<p>Can one achieve mastery of the violin at 16-17 years old, or is it too late? How long does it usually take for one to achieve mastery of the violin?</p>
<p>Thank you</p>
<p>You can learn at any age. </p>
<p>My grandmother learned to play violin at age 12. By the time she was 14 she was in the London Symphony Orchestra. </p>
<p>My friend started playing the harp when she was 15 and now does concerts (so I guess that means she mastered it?). She is now 17.</p>
<p>Anything's possible if you try :].</p>
<p>Depends on what you mean by mastery. If you want to play competently for fun, it's never too late. But if you suddenly decided that you want to go to Julliard on the violin, I think that would be a stretch. :)</p>
<p>No, I'm not looking to be a violin prodigy, but I would like to learn how to master, and skillfully play, an instrument, so I just wanted to know if I was a couple of years too late. Would the same thing go for the piano?</p>
<p>Piano is MUCH easier in my opinion. Now there's something I can help with lol. No, it's not too late. I learned a few years ago and am now a "master" to the point where I can do recitals (but I don't due to terrible stage fright).</p>
<p>But I do play when they're singing and practicing our musicals at school. </p>
<p>So no, again, it's NEVER too late.</p>
<p>I started Violin Freshman year and have loved it. I have played piano since 2nd grade and that made the note reading and ear training much easier and quicker. I would tell anyone to go for it because it would be a skill that you would have for the rest of your life.</p>
<p>Violin is really hard. It can take a lifetime to fully master the instrument and takes hours of daily practice, as there it is extremely difficult to get everything in tune, coordinated, no scratches, etc...</p>
<p>Don't let others discourage you. If you think you can take time and the effort; go for it. It will be hard to do somethings that take an active youths (there are reasons why kids start at age five) but you just have to fight over the barrier. I play violin and it really is having the motivation to do it.</p>
<p>Try piano, electronic keyboards are really cheap and you can get a good one with touch-sensitive keys for about $130. It's sort of easy (I have trouble because I am not used to reading bass clef), and it sounds a lot nicer than violin, IMO. (with chords and whatnot)</p>
<p>The question is how you define mastery, what your objectives are and how many hours each day you have to practice. Young people at the top of the playing pyramid (conservatory applicants) usually begin in early childhood and devote several hours per day to practice. Some of these young people elect to homeschool in order to have more hours to practice. Folks, like myself, began later and play well enough to enjoy community orchestras and less competitive college orchestras. I could probably offer a better answer if I knew your objectives.</p>
<p>Yeah, I would suggest piano. I play the violin, and I don't think that mastery would be easy at this point, unless you're naturally gifted. Some prodigies are able to pick it up in about a year and perform with world-renowned symphonies. Those are truly rare though. Most people are able to learn piano in a somewhat shorter span of time, although "mastery" would still take a lot of work.</p>
<p>I don't think mastery in such a short period of time. Namely because of the development of your personal skill involved with the violin from tuning/pitch/notes/bowing and vibretto. Then shifting. You can learn it but to master it, you have to have your own style and everything. I've played for years yet I have not "mastered" the violin. There's SO much involved.</p>
<p>Possibly find TONS of time and a really talented teacher if you're serious.</p>
<p>I play viola, and I would say that even if you get a private teacher (I don't have one, but I would suggest you get one), mastery would be very difficult within two years. However, after about three or four years, you should be able to play competently. Violin is easier than viola, so I may be wrong.</p>
<p>It's important to improve on your techniques, so practice a lot of scales and etudes. They're boring but the techniques will help you learn pieces a lot faster. I learned this the hard way</p>
<p>^If you can find some catchy etudes, they're not boring at all.</p>
<p>well...thats true but pieces are more fun that etudes. thats what i meant</p>
<p>It depends, if you have musical background and have talent, it would be possible and may be somewhat easy (ie, you have good intonation, are good at mimicking, etc). Or you could try it for a few weeks, see how it goes and then decide. </p>
<p>For example, some people in our local high school level orchestra (which is very good) have played for 10 years and play quite well but still get placed behind me, even though I have only played for 3 years.</p>
<p>From my experience, some people can practice all day and not get anywhere but others can try something and play it perfectly the second time through. So, it really depends.</p>
<p>Everyone picks up the violin or the piano. Lame.</p>
<p>Pick up the cello. 'Tis much higher on the awesomeness scale.</p>
<p>^agreed. Then you can put lots of awesome stickers on your cello case. Plus there's a reason why cello rock exists as a musical subgenre and violin rock does not.</p>
<p>I've played the cello steadily for about eight years. I'm not willing to practice enough to have any chance to "master" the cello, but I play pretty decently and I find that satisfying.</p>