Playing a Violin in The Sims 4 can lead to decent Money and Romance
Violin is one of three musical instruments included in The Sims 4's Base Game, along with Guitar and Piano. All three are fairly similar. This Guide to Violin will teach you all about the abilities you unlock as you level the Skill and recommend some ideas to help you make more money by playing.
How to: Violin Cheats
Press Control + Shift + C then type testingcheats on and press enter. You can now set your skill level with stats.set_skill_level major_violin x (fill in 1-10) - we also have a full listing of Skill Cheats and a master list of Cheats in The Sims 4
Leveling the Skill and Ideal Mood
The Ideal Mood for Violin is Inspired. You can get Inspired by taking a Thoughtful Shower, Admiring Art (if an Art Lover), and randomly from the Creative Trait. I suggest you do take the Creative and Art Lover Traits so that you can easily get in the mood. At level 3, you will get the ability to Bow for Inspiration on the Violin, allowing you to gain some Skill Experience and get Inspired on demand.
To level efficiently, start with Practicing and later drag the Violin to your Sim's inventory to take it to the park or some other public venue once you are able to Play Concertos. At level 4, you will only get $8 Tips, but it beats gaining nothing while you wait on more impressive abilities from the Skill.
Many Songs unlock as you level the Skill
Skill Level Unlocks
Here are the abilities you unlock as you level Violin. Players who enjoy string music will like listening to the songs Sims can play. There are four songs per genre.
Playing for Tips can earn Sims decent amounts of money at public venues
Playing for Tips
Whether your Sim is playing a particular song, or bringing a target Sim to tears with the Violin, when Sims hear you playing, there is a chance for a Tip. Tips are earned at $2 x Level - so at level 10, you'll get $20 Tips from Sims. These can add up when you have loads of Sims around, throwing them at you.
The best option for earning money is Play Concerto. This one gives the appropriate Tip amount, while if you're writing a song the Tips are only $2. The Concerto goes on as long as you allow it to (or your Sim is able to) so it's also the most hands-off way to make money with the skill. When your Sim stops playing a song, they're likely to have a crowd walk off before you can play another.
As suggested by Metro in the Guitar Skill Guide, it's a good idea to invite neighborhood Sims with you when you travel to a public venue with the intention of making some money. They are likely to hear your Sim and throw tips in, too, so you can widen your audience this way.
Bring a Sim to Tears
At level 7, you are able to Bring a Sim to Tears. They will get 'Gloomy Melody', a +2 Sad Moodlet for several hours after hearing your Sim play. This is a means of influencing Emotions, but not a great one. Maybe your Sim should console the other after the performance to help them build a relationship.
Seranading a Romantic Interest. Good thing Bob Pancakes isn't around!
Romance and the Violin
The Violin is one romantic instrument, and your Sim can win the heart of a Romantic Interest in two ways with the Skill. One is the ability to promise to dedicate a song, which is not always available for some reason - perhaps because my target for testing was the Married Eliza Pancakes. Second, once they are at the point of Romantic Interest, you can Seranade a Sim. This gives a big boost to romantic relations while also giving some Skill experience.
Mentoring for Musical Genius Aspiration
Mentoring Sims to complete the Musical Genius aspiration requires there to be Sims in your household. This means you can't finish unless there's someone else, as you're unable to put a violin in the hands of a townie and get them to play. This is a little off, and hopefully Maxis will tweak how this is done so that it is more friendly to single Sims. Otherwise, find a friend or significant other and invite them to move in. You can also Cheat to complete the aspiration with the aspirations.complete_current_milestone cheat if you do not wish to be forced to do this.
Writing and Licensing Songs earns daily Royalties
Writing Songs & Licensing Them for Cash
Licensed Songs can earn anywhere from $150 to $500 a day. To do this, Write a Song at level 8 in Violin. Once this long process is done, your Sim can click the Mailbox to License it. You'll get some cash immediately, with future payouts on each day at 10AM. Only one song from each instrument can be licensed at a time. Your best beat making money with music is to pursue the Entertainer Career and go with the Musician Branch. You'll learn Guitar, Piano and Violin and license songs from each. When the license runs out, simply put out another song for use by a radio station or some other entity. It's hard to finish licensing a song in one stretch since it takes 12 hours. To resume click the sheet music in your Sim's inventory.
There are five types of Songs that Sims can learn to write:
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Comments (7)
*Alternate: GUITAR, VIOLIN.
(To start writing a new song click on the violin.)
It is always best to stop writing any new song after just beginning it to make sure the music appears in the inventory. If no new sheet music appears in the inventory then you know you have a problem/glitch.