At 11:00am every morning, my grandfather picked up his violin.
Same time.
Often in the same spot on the edge of his bed or chair.
And always the same place to begin:
Scales.
My grandfather, Roberto Sanchez, started playing violin when he was eight years old. He would go on to play second violin in the Grand Rapids Symphony for more than 25 years.
And he kept playing until he was 93.
That’s 85 years with a violin in his hands.
Growing up, I didn’t understand how remarkable that was.
To me, it was simply Grandpa.
I would wander into his room while he practiced—sometimes playing with the coins in his drawer or fiddling with his radio—and he wouldn’t stop.
He’d just keep playing as though I had become his audience.
As I got older, I’d bring my own violin into the room.
Eventually, we were playing duets together.
Today, after spending much of my own life playing and teaching the violin, I understand what I was witnessing.
My grandfather wasn’t someone who played the violin.
He was a violinist.
The instrument had become part of who he was.
And that’s one of the most important things I want adults who are on the journey of learning the violin to understand.
You don’t have to start at eight years old to become a lifelong violinist.
You just have to start and never quit.
💡 What You'll Learn in this Guide
✅Whether you're too old to learn violin
✅The advantages adults actually have when learning
✅What you can realistically accomplish in 3–5 years
✅Why fundamentals matter more than your starting age
✅How physical limitations can affect older violinists
✅What my grandfather taught me about practicing for life
Are You Too Old to Learn Violin?
No.
I’ve spent more than 20 years teaching violin, both privately and online, and some of the most rewarding students I’ve ever worked with started later in life.
In fact, I’d estimate that around 70% of the students in my private teaching studio were over the age of 50.
Many arrived with the same concern:
Can I really learn violin at my age?
Some had wanted to play their entire lives.
Others had played another instrument when they were younger and finally had the time to try violin.
And some simply wanted to challenge themselves with something completely new.
I even had a student begin violin at 89 years old.
He wasn’t trying to become a professional violinist.
He was still interested in learning.
I think there’s something incredibly powerful about that.
I’ve also taught students who began in their 60s knowing virtually nothing about violin and, three to five years later, were playing in adult orchestras, quartets and other ensembles.
Others had no interest in performing with a group. They simply became accomplished recreational violinists who could play music they loved.
So when someone in their 50s, 60s or 70s asks me whether they’ve waited too long, my answer is pretty simple:
You haven’t.
“You don't have to start at eight years old to become a lifelong violinist. You just have to start and never quit.” — Michael Sanchez
My Grandfather Didn't Start Violin as an Adult
There’s an important distinction I want to make.
My grandfather isn’t proof that you can start violin in your 80s or 90s.
He started when he was eight.
But I think his story illustrates something even more important for an adult considering violin.
Starting age isn’t the only thing that determines your relationship with an instrument.
What matters is what you do with the years that follow.
My grandfather played professionally in Cuba, including clarinet in a Cuban symphony. I remember listening as a child to old recordings of him playing saxophone professionally as well.
But violin was different.
Violin became part of his identity.
After coming to Michigan, he played second violin in the Grand Rapids Symphony for more than 25 years.
He wasn’t making a lot of money doing it.
That wasn’t why he played. He played because he loved the violin. And long after his professional performing years were behind him, the daily ritual remained.
My grandfather, Roberto Sanchez, played violin for 85 years—including more than 25 years with the Grand Rapids Symphony.
What My Grandfather Taught Me About Practice
My grandfather was one of the most disciplined people I’ve ever known.
His life had a rhythm to it.
He woke up at the same time. Ate breakfast around 9:00am. And at approximately 11:00am, the violin came out.
He sat in the same place on his bed, looking out the same window. I don’t remember seeing him practice anywhere else.
And he practiced for about two hours.
Every day.
There was also no mystery about how practice started. Scales. Always scales. From there he would move into etudes and eventually classical repertoire.
As a child, I probably didn’t appreciate what I was seeing.
Today, as a violin teacher, I absolutely do.
My grandfather taught me that becoming a good violinist isn’t about practicing for five hours one Saturday because you suddenly feel motivated.
It’s about what you do consistently.
Two focused hours every day will accomplish far more than occasional bursts of marathon practice.
An adult beginner certainly doesn’t need to practice for two hours a day.
But the principle is exactly the same.
Twenty focused minutes every day can be more valuable than two hours once a week.
Consistency beats intensity. You don't need my grandfather's two-hour practice routine to learn violin as an adult. Start with a realistic amount of time you can sustain. Then make violin part of your routine.
Adults Actually Have Some Advantages When Learning Violin
There’s a tendency to assume children are naturally better at learning instruments.
Children certainly have advantages.
