On a scale of 1 to 10 how hard is it to learn the violin?

so i only play guitar. and i have been for about a year and a half. I picked it up so fast. and now i wanna learn violin. i could teach my self using the internet so i wouldn't take lessons, but how hard would it be to learn it. Also what is a good violin brand that i could try, one that's cheap but good. under 50 dollars. that's what i got my first guitar for.On a scale of 1 to 10 how hard is it to learn the violin?
Scale of 1-10 in learning the violin without a teacher - about a 12, The violin is so much different to learn than the guitar, you can't even put it on the same scale. Guitars have frets so that you can play in tune anywhere in the space between the frets, on a violin the difference in being in tune and out of tune is the equivalent of 1/16". You don't bow a guitar. The proper holding of a violin is essential to be able to learn it, holding it wrong will keep you at a beginner level. The coordination between the left and right hand is nothing like that of a guitar.



Buying a good violin for under $50 - impossible - violins are not guitars that lend themselves easily to mass production. A $50 guitar would be like a $200 violin, both are inadequate.



Buying a good violin for under $200 - impossible



Violins that cost less than around $300 are not worth purchasing; just putting quality strings on them doesn't solve the instruments problems. The quality of the parts and sound make them a waste of money and will cost you more in the long run. These cheap instruments are made with cheap materials. The Maple that is used in the instruments is softer than it should be making the pegs wear the holes in the peg box prematurely. In addition the back also being made of this soft maple makes for a dull unappealing sound. The top which is made of inferior spruce creates an unfocused sound and is weaker and more susceptible to damage. The ebony fitting like the fingerboard and pegs (if they are actually ebony) are also softer than they should be, making them wear more quickly. The varnish is usually a sprayed on lacquer which is too hard and creates a hard rough sound because it keeps the wood from vibrating. Just the wood used for a proper beginner level violin costs over $75, so you can鈥檛 get a whole instrument made for anything close to that that is any good.



When you purchase an instrument over the internet, you have no idea what it will sound like. A picture on a web site with a description tell you nothing about how an instrument sounds or how it will hold up. You also have no one to go to if you have any problems after you receive it. A violin needs to be played to see if you care for the sound. If you don鈥檛 play yet, you need someone that is proficient enough with the instrument to demonstrate it for you. Internet sites come and go as it is real easy to just rename the site and start over.



So do yourself a favor and save up some money and get an instrument that you will be happy with. The cheap instruments with their poor sound and poor quality will just frustrate you and you will give up, then all of your time and money will have been wasted. You can also rent a violin and a good store will allow a portion of your rent to apply towards the purchase of an instrument. The better the store, the more of your money will apply. Violin stores will typically offer you the best selection, the best quality and the most rental credit. Music stores will have some violins but not the selection or the quality and no one on staff that understands violins, they are very different from guitars. Value for value, you will get a much better deal at a violin store.



If you absolutely must buy over the internet because you live to far from a violin shop, here are some violins under $450 that have a proven track record and are from reputable companies with actual luthiers working and setting up the instruments properly.

Fein Violins ($300) - http://feinviolins.com/item_display.php?鈥?/a>

Quinn Violins ($350) - http://quinnviolins.com/qv_beginnervioli鈥?/a>

Sullivan Violins 鈥?Eastman (around $375-430) - * my favorite

Shar Hoffman Maestro ($425) - http://www.sharmusic.com/Shop-Shar/Instr鈥?/a>

Hoffman Deluxe ($430) - http://www.sharmusic.com/Shop-Shar/Instr鈥?/a>



As a professional violin maker and repairmen with 35 years experience in the retail violin market, 40 years as a violinist and a onetime teacher, I have seen this subject from all sides. I hate to see people waste their money on these unusable instruments and then having to pay more to make them even function.On a scale of 1 to 10 how hard is it to learn the violin?
dlashof has given you some excellent advice.



BUT - "i could teach my self using the internet so i wouldn't take lessons....." - Sweetie, you will NOT be able to teach yourself using the Internet. Anyone who tells you otherwise, is talking through his/her @$$.

Find a good teacher.On a scale of 1 to 10 how hard is it to learn the violin?
Violin is considerably harder than guitar, and without a teacher you're pretty much doomed to staying at the level of scratching out a few simple tunes while sawing in the middle of the bow. It's one of the hardest instruments to learn even with instruction.

There are no good violins for under $100. There are some barely acceptable violins for under $200, and if you want "good" you need to spend $400 or more. A $50 guitar is about the equivalent of a $250 violin.

Sounds like you think violin is pretty much just like guitar. It isn't, not by a long shot. I've played both. Guitar is quite easy to pick up on your own. On a scale of 1 to 10, guitar is a 1 and violin is a 10.
i can't rly say on a scale of 1-10... personally I would say 2 :P

I played clarinet and piano and had always loved the violin so I brought one and now im working on grade 4 (its been 6 months).



I have a friend whos a guitarist and she said she found the violin so much easier and to be honest it is an easy intrument:)



Have you heard of Chamberlains? Its a music store I hired a violin for 3 months and it only cost 拢10! and after 3 months I brought it and because I hired it I got 拢20 off. I would recomend hiring, they do it lotsa places these days, and ask there about types. Usually their more expesive due to type of wood used, which i think is kinda pointless



Goodluck x