29.7.14

Tips On How To Hold A Violin Correctly

By Paulette Mason


A violin is a string instrument which is also known as a fiddle. Unlike the guitar, it only has four strings in it. Usually, it is played using a bow, which is made up of a stick and a ribbon. There are different ways or posture it can be played, it is either in a standing position or seated. Before, violins are only used for romantic music, but today some bands already used violins in a pop rock genre.

Correct body posture while playing the violin is necessary if you desire to play well. Aside from it, this can also minimizes future complications. You might wonder how to hold a violin correctly while keeping yourself comfortable. Here are some tips, you might consider to achieve proper positioning and picking the right instrument for you.

The stance and the fiddle position is highly important. If you are standing, you have to set your feet shoulder width apart. You can centralize your weight equally on both of your feet . Whether you are standing or sitting, you have to straighten your spines while keeping your shoulders relaxed and leveled.

In positioning your fiddle, you have to find a way that you can actually get a good hold of it without even raising your left shoulder. It should stay horizontal without using your left hand as a support. If this is not done correctly, this may cause a negative effect on the ease of your shifts later on.

Also, the type of chin rests you use should depend on the length of arms that you have. If you have longer arms, a left plated one can perfectly fit you. Otherwise, you can utilize a center plated alternatively.

A chin rest is used to provide a violinist a secure place for his jaw. This can also create a gap from his jaw to his collarbone. This chin rest can definitely come in handy if you want to hold your fiddle in a longer period of time. There are two designs a chin rest has, but you might need to try the simpler one.

If you still have trouble holding your fiddle, you might have a fiddle which has a size that does not fit for you. Always remember, that it is better to use a small violin than those big ones. Also, some techniques can be learned faster in those small instruments and it is much safer too.

Keeping the instrument in balance with your shoulder, will prevent strain in your chin, specially if you will be playing it in an extended amount of time. Make sure that you practice in a correct position all the time so that it would not be a problem during your performance. Strained neck can be a not so serious injury but if your neck is constantly strained, there is a probability that it will create complications later, which is not good.

People are different in every aspects. We are also different on how we define comfort. You can try these tips and see if it works for you. There are many ways to hold a violin correctly, all you have to do is find the best one that suits you. Anyway, what we only looking for, is a position which is where we are comfortable and we think that we can perform well. Feel free to experiment and make sure to always consider your safety.




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