Is it possible for a child to learn to play violin without a teacher?

[mo2]

I know The Violin Book is recommended...but is it really possible to learn without an instructor? Dad is musically inclined (plays guitar) but no violin experience.

[Heather in the Kootenays]

Could Dad learn and play with child? I think motivation would be the hard thing. My kids needed regular encouragement. It also helped to have someone looking at what they were doing to correct them.

[Michelle in MO]

I've never played the violin---only piano. However, I've watched enough and learned enough about the violin to think that it would be a very difficult instrument to learn well without a teacher. It is a very sensitive instrument, indeed.

You might try to PM HollyinNNV on these boards; she plays violin, and she might be able to give you further advice.

Sorry to not be of more explicit help!

[Violet]

I know The Violin Book is recommended...but is it really possible to learn without an instructor? Dad is musically inclined (plays guitar) but no violin experience.

Umm, I would say no. My daughters started violin about 9 months ago. It is extremely hard even WITH a teacher. My girls both already played piano, and I took piano lessons for years as a child and teen. I had no clue what we were getting into when starting the violin. So, I would say it really is not an instrument that lends itself to self-instruction. At least not in our case.

Anita

[Laurie in CA]

In my opinion, learning the violin without a teacher would be impossible. My daughter has been playing 6 years and needs instruction and needs my help. This is just my opinion and maybe there is an exceptional child that would do well without a teacher. Here's a good thread about self-instruction and some materials to use. It sure couldn't hurt to try.
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29809&highlight=violin

[EKS]

I would say no.

There is a lot of subtle technique involved, things like how to hold the bow properly, how to hold the violin properly, how to do this and that and the other thing properly that you would *never* know you are doing improperly unless you had someone who knows telling you. It is important that it is someone who is advanced enough with the violin to know what is coming (sometimes years) down the road technique-wise because bad habits that don't really matter for a beginner can make more advanced techniques impossible. I hope this makes sense. I think you couldn't get this from a book.

[GVA]

I played violin from age 8 until I was 22 (and somehow never picked it up after college), and I can't imagine doing it without a teacher. There are so many subtle aspects mechanically to getting good sound and keeping on it with it. Many people get frustrated with it very early on and quit because of that aspect. If I pick it up again at some point, it will be with lessons because I want to get it right again and don't think I could do that on my own right now.

I'm teaching my children piano and know that there are issues there as well (we can't afford lessons), but you can get a decent sound and progress to a certain point if you get the basic positioning down. There are a lot of self-taught pianists around, but very, very few violists if you discount the "fiddlers."

[HollyinNNV]

I know The Violin Book is recommended...but is it really possible to learn without an instructor? Dad is musically inclined (plays guitar) but no violin experience.

No.

So much of a string instrument is technique. There are a million variations of "the wrong way to hold the violin" and half a million "wrong ways to hold a bow." And then, it is not just holding the bow, but using it. And every time you do it wrong, you creates a habit(s) that is harder and harder to break. That's why the saying, "Practice makes perfect," does not apply to music. The saying should be "Perfect Practice Makes Perfect."

And, don't get me wrong. This is not about being perfect. What it IS about is learning something without all of the bad habits that will quickly impede any sort of meaningful progress.

You don't mention why you are considering this without a teacher?

Holly

[Kimberleigh]

My daughter's been playing violin for several years. Not only does a violin student need a teacher, but make sure it's a good teacher. My daughter wasted years with teachers who didn't work on proper position, didn't care about intonation, and were horrible about teaching technique and music theory (we were living in a veritable black hole at the time and also didn't know any better). She's spent the last two years having to re-learn just about everything, and it's much harder to break a bad habit than it is to learn correctly from the beginning. Now that she has the right teacher, the difference is amazing.