I am thinking of learning viola at the age of 30. I dont have any prior experience of any musical instrument. Is it possible to learn at this age and what would be the learning curve.

I certainly hope it's not to late. I'm 48 and am currently looking for a good student viola that I may begin with. It's never to late to learn!

do you live in NYC rnapiera ?

Any suggestion for good teacher ?

Sorry,

I am on the other side of the state between Buffalo and Rochester. Talk about hard to find an instructor. They all seem to be at least 40 miles away.

I started viola at 24, but i used to play guitar since 13. Anyway its never too late for nothing, It depends on your will.

I'm 35, just started lessons. This will be my 4th week, and I'm having a blast! My teacher swears I've got a knack for it, was a shame no one introduced me to the instrument when I was a kid. I've got no previous musical experience to speak of, and I love it so far! Give it a shot!

thanks guys for nice words.

mikeasu. any suggestion what/how to look for a good instructor?

Lowereastside,

Most of my insight comes from my wife - she's had more training - viola in grade school and piano later. The big thing for her is finding an instructor where teaching is his/her "thing", as opposed to a job they do to bring in extra cash so they can perform. She wasn't saying performers can't make good teachers, but sometimes you can get some flaky instructors, if they aren't enthused about teaching for teaching's sake, if that makes sense. My instructor is of that sort, where she's performed, been accomplished in that respect, but made teaching "her thing" now, and genuinely enjoys it, and the act of "sharing the art" so to speak. With my limited musical experience, one thing that stands out is a flexible contract system. While she'll charge for no-shows (48 hours notice to cancel a class is ok), the scheduling is pretty flexible. Past that, the thing to look for is, do you click with your instructor and his/her teaching method?

Did you find a teacher yet?

I sure hope 30 isn't too old since I'm 54 and just starting out after a couple of years on the violin. Love the viola however. I drive 30 miles to my teacher though she is simply wonderful. Good luck!

vf

thanks for responding. I started 4 months back and slowly progressing.

I'm so happy to have found this forum! I'm also learning to play the viola (I'm 32) and have not had any prior experience with string instruments (I'm a flute/piccolo player of 23 years).

I found a great student viola on Craigslist and am having a blast playing it! I still don't sound really well, and struggle with my bow placement and pressure, but it's still fun!

I'm currently teaching myself, and am getting a few basic pointers from my father-in-law (a composer), but I plan to find a viola teacher in the near future. I really want to start private lessons since I'm determined to play a solo at my church's Christmas program this year! :D

We should keep this thread going so we can share our learning experiences and build each other up!

Karla

I am still here. I have a good teacher who is very patient. I am struggling a lot right now but I like it. Sometime its hard to take time away from job (wall st) and relationship to focus on viola. I wish there were more than 24 hrs in a day.

I'm still here too. I found a good teacher about 30 minutes from me and have been taking lessons for about three months now. I am having a great time. I love this instrument. I picked mine up off Craig's List and got a great deal. It's a Gliga Gems I in mint condition. Even the strings are like new. I try to practice an hour a day, but that is easier said than done. Tomorrow being Sunday I may be able to spend extra time with it.