A Guide 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.

Good postures while playing this instrument is very vital to reduce straining injuries. A well established posture is the best foundation for excellent playing. Unfortunately, most violinists are not so sure on how to hold a violin correctly. In this article, you will know more about it.

Standing is the most common position when playing a violin. If you are doing this position, you have to ensure that you set your feet are a shoulder width apart. After that, you should always try to center down your weight equally on both of your feet. It is necessary that your spine is properly aligned while relaxing your shoulder and keeping it 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.

If you are confused on what chin rest to choose, you have to consider the length of your arms before choosing one. If you have longer arms, you can go for the left plated one but if you are not, you can choose the center plated instead.

The main purpose of a chin rest is to provide you a comfortable place for your jaw. It also helps to adjust the distance from your jaw to the collarbone. If a chin rest is fitted perfectly, a fiddle can be held with ease and with a longer amount of time. You might consider, getting a simple, flatted chin rest than those contoured ones.

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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