How To hold the violin?
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Violin Posture
Holding the violin starts with your posture (the way you stand). If your posture promotes balance and comfort in the body, your chances of holding the violin comfortably are greater. Because the position we use to play the violin is not a natural one, we need to practice the art of BODY AWARENESS (noticing how your body feels while performing an activity) so that we can maintain a proper balance where none of the muscles are being overused and everyone is doing their part. It is like walking on a tight rope, we are always adjusting and moving to stay in balance. As we follow these steps to correctly hold the violin, keep in mind these 3 KEYS: MOVEMENT, BODY AWARENESS, BALANCE.
1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Try the following standing positions to discover which one feels more comfortable and balanced to you:
a. Place both feet in the same plane, meaning that when you look down, you can draw a straight line from one foot to the other…OR
b. Place the left foot slightly in front of the right foot, meaning that when you look down, you can draw a slightly diagonal line from one foot to the other.
3. Keep knees relaxed, never locked.
4. Shoulders should be relaxed and back.
5. Head looks forward and sits comfortably on top of the spine.
6. Move around in this position.
Violin Hold
1. Hold the violin with your left hand.
2. Bring the violin forward and toward you without moving your body.
3. Sit the violin on the chair (your left shoulder, especially the collarbone)
4. Feel that the bottom of the violin is resting on the collarbone and that the endpin is not touching your neck, but instead, is pointing at the middle of your throat.
5. Turn your head to the left and nod.
6. Place all the weight of your head on the chinrest.
7. Lift your left arm as if you are going to hold the neck and find the place where your elbow feels comfortable by moving to the right and left SLOWLY. 8. Once you find it, place your left hand on the neck and let violin REST DOWNWARD.
