how much pressure you put into the string), and contact point (where the bow touches the string in relation to the bridge or fingerboard), you can get an endless array of tonal colors. Soft and sad? Yep, there’s a combination for that. How about soft and spooky? Luscious and overflowing? Romantic and passionate? Angry or militant? Yep, yep, yep. You can make all of those sounds and more just by changing a few variables. Trust me, you’ll never get bored with the bow once you realize its possibilities.

Equipment Affects How Hard or Easy the Violin is To Learn

Here’s a big one that is often overlooked when talking about how hard the violin is to learn. Equipment makes a huge difference! Buy a cheap VSO (violin-shaped-object) and you find violin very hard to learn. Tone production will be a struggle because the violin, bow, and strings are cheaply made. A violin’s sound is dependent on the quality of wood and the amount of time it has been dried. VSOs can often be impossible to tune due to cheaply made pegs or strings.

A well-made, quality violin can be the difference between loving and hating the violin. Check out my top 10 Violins for Beginners to avoid all the frustration of VSOs!

Is Violin Harder Than Piano? Is Violin Harder Than Guitar?

I played both of these instruments at a somewhat advanced level before I started playing violin so I think I can answer this question. I personally believe it is equally hard to master any instrument. Yes, producing a tone is harder on the violin but moving beyond the basics on guitar or piano is equally challenging. I played piano for over 15 years and could never get comfortable reading two lines of music at once. My brain just couldn’t handle it!

While piano and guitar may be considered the “easier” instruments to learn, after I picked up the violin, I barely ever touched the other instruments ever again. Not because I don’t love piano and guitar, but because the violin lured me in and wouldn’t let me go.

If you’re someone who has played multiple instruments, I definitely suggest learning the violin. There is something different about learning violin that makes it a challenge, but also incredibly rewarding and alluring.

Is the Violin Hard to Learn?

Let’s get back to the original question. How hard is the violin to learn? In my opinion, the violin is not harder to learn than any other instrument. The thing that is different about the violin is that the violin has a low threshold for frustration.

There is so much going on with the violin, that it can be easy to get frustrated if you don’t have a plan to overcome that frustration. I don’t ever recall having a soul-searching moment after strumming some bad chords on the guitar. But I definitely recall some soul-searching after some frustrating practice sessions on the violin!

What makes the violin hard to learn? You! The biggest struggle with playing violin is overcoming the mental frustrations you impose on yourself.

Once you realize this, you'll understand your greatest obstacle in achieving your dreams is your own mind.

Yes, learning the violin can be hard. But learning anything worth learning is also hard. Of course, you’ll never know if you don’t try!

If you are interested in learning to play the violin, check out these helpful resources below. Happy Practicing!

When you’re ready to start learning the violin, sign up for my free beginner’s course to help you get started! Sign-up here!