The most difficult thing about beginning violin lessons as an adult

The dream

I still distinctly remember when my violin dream started.

It all began one summer afternoon, when I was still a young girl. I was watching Discovery Channel and they had this feature on that Chinese instrument, the erhu.

I was fascinated by the beautiful sound of the instrument, and the depth of emotion and expression it was capable of evoking. By the end of the documentary, I was wishing I could also learn to play it.

However, the more practical side of me skeptically wondered how in the world I would be able to fulfill that dream. In our little town, along the western coast of a faraway island, the chances of even seeing an erhu, much less finding a teacher, were very slim, indeed. So then, I decided to adjust my dream to something more attainable... instead of the erhu,I shifted my dream to violin... never mind that I had never even seen a real violin before. :)


me, the adult

Fast forward to many years later.

I was working for a non-government organization. Amid the work-overtime work-home cycle I was in, I wanted to do something to break the monotony.

The first thing that came to mind was the violin---a childhood dream that refused to die. :)

Fortunately, it seemed as if what Paolo Coehlo was talking about in the "Alchemist" was true. When you go for your dream, the universe conspires to help you fulfill it.

For the first five years of my working life, I had an erratic schedule that left out any possibility of taking any regular outside interests---work would call even on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. When I decided to take violin lessons, there were changes at the office so that I was afforded a more stable schedule. So I called up an old friend and asked him to help me buy a violin.


the hardest thing

Definitely, the hardest thing in learning to play the violin as an adult is just taking the plunge and getting started.

There are just too many doubters and naysayers around, who are all too eager to tell you you're too old to learn to play the violin, that the violin is a very difficult instrument to learn, that you should have started when you were much younger.

If you're somebody who is used to following other people, or letting yourself be swayed by what others think, then chances are you'll never go through with it. And you'll just go through the rest of your life wistfully sighing as you see beautiful violins displayed in shop windows, and wishing you could play it.

In my case, I'd always had a bit of a rebel in me. And early on, I already knew I was different from my classmates, because I liked different things and wasn't interested in the stuff they liked. So I learned to take little heed of people who tried to discourage me from doing what I wanted. After all, I told myself, its my life, and ultimately, I am the one who will have to answer and suffer the consequences of whatever decisions I make.

It's been a year now since I started. :) It hasn't been easy, but it is all worth it.