How Long Does it Take to Play Like Me? 

I've been playing for 18 years already, so I've had a lot of time to practice. But it doesn't have to take that long to get to my level. I always focused on learning the violin for joy rather than to be "the best," so I could've progressed much faster if I can really put my nose to the grindstone. However, violin is always a slow process, and that is the beauty of it. Don't expect there to be any shortcuts. Learning violin brings joy, focus, passion, challenges, and pride. The best part about it is that you can ALWAYS keep learning, so that sense of achievement will never go away. There is no need to rush learning the violin. It is a lifelong path to beauty, a lifelong path of learning and love. I play the violin because it brings joy. I don't play it to reach some state of "perfection." In this case, the journey really is the goal. So, no, you probably won't sound like me at the beginning. That might take a while. But that's the lovely part. You have time. Just stick with it.