[bithive123]

It's not violins specifically, it's any western orchestral instrument that you can carry to and from school (or piano lessons).

My mother and I were frequently at odds about my violin lessons and practice habits but she was also a nurturing person and tried to explain the benefits of deliberate practice and musical training, which as an adult I now recognize.

Full-on "tiger" parents may be more fixated on western instruments because it's meant to be a status symbol not a means to enrich the child.

[gwern]

> western orchestral instrument that you can carry to and from school (or piano lessons).

Explaining why piano is even more stereotypical an instrument?

[gruseom]

I've always assumed that the violin and piano are favoured by tiger parents because they are high-status instruments.

(Please excuse this off-topic rant: it dismays me that the violin is so high-status. The damn things are so shrill and squeaky they make me cover my ears. Meanwhile, the viola and the cello sound exquisitely resonant, yet they, especially the viola, are the ones who got second-class status. It is a tremendous musical injustice. I wonder if it has something to do with violins having been more suitable for virtuoso performance and thus more likely to be written for by primo composers.)

[saraid216]

> I've always assumed that the violin and piano are favoured by tiger parents because they are high-status instruments.

Pretty much. There's a concertmaster, and the piano is situated prominently. Harps, cellos, and flutes are also preferred, but less favored.

I'm reasonably sure that my parents picked the piano because they had learned it themselves when young. (My mom still played a little; my dad had lost too much finger flexibility from sports.)