Is Violin Harder Than Guitar? The Answer Might Shock You!

The question of ‘is violin harder than guitar?’ is weirdly a common one. People compare the violin to the guitar because they are both string instruments. They’re similar in a lot of ways but they also have some large differences.

The violin uses four strings which are bowed while the guitar has six strings that are plucked with either fingers or a pick. On top of this, it takes years for people to learn how to read music and develop finger calluses (which help musicians play their instrument).

Is Violin harder than guitar? Not really, but yes, kind of! Let’s delve deeper into this question below.

Table of Contents

• The Challenges You Face as a Beginner
• Is Violin Harder Than Guitar?
• How to start learning the violin or guitar
• Conclusion – ‘is violin harder than guitar?’

The Challenges You Face as a Beginner

As a beginner, the main challenge faced with violin is getting used to being so close to the instrument.

While learning how to play it, you have to hold your neck up at an uncomfortable angle for extended periods of time.

Often times there are also challenges with fingering notes and finding chords.

You have to use your fingers in ways you never knew possible, and frequently they hurt because of it.

When it comes to guitar playing, the issue with learning is getting used to holding the neck while strumming or picking notes off of the strings.

The angle of your hand can be uncomfortable for beginners, especially when trying to play complex tunes with complex chords.

In addition, there are times that the strings become tangled up during playing and beginners have a hard time figuring out how to untangle them without breaking a string or two.

As you can see from the challenges faced by both violin and guitar players, both instruments have their pros and cons when it comes to the difficulty level.

Is Violin Harder Than Guitar?

When it comes to the question of ‘is violin harder than guitar?’, I would say that the guitar is easier to learn than the violin.

The reason for this is because there are not as many positions on a guitar when it comes to playing chords.

Although the left hand must still be in an unusual position, it is much easier than changing positions constantly while playing a violin.

Another factor that is in favor of the guitar when learning is that the strings don’t have to be pressed down as hard to get a good sound.

You don’t have to maintain near-constant pressure like you do on the violin, which can cause hand cramping.

Unlike some other instruments, getting used to playing guitar chords is generally not difficult because it does not require the use of every finger in your hand.

Only the thumb, index finger and middle finger are usually used to play chords.

Even though it is easier than the violin, I would not recommend starting with guitar if you have no previous musical experience, as that makes learning even more difficult.

In conclusion, violin is definitely harder than guitar to play.

It takes a lot more finger dexterity and technique to master violin playing than it does with the guitar.

Also, learning chords on the guitar is far simpler than on the violin.

However, if you are new to music entirely I would recommend starting out playing something like the guitar before jumping into learning how to play violin.

Not only will that help build up your finger strength and dexterity, but it will also ease you into the process of learning to read music and understanding what notes you should be playing.

How to start learning the violin or guitar

Another challenge when learning either instrument is where to start!

Do you try going to a music store and see what kind of beginner instruments they have?

Do you search online for videos on how to play each one?

Or do you look up books about playing it in order to get a grasp on the basics before beginning a more advanced lesson?

I recommend starting by finding a cheap online video course.

Not only are these cheaper than books, but you can also use them on your phone or tablet.

You don’t have to always rely on the computer to be available when learning how to play either guitar or violin.

Once you get used to using online tutorials, then look for beginner-friendly music books that teach you more specific techniques and delve a little deeper.

You may also want to look online for sheet music for popular songs, such as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” if you’re trying to learn violin, or “Hot Cross Buns” if you’re learning guitar.

By doing this, it will be easy for you to learn how to play a song within a couple of weeks.

Once you master one song, move on to another, maybe try a section of a song that you grew up listening to!

By practicing daily and following beginner tutorials, it will not take long for you to become proficient in either instrument.

If you want to play guitar or violin, keep at it, and don’t get discouraged if you can’t master either one in a short amount of time. Learning an instrument like anything else takes time and consistent practice.

Conclusion – ‘is violin harder than guitar?’

In summary, although guitar is easier to learn than the violin, it will be challenging for a beginner.

If you have no previous musical experience, I would recommend starting out with the guitar before trying to play the violin.  This is because learning the techniques that are required to play violin is not as easy for beginners.

However, if you are intrigued by classical or traditional music, then the violin may be for you.

Even though it is harder to play than guitar, once you learn how to play it well it can be very rewarding!