Someone told me a while ago that they thought the violin was a really "girly" instrument, and that it was really weird that I played it. I have always been aware that there have been far more girls surrounding my violin playing than boys, and I am almost becoming embarasssed of it!

So, is the violin a "girly" instrument?

Violin is a girly instrument only while it is thought of as being one. I have a friend, who plays violin, and hes definitly not girly!

I am a boy and i play the piano. And from a person who doesnt play the violin's point of view, i honestly dont think that any instrument should be set to a certain gender. It honestly doesn't matter. What matters is how much you enjoy playing it. Why worry about what someone else thinks. You should be proud to have a talent that not everyone may have. Besides, your lucky loads of girls surround you for your playing

It is evident that it is more girls to take to the violin now. There are only about 6 male violinists in my orchestra as opposed to about 15 girls

Hmmm, try explaining that to Nigel Kennedy or Yehudi Menhuin, I don't think they will agree

There is one male violinst at school.

Then again I am the only male clarinetist and flautist (don't really play) in the school. . I guess alot of instruments do get sterotyped.

Regrettably, the "gender" issue is creeping into so much these days. To be honest the media (and sometimes many of the adult population) are to blame for such things. The double bass is seen as butch and masculine along with the trombone and even the trumpet, but there is an ever-increasing number of women who now play those three instruments professionally.

Generally speaking, there are still more males than females playing musical instruments professionally. On an amateur basis the split is probably about 50/50, but many amateur orchestras have an all-male woodwind section - the flute often being incorrectly perceived as a feminine instrument too.

Take no notice of what others say, do what you want and don't get swept along in the peer pressured flock of sheep.

Might be a bit difficult these days to explain anything to Yehudi Menuhin , but take a look at all the other male violinists out there - Vadim Repin, Gil Shahan, Maxim Vengerov, Joshua Bell. In fact, when it comes to top soloists, the arena is still dominated by men.

I was quite alarmed by this. When my elder daughter said she wanted to learn the trombone her six-year-old sister's immediate reaction was "What do you want to do that for, it's a boy's instrument." I just don't know where she got that from. It's not the sort of thing we say at home and at six I wouldn't have thought she had had enough experience of orchestral playing to judge.

Elder sister I am pleased to say was not put off and when she met her teacher she discover that although he is male of his four pupils, three are girls.

Considering the number of excellent male soloists around, and the large number of male pro violinists, I think anyone trying to make out the violin to be a "girly" instrument is showing their ignorance more than anything else.

Well put Sarah. I think there are still more or at least as many pro male violinists in the main orchestras these days. (With the exception of course of the Vienna Phil who seem to think that ALL instruments should only be played by males and presumably that the women should be at home cooking dinner and having babies (soz...gets off soap-box))

just came across this article from 1996. I wonder if members of the Vienna Phil have modified their views since then. Of particular interest are comments along the lines of "women having babies is a problem", "we couldn't have a Japanese player because they wouldn't look right in the pizzicato polka" (edit: sorry that's only clarified here), and "we can live with a female harpist because the harp is so peripheral it doesn't spoil the unity of the music".

For info, latest headcount with the Vienna Phil is that they had one female in the viola section, but she had been placed at the back

Inmy school orchestra, there's a few boys playing the violin.not as meny as girls though most of them are very good. 99% of the orchestra is better than me.

I really wouldn't worry about it. For the past 5 years I have been the only male (over the age of 8) in my dancing school. I also happen to have got the highest exam in the 10 year history of the school, yet I still got all the usual comments at Sixth form (always from the shallow people). So I decided to do a tap dance in the variety show with a female dancer who was in the Sixth too, and we got virtually the biggest cheer of the evening. Afterward I had so many lads come up to me and shake me by the hand, they could see I wasn't ashamed and I could see they were dead impressed. If I had stopped because of their jibes, who would have won? I still carry on now (as you can see from my sig) and love it.

So anyway my point is, don't worry about what other people think. Be proud of what you are doing and remember that if people make fun of you for something like that, it's virtually always because they are jealous, why would they bother otherwise? Keep it up and I can guarantee you won't regret it.

I've played the violin for a long time but I'm not a girl (even though I have been mistaken for a girl once.)

There's nothing girly about a violin. And not for any other instrument either.... Unless you're a boy and you play like a girl..... =D lol.

Well, there are no boys in our orchestra because its an all girls school!!! Hahaha! My violin teacher is male and he's absolutely brilliant! I agree with the others, the violin isnt girly, and anyone who tries to classify instruments in this way is just showing their ignorance.