There are nine ABRSM grades for violin. In order from easiest to hardest, these grades are: Initial Grade, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8.
Grade 3 to Grade 4 – 11 months. Grade 4 to Grade 5 – 15.5 months. Grade 5 to Grade 6 – 18 months. Grade 6 to Grade7 – 13.5 months.
ABRSM Grade 8 is very difficult, especially the scales.
Take a bow: Singaporean violinist scores Grade 8 distinction at 5 years old. SINGAPORE - When five-year-old Travis Wong achieved distinction in the Grade 8 violin performance examination conducted by London-based Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) in April, his family was surprised.
There are no consequences for skipping grades.
All you'll miss out on is the elements practised in the grade exam. On the other hand, if you go ahead and start from Grade 1 or the Initial Grade, you could be wasting your time.
For Children Eight to Twelve years old:
We have found that students who consistently practice about 100 minutes a week do very well. It is often best to do four 25 minute sessions or five 20 minute sessions if your schedule permits it.
So whether your child wants to learn the violin as a hobby or hopes to take it more seriously, the 5-7 age bracket is a great age to start. But if your child is older – even a teenager – this does not mean that it's too late to start teaching them the violin.
Learning violin is an ongoing process with no set endpoint. It might take a lot of time and hard work, but anyone (at any age!) can learn the violin. With consistent practice and a great teacher, here's where you might be in 6 months, 1 year, 5 years, and 10 years from now.
You're never too old to learn the violin.
As a violin teacher, one question I get very often is “Am I too old to learn the violin!?” A short answer is: yes, of course, you can learn the violin as an adult! On the other hand: it's not without reason that some even believe it's not even possible to learn the violin as an adult.
Anyone can learn to play the violin, at any age. Mastering a new skill, regardless of what it is, always involves desire, discipline and determination; and learning violin is no different. Your age does have a factor in how quickly you'll be able to adapt to the instrument.
Playing second violin is more difficult from the musical point of view, because it needs both the ability to sympathise with that lower register and assume that slightly darker colour of the viola, and then the ability to take the soloist's role.
Both the piano and violin are both captivating instruments to learn. Choosing which one to play solely based on an instrument's difficulty level would be unwise. While the violin is more difficult to learn than piano, it offers the perks of being portable, more practical, and having more of a community.
Advantages of Starting the Violin as an Older Child
I've also started students at 8, 10, 15, and even adults! Learning the violin is not a hobby with a time limit. There are distinct advantages to starting older, as well. An older child, in particular, will be able to listen and focus for longer periods of time.
I hope you've realized that you are never too late to start learning violin. If you've already played violin but took a break, it's also never too late to start learning violin again.
NO, you're not too old to learn! It's a common misconception that learning a new skill, such as playing the violin, becomes more difficult as people get older. In terms of physical ability, of course it's true that playing the violin requires some dexterity in the fingers and some upper body strength.
Learning to play the violin can take place at any time in your life. It's challenging, yes, but it's also healing and fulfilling.”
We all know children want to do everything themselves, so it's best to start violin at an age where the child is more willing to cooperate with their parent's help and when fine motor development is ready. This ideal age tends to be between the ages of 4 and 5. Another reason for starting young is to develop routine.
There is no right or wrong way to play the instrument, so allow yourself to experiment and see where your creativity takes you. Don't let age be a barrier between you and your musical dreams. It's never too late to start taking violin lessons and reaping all of the benefits that come along with it.
If one have good dedication in learning violin with pure heart, her/she can learn very soon. Cramping and playing can be learned within 6 months of continues practicing for 1hr daily. To grow the sense of music, it depends upon the intensity, dedication... Violin is said to be there toughest instrument to play.
In fact, the oldest violin in existence today is one built by Andre Amati around 1565.
Some people might look at learning how to play a musical instrument as an activity that's best done when still a child, but when it comes to music therapy for seniors, it's never too late to pick up a musical instrument.
A good violin for a beginner costs about $500. A good intermediate violin will cost ca. $1,000-2,000 while a good violin for a professional violinist may cost anything between $5,000 and $50,000.
The violin is often considered a difficult instrument and can take a lifetime to perfect. However, students can reach basic proficiency in a year or less, and can start playing simple songs within a matter of weeks.