Flashdude said
Hi all.

I have just joined. I am a very young 75 year-old who started playing violin in elementary school at age 7. I played in an orchestra through high school and into my first year of college, but my studies to finish school, plus started a family, then a career, caused me to put my violin on the back burner. I also became more interested in playing in rock bands rather than symphony, so my violin sat in its case for about 30 years.

That's very interesting. I think if I didn't get so much attention playing the violin as s youngster I would have leaned towards rock as well.
I started when I was 12.

I pulled out the old school violin in the late 90's and had a luthier recondition it, bought a new bow, and started practicing again...but very short-lived. I had started a new business, and that was my main focus. About the same time, I began making musical instruments, in the form of Native American style wooden flutes. My wife and I continue to make these flutes as our passion to this day. It is actually a small business for us.

I'll check out those flutes. My wife plays a bit.

Anyway, I was never happy with the quality of the tonality of my old school violin. At first I thought it was just my playing, but when a customer came to my shop to buy a flute from me, she said she played violin with the Philadelphia Philharmonic Orchestra...so I asked her to play my violin so I could hear it played by an accomplished artist. It was then that I discovered that the violin was part of my problem.

I can relate. I've heard people come in with instruments that sound horrible. They ask me to play them and say, "Wow, now I know that this violin can sound nice", but I feel that I'm doing them an injustice. What a difference it makes to play on a nice sounding instrument even if you can make a bad instrument sound OK.

Bottom line, I have just bought a Lord Wilton from the Fiddlershop and am back to practicing. My finger memory is gone, so I'm back to playing scales, scales and more scales...plus finding 3rd thru 5th position all over again. Even at my age, I still have excellent finger dexterity, but it's frustrating not having the same intonation that I once had. 

Thanks so much for your business. 😁

Intonation will come as long as you can hear if it's off. It sounds like you are on the right track just by realizing it.
Scales are great but don't bore yourself entirely, make sure that you play a little of everything. Play the stuff that makes you happy as well, or look for excitement in the scales.

If anyone out there has had a similar experience of returning to their instrument after many years of layoff, I would love to hear from you. I'm afraid that you're going to tell me to work hard and be patient. Right?

As you have already seen, there are forum members here in similar shoes. 

Instead of telling you to work hard and be patient, I'll tell you to have fun every time you pick up your new instrument. The rest you already know. 🤣

Thanks for reading.

Thanks for introducing yourself!

😁