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Violin Quotes

On discipline, humor, and memory tied to the violin.

This page brings together thoughts on the violin, from a light joke comparing it to the viola to memories of childhood lessons and later choosing a different path entirely. For more on artistic craft, see the Art quotes page.

I wanted to play my violin and have my musical expression through the instrument. But then I was really young when I had my first opportunity to conduct.

Quotes by Gustavo Dudamel

We get so many kids telling us that they've taken up the violin or cello. It's really special, and it wasn't really our intention in the beginning.

Quotes by Grace Chatto

We have a lot of people onstage. We have a live violin, live cello, live drums played on this kind of massive electronic kit with some acoustic elements built in.

Quotes by Grace Chatto

We can't do a modern Batman continually beating up thugs in zoot suits with tommy guns in violin cases. The game has to move on. It has to feel relevant.

Quotes by Gary Frank

My dad was in the military, yeah. He was in the Air Force, and he was a doctor, so he would go places for six months here, and two years there. And I was home-schooled because I played the violin,...

Quotes by Felicia Day

Fundamentally I feel that there is as much difference between the stage and the films as between a piano and a violin. Normally you can't become a virtuoso in both.

Quotes by Ethel Barrymore

I've played the violin since I was seven but stopped because there was a stage when it became 'uncool'. I was listening to Nirvana and wanted to play the guitar, so I ditched the violin.

Quotes by Emun Elliott

The Third Quartet I made the instruments in pairs - Two different pairs - Violin and viola, and violin and cello. They played very different things from each other all through the whole piece.

Quotes by Elliott Carter

A poet is a man who puts up a ladder to a star and climbs it while playing a violin.

Quotes by Edmond de Goncourt

Cello is my first instrument, then piano, drums, bass, violin, recorder, saxophone, but I'd never play them live!

Quotes by Dev Hynes

I'm not changing to the point where suddenly I wear floor-length skirts and start playing the violin; I'm just growing up a little bit, I guess.

Quotes by Denise Van Outen

I actually played violin on 'E.T.' I used to be a violinist.

Quotes by David Newman

I had no interest or intention of ever writing music. I was a professional violinist in my 20s. I was obsessed with conducting, and I was conducting as much as I could, and I was studying as much as I...

Quotes by David Newman

I have this weird musical thing I do: I play violin, and I even went on tour with Tim Robbins. We did a bunch of Canadian cities, and then went down to the States, and then we ended up in...

Quotes by David Alpay

I know the lead singer of System of a Down, and I record violin tracks with him.

Quotes by David Alpay

I used to play violin, but I wasn't very good!

Quotes by Birdy

I've been playing the viola since I was 6 years old, and then I decided to switch it up a bit, so I've been playing the violin since I was 11. I started playing the piano when I was 11,...

Quotes by Anthony Gonzalez

If I'm playing a violin thing, for instance, I tend to respond to that sound with the way I finger.

Quotes by Andy Summers

Whoever heard of an electric violin, electric cello or, for that matter, an electric singer?

Quotes by Andres Segovia

Since I first picked up the violin, I've been very interested in tone and texture: I would have very visceral reactions to the texture of a snare drum or a pedal steel guitar or a violin.

Quotes by Andrew Bird

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does this Violin quotes page cover?
It includes reflections on learning the violin as a child, orchestral discipline within a string quartet, and a well-known joke comparing violins to violas.
Is there a quote about switching from violin to another pursuit?
Yes, one speaker describes shifting focus away from violin practice to train for the Winter Olympics instead, showing how early musical training can lead elsewhere.
What is the joke about violins and violas?
It plays on the notion that a viola simply takes longer to burn than a violin, a classic bit of musician humor.
Do the quotes mention specific composers or performers?
One references Beethoven and a string quartet performance, noting how a second violinist stayed disciplined rather than improvising.
Where can I find more quotes about artistic discipline?
Visit the Art quotes page for related sayings on craft and creative dedication.

Some lines celebrate discipline within an orchestra, while others reflect on stepping away from the instrument for a new pursuit. Browse Emotion and Expression for more on music's deeper pull.