They are both popular instruments, so if you’re thinking of learning one of them, there are a few things to know first. We’ll not only compare their difficulty levels but certain other aspects too. You’d know which is right for you by the end of our article.
Which Is Harder?
The answer to this question is subjective. However, many would say violins are harder to play. We have to agree with this consensus.
One of the reasons for this is due to their fragility. Pianos are massive and can weigh hundreds of kilograms. If you’ve never held a violin before, its fragility may be hard to overcome. Dropping it is not an option, so you need to be careful how you grip it.
To make sure that the instrument is secure, you need to hold it a specific way. The posture and grip might be hard to get around.
When it comes to pianos, you’ll simply be pressing a key to produce a note. Violins are different. You’ll need to maneuver the bow a certain way to hit your note.
Pianos and violins both need to be tuned. Tuning ensures that the sounds you’re producing are as accurate as possible. With pianos, you’ll have to get a technician to do it. There are many available, so this won’t be an issue. Unfortunately, you’re supposed to tune violins yourself. Tuning instruments is not easy as you need a very sharp ear – how else would you know if the sounds you’re making are off tune or not?
When tuning a violin, you might not only have a hard time hearing the note, but you could snap its strings accidentally. The tension affects the notes being produced. That’s why you need to be adjusting them accordingly.
In our opinion, what makes pianos easier to learn is that you can learn to play with one hand at a time. This helps you grasp it better. As you can imagine, you can’t play the violin with just one hand.
If you happen to master both instruments, you might find complex piano music harder than the violin, because certain pieces require immense fluidity, dexterity, and intensity. It doesn’t help that the pieces can last over 4 hours.
One of the challenges of playing the piano is mastering rhythm. Metronomes can help with this. The beauty of digital pianos is that they come with metronomes built-in. You’ll be able to learn the instrument faster, too. Once you’ve mastered it, playing the piano would be a piece of cake.
When you’re learning to play an instrument, the number of resources you have on hand counts as well. You might need to watch video tutorials if you’re learning on your own. There are more resources available for learning the piano than the violin. As playing the piano simply requires you to press a key to produce a note, the videos, and guides on them are easier to follow.
Piano Vs Violin – Which Is Better?
Now that you know which is harder to play, you may have decided which instrument you want to learn. However, there are other aspects to consider before a purchase. We discussed them below.
Cost
How much are you willing to spend? If you have hundreds of thousands of dollars to spare, a piano might be what you’re looking for. Steinways are known to be the best, but they can run you a bill of $120,000! Unless you’re a millionaire, there’s no way you would have that much cash.
Thankfully, some models are cheaper. However, the good ones cost up to $5000, which is still a sum you’re probably not comfortable with.
Instead of an acoustic piano, you could pick a digital one up. With weighted keys, it could feel like you’re playing the real deal. They cost a couple of hundred dollars, thankfully.
When it comes to violins, antique types can cost millions. You might not be interested in them, though. A high-quality violin would be around $2000. Unlike pianos, there are no digital versions.
Of course, you have to factor in how much you’d have to pay for lessons, as well. As there are more resources for pianos, you’ll be saving the most. The lessons will also be more affordable as there are so many teachers around.
Maintenance
As mentioned, you need sharp ears to tune instruments. You need to tune violins between sessions. When it comes to pianos, you’ll need to adjust their strings too, since the tension can loosen up over time. How often you need to do so depends on what you will use it for. If your piano is going to be used to record music, you’ll need to adjust its strings every day to achieve a perfect pitch.
If the instrument is in your home, and you play it casually, you won’t have to tune it often. 2-3 times a year is fine. You can contact a piano tuner to do this for you, to keep it in good shape.
As violins are so fragile, you might damage it while tuning, and even need to take it in for repairs. It’s common for people to place them on the floor, and accidentally trip or step on them, causing damages. A neck repair might cost around $2000. Depending on the model, it could be more.
The Music Made
One of the benefits of learning the piano is that you’ll be able to play a variety of pieces. It’s known for its harmonic versatility. The fact that you can make music with both hands gives it an edge. You can create melodies with one hand while switching things up with the other. As your hand coordination improves, the extent to which you’ll be able to do this would improve.
Similar to playing the piano, you can play chords on a violin. There’s a catch, though. The tone produced would be much different than you would get with a piano.
The number of techniques that can be used when playing piano pieces is numerous. Unlike violins, octave passages and glissandos can easily be played on them.
Group Work
If you speak to a professional musician, they’d tell you that the best feeling is playing with others. Violins aren’t played solo. They are used in concertos and orchestras and are accompanied by other instruments.
Pianos are usually played on their own. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t be accompanied by instruments such as violins. There are many piano concertos, as well. So the instrument you choose will depend on this factor too.
Portability
No surprise, violins are more portable than pianos. If you’re moving homes, you can easily take the instrument with you. It’ll be harder to transport a piano, however, since they weigh hundreds of kilograms. Many have been damaged them mid transport, leading to cracks in their frames. This results in an instrument that’s very hard to tune. Due to their size, you might not have space in your home to place it either.
To learn to play a musical instrument, you’ll need to spend hours practicing it. Maybe you don’t own a piano, and use the one at your school or community center. This will slow things down, as you won’t have access to it as often. The instrument may also be neglected and poorly maintained, having rusty strings. This would affect the notes it produces.
If you’re so used to playing someone else’s piano, it might be tough for you to switch to a different one.
Final Thoughts
If you’re trying to decide between the piano and violin, have a general idea of which one you will find easier to learn. Depending on the type of person you are, and how much work you’re willing to put in, you might find the violin harder. The consensus is that it is more difficult to master. This is because you’ll have to learn a range of positions to just hold it. It’s not just about hand movement but posture too – the way you stand will affect your grip as a whole.
Another reason that violins are harder to learn is due to their fragility. Pianos only require you to hit the right keys when you practice. It’s not that simple with violins – to produce sound, you need to draw the bow across the strings.
You also need to consider things like cost and maintenance when it comes to owning an instrument. You’ll need to tune a violin before each session, which can be time-consuming. This also makes them the harder option as you may not have the ear to tune it on your own.
However, they are not as costly as pianos, though antique models can cost millions.
We recommend learning the piano first, and then switching to the violin if you like. If you can’t afford to buy an acoustic piano, a digital one would do. They are much easier to play while being more affordable as well.