I cannot believe that I haven't found this site before now! Well, better late than never. I am impressed by how much interesting stuff there is to read and videos and everything!

I am 35 years and started playing little more than two years ago (as 32). It was a bit of a coincidence really - I sat at home one day watching some youtube and was impressed by some violinist. I have always been drawn by the sound and emotion of the violin, so I googled to see what a beginner violin would cost (I really had no idea). It turned out, that there was a violin shop in the small town where I lived (and stille live) - and not very far from my home! As I am left handed I thought it would be hard to play for me. But I wrote an email to the shop and got a response a few minutes later. The guy in the shop said, that if needed, he could "turn" a right handed violin into a left handed one. I called my better half and said, that I had had one of my crazy ideas and if it would be alright if I spent a few hundred bucks on a violin... Two hours later, I was the proud owner of my very first violin (I started off playing right handed). Even though I changed into something better since then (a left built violin), the money spent that afternoon, turned out to be the best money I've ever spent!!!

Thus started my violin hobby which has now become so much more than just a hobby - more like a passion really (sounding a bit like a cliché, haha!). For a time I tried to teach things from youtube and just play around with it, but later on I started having classes (which I highly recommend!) and I now play in the local chamber music orchestra (just an amateur thing of course).

I am very happy to see so many other relatively new players and I am sure I can learn a lot from the posts here - and also people sound pretty nice. I will try to gather my courage and put out a video of myself playing something eventually. This seems like a good place to share videos with likeminded people for positive critcism and whatnot.

I look forward to getting to know you all and I am very happe to have found this site.

Being left handed and playing a "left handed" violin I want to stress for anyone out there who is left handed - do not let that discourage you from taking up the violin! You may try a right handed violin and if that doesn't work out, then it is possible to find a "real" left handed violin. Even though things may get a little impractical in an orchestra with limited space for the violinists as you turn the other way than the rest of the violinists, being left handed should certainly not stop anyone from taking up the violin!