Almost all music enthusiasts hold a secret desire to learn how to play some musical instrument. However, violin and guitar are two musical instruments that are highly appreciated by people all around. The mesmerizing melody of these instruments attract people, and so a lot of music enthusiasts want to learn how to play these instruments all by themselves.
It is true that these instruments are not quite easy to play. But if you combine a sheer determination with your love for the music, you can nail it sooner or later. Still, you might be having a busy life and want something to learn fast and easily. In that case, you need to finalize which instrument would be easier to learn and which instrument interests you the most.
However, you have to accept that both of the instruments are complex in their own ways. When you play a violin, you need to bow well, read the music, and memorize note locations. On a guitar, you have to learn different chords, and have to improve finger and hand strength. To know more about the difference and difficulty level of these two instruments, let us now proceed to the main part of this article!
Violin vs Guitar: Let’s Go Through the Differences first!
Before we get to decide which instrument is easier to play, let us go through the basic differences that turn out important while deciding the right instrument for you. The following table clears the differences between a guitar and a violin clearly:
| Guitar | Violin |
|---|---|
| Stringed instrument having frets | String instrument that does not have frets |
| Can be plucked and strummed with both picks and fingers | Needs to be played with the help of a bow |
| The playing posture is quite simple | Comparatively difficult posture |
| The learning resources are abundant | Effective learning resources are rare |
| Pressing down the guitar strings is not so easy | Pressing down the violin strings is comparatively easier |
| The basics need a very little practice and experience to learn | Without months of practice, it’s almost impossible to play even the most basic sounds |
| Versatile instrument, applicable to play in a number of different genres | Goes with some selective genres only |
| Multitasking (Singing or playing another instrument at the same time) is quite easy with guitars. | Extremely difficult to play and sing at the same time. |
See How Violin Compares With : Fiddle | Viola | Piano
What Makes it Easier to Learn a Guitar?
You Can Stick to the Chords
When you are playing a guitar, there is no need to move on towards advanced playing from the very beginning. Even if you stick to only a couple of chords, you can still be successful in playing the instrument. With a violin instead, you need to play melodies. Picking up melodies is not so easy like playing chords, as you have to change the notes almost with every beat.
The Frets Will Help to Find the Notes
A violin does not have any market to show where different notes are at, but a guitar has frets. A violin makes you need to memorize the place each note belongs in the fingerboard, in a guitar the frets section makes things easy for you. All you need to do is ensure that the guitar is in tune, then the notes will be in tune generally.
No Need for Learning to read the Music
You must not learn to read music when it comes to playing guitar. Though this can improve your skills furthermore, it’s not something that you cannot avoid. But when it comes to violin, knowing to read music is a must.
What Makes it Easier to Learn a Violin
There are notes easier to play than chords
On a guitar you often need to learn the chords first, which needs you to hold down multiple strings on your fretboard. On a violin, you need not have to play the chords, rather holding down one note a time is enough. would be enough. Even there are some notes that won’t demand to hold down any string at all. Though playing chords is easier than playing a melody or learning to read the music, playing single notes physically is much easier.
There are only Four Strings to Deal With
While there are six strings to deal with in an acoustic guitar, a violin requires you to deal with only four of them. An additional advantage is that the strings stay closer in a violin, which makes it easier to reach for people with smaller hands.
There are Less Number of Skills to Master
On a violin, you just bow with one of your hands while pressing the string with another. On a guitar, you hold the strings with one hand, but with the other you need to strum or pluck which are completely different skill-sets. You have to learn pressing both single and multiple strings for single notes and chords. Also, you need to hold down the whole face of the fret at once.
FAQs
How difficult is it to play a violin compared to a guitar?
For beginners, it is comparatively more difficult to learn violin than guitar. As the violin lacks frets, it demands a more complex playing posture. Also it is more difficult to multitask on a guitar. Also as it takes a bit long to learn, some beginners end up giving up on it. However, if you have a passion for violin, you might learn it easily as you will be more concentrated and determined to learn it.
Is it true that violinists learn guitar faster?
Knowing to play the violin can’t just make you learn the guitar automatically. The instruments have differences in terms of string numbers, tunings, and many more which make them two totally distinct instruments.
How long does it generally take to learn violin on a professional level?
You must dedicate years of commitment and diligence if you want to learn violin on a professional level. However, how long it takes to learn the instrument totally depends on the learner. If you can ensure a steady and continuous training, you can expect to make good progress towards your goals within 3-4 years.
The Final Verdict
Both guitar and violins are difficult instruments to learn, and both of them have their own ease and difficulties. It’s more important for you to understand which of the two instruments attracts you the most. When you play with passion, you can master anything!
However, if we have to provide a final verdict on these two instruments, it would be safe to say that a violin is a bit more difficult to learn compared to a guitar. There are actually several reasons that make you think so. First thing first, violins do not come with fretboards, which implies that you need to find each tone by your ears. Secondly, it’s extremely challenging to create a beautiful tune using the violin unless you are an expert. It makes a lot of beginners fail to learn this instrument and they eventually give up on it at a time.
We hope this violin vs guitar article has helped you to come up with the best decision. We believe that you will make the best use of our suggestions, and eventually come up with a decision that best fits your requirements. As we proceed to the finish of this article, we would like to complement your love for music and wish that music will make your life more happy and joyful!
