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I got out my acoustic violin today after many months playing only the electric, and it took me a moment to readjust, as usual, though not as long as I expected. My instinctive reaction from the first bow stroke is always a wince accompanied by the thought, “…It's so loud,” because the sound of an acoustic comes from the violin itself, which is right under your ear, whereas with an electric it's from wherever your output source is. Even if you were to use an in-ear monitor at a high volume, the characteristic of the sound is a lot different from an acoustic. The electric sound is notably less complex, for example, which, at least for me personally, is less ‘disturbing’ and therefore more pleasing to my ears.

Other than the aural experience, the physical aspect is very different as well. The change in feedback from the bow, and the obvious lack of response and resistance from your fingers on the strings are two of the most noticeable things when shifting from an acoustic to an electric.

Like with any other privilege that you easily take for granted until you lose it, it was a humbling lesson for me, and I have a renewed appreciation for how much easier it is to play an electric violin after I played an acoustic again.