What is it like to be a professional violinist?
I am not a professional violinist ! I am a professional French Horn player who is married to a pro violinist. It is hard work. You have to be able to prepare a new programme each week. It might be a Strauss Tone poem one week, Mahler the next, a Beethoven symphony and some bizarre modern piece after that. There are a lot of notes to learn each week. Ask yourself how long do you spend rehearsing a concert for your school or youth orchestra? a month or 2! We prepare a concert in 4 or 5 rehearsals. My wife spends a lot of time practicing for the next week. Being one member of a violin section can be hard. There is little recognition for your good work. There is a joke that goes ‘How many first violins does it take to change a lightbulb? 16! One to do it and 15 to think “I could have that better”!!!’ It is unfortunatly fairly close to the truth. It can be dull when you have to play music you don’t particularly like, but you must always play it to the best of your ability. Having said all t