They may have greater physical flexibility, fewer preconceived ideas about what they can or cannot do, and potentially decades ahead of them to develop their playing.
But adults have advantages too.
And one of the biggest is choice.
A seven-year-old may be practicing because Mom said it’s time to practice.
A 62-year-old who has wanted to learn violin for 30 years is practicing because they genuinely want to be there.
I’ve seen that difference countless times.
Adult students can be incredibly focused. They’re often disciplined. They understand how to follow instructions. They can analyze what they’re doing and make intentional corrections.
And perhaps most importantly, the decision to learn belongs to them.
That motivation can be incredibly powerful.
The Biggest Barrier Is Often Not Your Age
I’m not going to tell you that age makes absolutely no difference.
It can.
Flexibility can change. Dexterity can change. Arthritis, injuries and other physical limitations may require adjustments.
I watched this happen to my own grandfather.
As he became older, arthritis affected his fingers. Fast, nimble passages became more difficult. Eventually, problems with his arm also made it difficult to use the entire bow the way he once had.
But here’s what always struck me:
He kept playing.
He adapted to what his body allowed him to do.
And from my experience teaching older beginners, physical limitations are often not the biggest obstacle anyway. The bigger obstacle is what adults believe about themselves.
My fingers aren’t fast enough.
I’m not musical.
My hands are too old.
I should have started when I was a kid.
I’ve heard versions of these ideas many times.
But I’ve also watched older students discover that what they assumed was an age problem was actually a technique problem.
Their bow didn’t sound good because they were old?
No.
They hadn’t learned proper bow contact. Their left hand felt awkward because they started at 65?
Not necessarily.
They may never have been shown proper hand position and finger placement.
Don’t automatically attribute every struggle to your age.
Violin is difficult at first for almost everybody.
Proper Fundamentals Matter More Than Starting Age
This is where I think adult beginners sometimes get into trouble. Because they feel like they’re already behind, they want to move quickly.
They start jumping between YouTube videos. They learn songs before establishing basic technique.
They skip scales.
They find workarounds for uncomfortable movements instead of correcting the underlying problem. And eventually they hit a wall.
I’ve seen students who have technically “played violin” for many years but still struggle to produce a clean, consistent sound.
I’ve also seen adults start from zero and make remarkable progress in three to five years.
The difference isn’t always talent.
Very often, it’s how they learned.
Good violin playing is built on fundamentals:
- posture and violin position
- bow hold and bow control
- straight bowing and contact point
- relaxed left-hand position
- accurate finger placement
- appropriate finger pressure
- rhythm and intonation
- scales and basic technical exercises
This isn’t the glamorous part of learning violin. But neither were my grandfather’s scales at 11:00 every morning.
Those fundamentals are what eventually give you freedom.
How Good Can You Get Starting Violin Later in Life?
There isn’t one answer because people have different goals, teachers, practice habits and physical abilities. But I can tell you what I’ve personally witnessed.
I’ve had adults begin in their 60s with essentially no violin experience and become capable musicians within several years.
Some eventually joined adult orchestras.
Some played in quartets.
Others simply wanted to sit at home and play classical music beautifully.
Within five years, an adult beginner can accomplish an enormous amount.
That doesn’t mean five years automatically makes someone an advanced violinist.
It means five years of proper training and consistent practice can take you much further than you may currently believe.
Even three years can completely transform your playing. And this is where I think adults need to change how they look at time.
Suppose you’re 60 today. Maybe you’re thinking:
I’ll be 65 before I’m really good.
That’s possible.
“You're going to be 65 either way. The question is whether you want to arrive there having spent five years learning something you've always wanted to do.”
The Violin Became Our Language
My grandfather had another profound influence on my relationship with violin.
He and I didn’t communicate the way some grandfathers and grandsons do.
His primary language was Spanish.
I grew up knowing Spanish, but over time I lost more and more of it.
And my grandfather was naturally a very quiet, private man.
But we had the violin.
I started playing when I was four, so I don’t really remember a life in which my grandfather and the violin weren’t both there.
When I was little, I listened. As I grew older, I started bringing my violin into his room.
I’d convince him to play Suzuki duets with me.
Later, we’d play classical music together.
He particularly loved hearing me play pieces such as Mozart’s Violin Concerto in G Major and the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto—music he had practiced and played himself.
And whenever I played for him, I knew he was listening carefully.
Really listening. He had an incredible ear.
If he told me I played something well, it meant a lot because I knew he wasn’t simply being a nice grandfather.
He meant it.
He wasn’t really my violin teacher. Our connection went beyond that.
We were two violinists.
Playing Violin With My Grandfather
One of my favorite memories: playing a violin duet with my grandfather Roberto while he was in his 80s.
