My left handed 5 yr old wants to learn violin....

[Flum]

....will this be possible, won't it all feel backwards?

Any left handed musicians. She is doing recorder now and seems to be managing ok...

[pushmepullyou]

I started to learn the violin as a left handed 7 year old. I took my grade 8 at 15

She will be fine - I didn't find it felt backwards as I'd never done it 'forwards' iyswim.

You, on the other hand, listening to the early days of violin practice, may not manage quite so well!

[Flum]

mmmm not a very exciting title I admit.

Should have done a AIBU type thing to force my left handed daughter to play a right handed instrument etc etc

[madlentileater]

she can learn r handed.
problems will be- finding a small enough one (dds shared and 1/8 size one!!)
and the awful racket

[nuru]

I'm left handed and learnt just fine the 'right handed' way - maybe it's even easier for lefties as the fingering is done with the left hand. Dd1 started at 5 with a 1/4 size - she is fairly average build.

[gigglewitch]

I play violin in lots of orchestras, and it makes little difference whether a player is right handed or left handed. They all still hold the instrument the same way round, and no problems.

[LadyGlencoraPalliser]

DD3 is lefthanded and learning the violin righthanded. I was surprised like you, I thought it wouldn't work, but it does.

[snorkie]

ds's friend is left handed & plays violin brilliantly. Everyone does have to hold their instruments the same way around for orchestras to work, but as you need a good amount of control in both hands (one for bow control, the other for fingering) I don't think you are disadvantaged whichever is your dominant hand.

[Flum]

Thank you all. Great responses. I am surprised but having thought about it I suppose you don't get left handed pianos do you......