Guitar vs. Violin: Which should you learn? How do they differ?

Guitar and Violin are two of the most popular and classic string instruments that one would love to learn and play. However, when deciding which instrument to play, you quickly start listing its pros and cons.

For example, learning to play the guitar is technically easier than learning to play the Violin for various reasons; however, they are different as the guitar is a chord instrument, while the Violin is a melody instrument.

Before we decide on which instrument to play first, let us individually discuss the individual pros and cons of both guitar and Violin.

Guitar:

A guitar is a stringed musical instrument with a long neck. It is fretted and usually has six strings. You can play the guitar with your fingers using a guitar pick.

However, it requires both hands to be played.

Pros of guitar:

1. Guitar is fretted 

A fretted instrument is always easier to play as a beginner than a non-fretted instrument. Fretting allows for accurate finger movement.

The guitar is easier to play as it has frets. So as long as the open string is in tune, you can place your fingers anywhere in between, and it would still make a good sound.

It allows for a much easier way to play in tune.

2. Capo

A capo is a small device that clamps down all strings on a guitar fretboard. It is essential for beginners and people who face challenges finding the right chords.

3. Right-hand technique 

Both guitar and Violin need both hands to play them. While the violinists hold a bow, the guitarists hold a pick.

The pick is much easier to use and play, while the bow requires a lot more technique.

Cons of guitar:

1. Guitars can be expensive 

Guitars can be pretty expensive. However, you can easily buy cheap guitars if you want, though it is not recommended as they need durability and produce good sounds.

2. Noise

playing and mastering guitar would require an environment where you can openly practice. For example, you can not play in a place where your neighbors would be discouraging.

Read: 15 Actionable Guitar Tips & Advice for Beginners & Experts

Violin:

The Violin is also a stringed musical instrument, usually with four strings. It is held against your shoulder and is played using a bow.

It is comparatively smaller in size and produces a much more high-pitched sound.

Pros of Violin:

1. Wide variety of Genres

Violins can be played for many songs. It can range from classical music to country music. It might take much more practice and effort to master the Violin, but it is all worth it.

The Violin is also used in orchestras and is even casually played.

2. Portability 

Violins are very small in size and lighter in weight as compared to guitars. They can be taken to places much more easily and thus are travel friendly, and it does not even take up that much space in your luggage.

3. Tuning intervals 

With a Violin, there is a constant interval between the pitch of all four strings. It makes a lot of its fingering patterns repeatable.

Thus, it is easier to play.

So, a violin is tuned in fifths. But unlike this, a guitar is much more inconsistent in the case of tuning.

Cons of Violin:

1. Learning resources 

Violin is something few people take up when playing musical instruments. It needs more learning resources. Finding a community where you can nurture art can also be challenging.

2. Difficult to sound good 

The Violin does not come with a fretboard. Thus, producing good-sounding sounds using a violin is much harder than using a guitar.

You can only depend on your ear to learn the tunes. Therefore, it takes much more time and practice to produce even basic sounds using a violin.

3. Difficult playing posture 

Violins are held over the shoulders and below the chin. It is quite a hard poster to maintain for long periods, and frequently violinists face neck and shoulder pain issues.

It also is an issue when it comes to practicing the instrument for long periods to master it.

Is The Violin Harder to Learn Than the Guitar?

In short, the answer is yes. The Violin is much harder to learn and master than the guitar. Here are the reasons for it:

1. Flexibility 

The Violin is more flexible than the guitar. The guitar is much easier to learn and play and can produce decent sound with some practice.

2. Scope 

The guitar is also the most taken-up instrument when wanting to learn music. There are more teachers, institutes, training centers, and online community forums for the guitar than a violin and many more opportunities for guitarists than violin players.

3. Creating sound 

It is also easy to create beautiful tunes with the guitar with little effort, Whereas Violin is hard to master and play and needs precision to create good sounds.

4. Fretboard

Unlike the guitar, the Violin does not have a fretboard. It means you will have to find every tone just with the help of your ear.

Also: 15 Best FloorStanding Tower Speakers – {Buying Guide}

Conclusion

Keeping all parameters in mind, It is evident that the guitar is much easier to learn and play than the Violin.

Guitars are much more flexible than Violins and require much less patience, time, effort and maintenance.

Most people opt for a guitar rather than a violin because the guitar has much more learning resources, and more and more people you would see around you play the guitar.

Also, while playing guitar, you can sing along side unlike Violin, as it needs a more difficult posture you need to maintain.

Due to the guitar’s popularity, they are also available for a comparatively lesser price than a violin. These factors might make you want to take the guitar as a musical instrument.

Frequently asked questions

However, both have a different number of strings, different tuning and different right-hand gadgets, which will need practice to master.