What Does It Mean to Become a Lifelong Violinist?
When I talk about becoming a lifelong violinist, I’m talking about something bigger than reaching a particular Suzuki book or learning a difficult concerto.
I’m talking about making music part of your life.
Performing.
Playing with friends.
Joining an orchestra.
Teaching.
Learning songs you love.
Or simply taking your violin out each day because playing brings you peace.
The violin can become an extension of your voice.
That’s what I saw in my grandfather. It wasn’t primarily his source of income. It wasn’t something he did to show off. It was simply part of him.
I believe playing gave him a sense of peace, routine, purpose and connection throughout his life.
And watching him taught me something I couldn’t have learned from a violin method book:
There doesn’t have to be a finish line.
You can continue learning.
Continue practicing.
Continue playing.
Continue finding something new in music.
Whether you begin at eight or 68, that’s ultimately what becoming a lifelong violinist means to me.
At 93, He Was Still Playing
Toward the end of my grandfather’s life, playing wasn’t as easy as it once had been.
His arthritis had progressed.
His arm made using the entire bow difficult.
The violinist who had once played in the Grand Rapids Symphony couldn’t physically do everything he had done decades earlier.
But months before he passed away, at 93 years old, he was still playing his violin.
I have video of it.
When I watch it now, I’m not focused on whether every note was perfect or whether he used enough bow.
I’m looking at a man who had spent 85 years with this instrument.
And he still hadn’t put it down.
Roberto Sanchez Playing Violin at 93
After 85 years of playing violin, my grandfather was still making music just months before he passed away.
So, Is It Too Late for You to Learn Violin?
If you’re reading this at 50, 60, 70 or beyond, I can’t promise you exactly how far you’ll progress.
Nobody can.
But after teaching adult violinists for more than 20 years, I can tell you this:
Your age alone should not decide whether you start.
I’ve taught someone who began at 89. I’ve watched adults begin in their 60s and eventually perform in orchestras and chamber groups.
I’ve watched students who initially doubted whether they were capable discover that they absolutely were.
You may need to modify things. You may progress differently than someone who started at five.
And you’ll certainly have frustrating days.
That’s violin.
But imagine what could happen if you gave yourself the next five years.
And then another five.
Maybe violin becomes something you enjoy occasionally.
Maybe you join an orchestra.
Maybe you perform for your family.
Or maybe it becomes something much bigger.
Maybe you become a lifelong violinist.
🎻 Interested in Learning?
Every violinist's journey is different. Learning violin as an adult becomes much easier when you know what to work on—and what not to skip.
Take the Free AssessmentThe Lesson I'll Always Remember
I’ll never forget the man who drove me to violin lessons.
Who came to my recitals—both when I was a student and later when I became a teacher.
Who played duets with me.
Who sat on the same bed, looking through the same window, practicing for two hours every day.
And who loved me and loved his violin.
Looking back at 40 years old, I realize just how remarkable my grandfather was.
So I asked myself what Roberto would say today if a 65-year-old sat down beside him and said:
“I’ve always wanted to learn violin, but I think I’ve waited too long.”
I think my grandfather would laugh.
Then he’d probably say:
“Look at me. You have nothing to lose.”
And knowing my grandfather, he’d have one more piece of advice:
“Practice your scales.”
Frequently Asked Questions About Learning Violin as an Adult
Is 50 too old to learn violin?
Not at all. I've taught many violin students over 50, and some of my most successful adult students began later in life. Good instruction, proper fundamentals and consistent practice matter much more than most beginners realize.
Can I learn violin at 60 or 70?
Yes. I've personally taught students who started in their 60s and went on to play in adult orchestras, quartets and other ensembles. I even taught a student who began violin at 89.
How long does it take an adult to learn violin?
You'll begin learning from your first lesson, but becoming a confident player takes time. In my experience, three to five years of consistent, properly guided practice can produce remarkable progress in an adult beginner.
Is violin harder for adults than children?
Adults may face physical challenges children don't, but adults also have advantages including discipline, focus and a genuine desire to learn. I've found that one of the biggest obstacles for adult beginners isn't age—it's believing they're incapable of learning.
How often should an adult beginner practice violin?
Consistency matters more than occasional marathon sessions. A focused daily practice routine—even if relatively short—is generally more productive than practicing for several hours only once or twice per week.
Can someone with arthritis learn violin?
It depends on the individual and the severity of the condition. Some players need to modify their technique, practice duration or repertoire. My grandfather continued playing even as arthritis affected his fingers and arm, although his playing naturally changed as he aged.
🎻 Not Sure What to Learn Next?
Every violinist's journey is different. Take the Find Your Violin Path Assessment for personalized guidance.
Take the Free Assessment
