Why is Playing the Violin So Hard https://violinspiration.com/wp-content/uploads/Why-is-Playing-the-Violin-So-Hard.jpg

Playing the violin is non piece of cake. Violinists accept to brand their fingers do all sorts of weird movements and hold their instrument in a way that feels unnatural. Many people practise for years to motion past the nuts. It'due south no wonder so many people say information technology is one of the most difficult instruments of all! Only, why is playing the violin and then hard?

Why tin it take and then long to primary the violin? In this article, nosotros'll talk about what it takes to be a good violinist – and why it is a challenge for near!

The Violin Does Not Have Frets or Keys

When learning any instrument, at that place are tons of technical aspects to master: finger positions and movements, bowing techniques, scales/arpeggios, reading music (including counting), etc. This can be overwhelming no matter what instrument you learn!

Merely what is special about the violin is that in that location are no frets, keys or buttons.

A thespian has to find the right notes on the fingerboard by impact.

Violin Parts - Fingerboard

What makes this fifty-fifty more difficult, is that the slightest alter of finger position will make you sound out of tune. Fifty-fifty if you place your finger 0.01 inch (less than 0.v mm) incorrectly, the tone can sound out of tune.

This is caused by the short length of the violin cord. For example, on larger instruments, like the cello, the spaces between the notes are larger. So it is also a little more forgiving if you place your finger just a tiny bit incorrectly, every bit the string is longer and the intonation does not modify as quickly.

Information technology can be a long and ongoing journey for whatsoever player to get the musculus retentivity to place the fingers in the correct positions on the fingerboard.

Tip: When starting to play the violin, exercise scales and arpeggios regularly to go familiar with the correct finger positions.

The Distance Betwixt the Notes Varies Across the Fingerboard

If you thought the fact that the violin has no frets is hard, you are up for another and even greater claiming!

All beyond the fingerboard, the position of the fingers change. If y'all play closer to the scroll of the musical instrument, the tones are further apart from each other.

Violin fingerboard - differences in distance between notes

If you play closer to the bridge, the tones move closer and closer together, to the betoken that the fingers tin can not be placed behind each other. On the highest pitches, fingers accept to replace each other as the difference between tones can exist as small as 0.1 inches.

That means that if you trained your muscle memory to find the pitches on the bottom half of the instrument, y'all volition have to completely retrain your fingers to play on the upper part.

Tip: Beginning by playing only in the first position – which is the hand position closest to the scroll. Many classical songs and almost all folk songs can be played with simply this hand position.

Bowing Correctly is Very Difficult

When yous start to play the violin, you soon realise that the violin not having frets is merely a minor inconvenience.

The truthful difficulty of violin playing lies in executing the bow strokes with precision. A violinist must simultaneously control the angle of the bow and pressure applied to its pilus.

If you add together only a tiny chip likewise much force per unit area, you lot will hear a scratching sound. On the other hand, if you utilise as well little pressure level, the tone will sound squeaky.

Case of too little bow pressure

Example of also much bow pressure

Many beginning players have told me that they felt as if they sounded similar a dying true cat – and from experience I know that it is not all besides far from the truth!

Tip: Practice bowing exercises on open strings to get familiar with the correct bowing motion.

Fifty-fifty Tuning the Violin is Difficult

When yous realise playing the violin is hard, you will soon notice: the preparation before playing can also be a challenge!

The reason tuning the violin is difficult is that two tuning elements have to piece of work together to tune the violin perfectly: the pegs and the fine tuners. Tuning with the fine tuners is like to tuning a guitar.

However, tuning with the pegs is completely dissimilar. It can be very hard to find the correct pitch with the pegs. On top of that, strings tin hands pause if you lot plow the peg only a half-rotation too far.

That is why in the beginning, tuning a violin tin exist very challenging!

Tip: The easiest manner to melody the violin is with a chromatic tuner – this type of tuner tells you if yous should adjust the pitch up or down.

You Demand to Relax When Playing

Already got stressed out from all the difficulties the violin presented to you lot? That might actually create another problem.

One of the most unremarkably used violin techniques is vibrato. This is a subtle wiggling of the left hand finger to create a more resonant tone.

Nevertheless, the only mode to perform this technique correctly is to relax your left hand.

Fun fact: most violinists do not at all feel relaxed when they get presented with all the mentioned difficulties above!

That is why learning this technique can exist very difficult for starting players.

Tip: Focus on getting familiar with the finger positions and bow strokes before learning vibrato. Doing this will brand it a lot easier to relax your manus!

Small Nuances Can Hands Disturb The Delicate Sound

Violinists are the masters of subtlety. Each subtle change in hand, finger or elbow position can completely change the sound.

  • Placed the finger 0.ane inch off? It sounds out of tune.
  • Applied a little too much pressure to the bow? Yous will hear squeaking.
  • Yous placed your finger a 2d too late? Squeaking also.
  • Your elbow is placed just a tiny bit as well loftier? You will not exist able to achieve for the strings.
  • Yous moved your bow arm a little too quickly? Yous will not accept enough bow left to play all the notes.

Information technology can exist very difficult to have all these nuances in mind each fourth dimension you play. Sometimes your intonation is great, simply you brand a tiny mistake in your elbow position.

Other times you use a perfect bow stroke, but you did not relax your manus enough to make information technology audio adept.

All these pocket-size nuances have an outcome on your tone. And as the violin is not very forgiving, a small change tin can easily disturb the fragile audio!

Tip:  Don't be too difficult on yourself if you make mistakes – every violinist struggles with combining all elements to play beautifully!

All in All, it Can Accept a Long Time Earlier a Simple Song Sounds Expert

Everyone wants to sound good when they play! But because of all the factors described above, it can take quite a while to start sounding nice on the violin.

This can be pretty frustrating for any beginner violinist, especially when you are practicing for many hours a day.

Information technology is important to know that anybody who learns the violin struggles as much equally you! Even the 13 year old prodigies practiced daily for 10 years to be where they are today.

However, practice not permit it hold yous back from enjoying playing the violin!

Even though most of u.s.a. volition never sound perfect, nosotros tin can still thoroughly bask playing our favorite tunes, jamming with friends and learning something new every day!

What practice you notice the most difficult well-nigh learning to play the violin? Delight annotate below.

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