Ok people, the thing is, ever since i was younger i have always been fascinated by the violin...all my friends in school all played one, but unfortunately i was sick when the auditions came along...But anyway, in school i learnt the basics of playing the piano/keyboard, which not to rock my own boat would consider myself to be good at...i even had a HUGE keyboard in my room which i adored (it broke) But anyway, lately ive been thinking about learning another instrument, and the violin came up!! As i have said, it has fascinated me since i was about 5...theres just something about them which i think is amazing!! Im a 17 year old male, how hard is it to really get into playing the violin steadily?? I have read another post on here which people said that 18 is too old to start to play, I want to know is that serious?? I want one to put my heart and soul into, and to release some stress (lol)...another thing is, can you teach yourself to play the violin?? My dad taught himself to play the guitar and hes amazing now...is it the same with the violin?? Is it at all possible to teach yourself?? Another thing i need to consider is, is it really worth it?? should i just really get another keyboard and move up and pratice more and more with that?? I just need some advice really. some guidance!! I will be going into town on saturday to get what one i want, so i really need to make up my mind by then!! So if anyone could give me any advice ANY i would be very grateful!! Thanks

I'd say it's never too late to start learning the violin. It's probably too late to be the next Istak Perlman, but there's only one of him anyway. It's definitely not too late if your possible aspirations include playing with friends in a band or joining a local symphony. But it does require some work - the violin is more complicated than most instruments. Also, although you can teach yourself, most people on here (including me) will recommend you at least get started with a violin teacher - she/he will tell you where to start, help you figure out how to play in tune, and give you an introduction to where you should go next. If you ever want to play with a professional group, you want to make sure you're not picking up 'bad habits' - holding the bow wrong, bad fingering, ect.

Good luck! If you don't already have a violin, I would recommend renting one for a few months, so you know what to look for in a violin when you're ready to buy one.