I am 15 and I want to learn to play the violin. Am I too old?

Question:I have no musical background whatsoever. Im from the philippines and I dont know where to buy or even if I should buy a violin. I have no idea what to look for when buying a violin. I have no idea how much it will cost me. Im not even sure where to start learning yet.To cut things short, I am clueless. Can somebody fill me in about the violin and its accesories? Thank you!

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I have no musical background whatsoever. Im from the philippines and I dont know where to buy or even if I should buy a violin. I have no idea what to look for when buying a violin. I have no idea how much it will cost me. Im not even sure where to start learning yet.To cut things short, I am clueless. Can somebody fill me in about the violin and its accesories? Thank you!

Well, purchase-wise, here's what you'll need:

1) Violin ($500-$1,000 for a student violin)
2) strings ($50 a set to $80 for student. I personally spend $200 on mine. Ask your teacher what kind he/she suggests; that way you have two sets, the one it comes with for spares and the nice ones to play on!)
3) a bow (and a spare; the spare is optional)(the spare can be like $30 bucks if you want. A good bow is somewhere from $400-$1000)
4) shoulder rest (From about $20-$40)
5) soft rag for cleaning ($5 if that)
6) cloth (to protect from chin rest. Optional) (I'm not as informed here because I'm a cellist, but from what I see, its about $5-$30 depending on what route you choose for comfort)
7) rosin ($10, I suggest Pirastro)
8) case (I would invest at least $150-$200)
9) music (your teacher will advise you)
10) metronome ($20; you can get one with a tuner for this amount)

Okay, for all of this I suggest you first find a teacher to help you look. He or she will know the best places to go to purchase all this. Do not buy this stuff online. But the initial cost can run you from $500-$5,000+ depending on how much you want to spend on everything. Or cheaper. But if you go cheaper, quality suffers a lot.

But to learn to read music and get the basics under your fingers I'd suggest starting with piano actually. But even if you don't, a teacher can get you settled. That's the first thing you should do. Find a teacher. Ask around. Audition them. Find out their experiences and resumes. Lessons can cost from $25-$100/h depending on who, but its mostly under $50.

(By the way, I'm American so that's the form the money is in.)

As for age, its never too late to start. If you want to become a performer however, it will be difficult, but not impossible. You'll just have to practice a lot, take from the best teachers you can, purchase the best instrument you can, study as hard as you can. Learn, learn learn about music and theory and what you're playing. Perform as much as you can. Meet people. Go to concerts. Buy albums. Exposure is highly recommended. And again, piano, IMHO, is essential harmonically and theoretically. I'm not a great player, but it has helped me so much musically. Also, make sure your teachers do ear-training and theory and basic composition with you.

If you want to just have violin in your life and play gigs and perform once in a while, that's not as difficult. You can take the same path, just add whatever your chosen career is and not spend obsessive amounts of time on violin. It'll be a balancing act, but thats fun too. (It's what I did. Now I chose music though.)

And Sharmusic.com is where I got some of the prices when I wasn't sure. They're a well respected source. (If you have to go online...)

Good luck

~Lisa

no you are not to old, i run a music store and i have seen 60 year old men buy their first guitar, you will need a violin a bow
some rausin, and a chin rest, you will need to find a teacher.
a student violin should cost about 300 to 400 usd.

Well, I started when I was 35 years old ! So you are definitely not too old.

You will need a teacher. The violin is not a teach yourself instrument. That may be difficult for you if you are not in a major city.

Here is a useful site to be used in conjunction with a good teacher :

http://violinmasterclass.com/mc_menu.php

Buying a violin : I usually tell people to only buy a violin from a proper violin shop so that it is set up correctly. But that may not be possible for you. I have looked for violin shops in the Philippines for other people and could not find anything on the internet. You may have to buy it from a general music shop.

A beginners outfit will include violin, bow case, rosin and perhaps a shoulder rest. It is also a good idea to buy an electronic tuner for $20. It will make it easier to tune your violin.

Can you buy from the United States ? Shar music are pretty good. At least they know about violins :

http://www.sharmusic.com/violins_beg_bod...

You can see that they have a beginners outfit for $139. That is the sort of price range you are looking at.
It is about 5,800 pesos

PS I live in Australia. My email address is on my profile so you can get in touch with me if you need more help.

You are not too old, at all. You will need to find a private teacher. Look under your advertizing pages in the phone book, under "violin."

Like I just told someone Liona Boyd the worlds greatest classical guitarist didn't start until she was fourteen.....so go for it. As for all the information about the violin all you have to do is ask your music teacher in school, she'll be able to tell you where to buy one in your area, and answer all your other questions, good luck.....your never too old to learn anything !!!!!!! especially at fifteen, and if you already have a musical ability it won't take you long to catch on !!!!!!!!!!