How to LEFT HAND

[@leopardtiger1022]

I must try your technique... I am 81 violin keeps me going and my old bicycle life is joy.

[@JakViol]

Haha - Finally violin videos where the teacher can actually demonstrate the scales, exercises and sounds fantastic! Well done!

[@filippogady]

Hahaha yayyyyy!!!!!

[@bananasmarzipani444]

Thank you, you are a very good teacher 💛

[@edytanto2640]

Hi Filip! Thank you so much for this! As a self-taught adult beginner, I struggle with my left hand setup for quite some times until I found this video of yours. My intonation improves significantly and my pinky is now always ready! I used to hate if I had to use pinky but now I love it! It readily snaps on the fingerboard whenever I need it as you mentioned Thank you so much !!!

[@rec2you]

Thank you! I'm just learning and my teacher just insisted on Shradik, and it is these exercises that are my favorite and from time to time help to put my left hand on.

[@muresaniulia6537]

It is the position I developed at the beginning of my playing, but then quitted, because I had no control of where to position my fingers in order to get the right note. Now I am touching the neck of the violin with my index and I feel more comfortable regarding on where to put the fingers, but indeed, the 3rd and the 4th are more difficult to be kept keen and ready to play.

[@callmesuuvi]

BEST VIOLIN TUTORIAL EVER

[@filippogady]

Yayyyyy 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

[@wildfeather]

I love the compromise on the Chaconne. Pure grace and freedom!

[@fgorlando]

You’re such a great teacher! Then again, no surprise given who you’ve learned from. That woodpecker tho 😂😂

[@filippogady]

Thanks so much! I’ve definitely been very lucky to have had amazing teachers. Very grateful for that! And yeah, I had fun editing this one 😂

[@GermanDmitriev_official]

Love the way you turn the editing into humour :D

[@filippogady]

hehe thanks man! Hope all is well!

[@claudiusmaye]

Nice video

[@ManriquezManny2]

I love your videos!! I just graduated with a BM, and I'm just now deciding to make the switch to no shoulder rest because it releases so much tension from the right side of my neck and shoulder blade area! 😁👍🏻

[@filippogady]

you are ahead of me then! I did that in my 2nd year Masters 😂

[@GRANT-W-NEALE]

Refreshingly clear and open discussion. Thanks ...

[@violinow1673]

Loved the Chaconne. Those scales are awesome. A video on how to play clean and fast(left fingers and also coordination of both arms) would be great. Thank you!

[@filippogady]

Thanks so much! That video is definitely coming 🙌🏼

[@johnalexander301]

Entertaining and educational. Your videos are fantastic. Thanks Filip!

[@filippogady]

Glad you like them! 😂🙌🏼

[@carolynvitolo304]

Finally, I find someone whose LH thumb position is like mine!! So I'm not abnormal after all! Thank you for your videos. I am now a subscriber. Love the woodpecker!! 😂

[@filippogady]

You are so welcome! For me the perfect looking left hand is the one of Leonid Kogan. Not only does it work amazingly well, but it also looks just right and aesthetically pleasing.

[@theoriginalsuzena]

Well done! You have a gift for teaching.

[@owen961228]

Honestly, dude, I've leant so much from your video. If you're wondering why I am leaving comments on your every single vid of your series, because I found it could help to produce a good sound .

[@filippogady]

Hahaha thanks so much!!! Really appreciate the comments!!! There will be a video on sound coming out, too!!! 🙌🏼

[@pabloantoniorojaspena6604]

I love ur vids

[@London-Lad]

You're an amazing teacher!

[@hamwhacker]

Thank you for these videos. Really amazing, what an INCREDIBLE player you are (LEGEND status!!). I think everyone could learn something from you. Not saying I can follow everything because I don’t have amazing long and nicely spaced fingers like you, but trying nevertheless to follow your excellent advice. Schradieck here we come. Thank you Sir! Woodpecker 4:10 😀

[@jackhoang1485]

This was so helpful!! Can you do a video on what’s in your violin case? It’ll be so interesting

[@filippogady]

Lol I have a super minimal violin case, so there’s not much inside, but I can make the video. It will be very short 😂

[@masintec]

very inspired video, I am curious about your daily routine for warm-up, maintaining technique etc.

[@songsabai3794]

Helpful as heck, funny as hell....Thank You!!

[@MmMerrifield]

Thank YOU!!!

[@thunderwolfcz9499]

Great video, thank you.

[@Alexdimgr]

Nice one!!! Cheers, nice video!

[@cheekychiko]

I stopped using the shoulder rest since lockdown started in the UK as a little project. I love it. I have been experimenting with LH thumb position for a while and so far your suggestion is the most comfortable and reliable. Can you tell me which other violinist hold the violin this way please? I'd like to observe others violinists who shares similar technique like yours. Thanks.

[@Weikiat9]

This helped me so much. Thank you!

[@cipheraltura2202]

Mr. Filip, what violin do you use in this video???

[@adelekhtiyari7091]

Very very good

[@davidgreco8699]

Hello, but to turn the hand like a guitarist does not risk causing tension in the forearm? thanks for your reply and congratulations, you are an amazing violinist!!! 😃

[@filippogady]

Thank you David! Obviously it's not COMPLETELY turned in like a guitar player, but that's the idea. Also holding the violin in front of you rather than to your left will make it easier to achieve that kind of hand position. Hope that helps, and thanks so much for your comment! :)

[@JinnyLeeViolinStudio]

Your videos are like a black hole 🕳 I’m being sucked into. Your videos are getting more humorous 😂

[@filippogady]

Hehe glad to hear. I’m getting more comfortable using Final Cut 😂

[@patrickbly4170]

Baby is like ... what kinda musical frenzy is that 😂🎉😊😂

[@DavidSampson-hi4dd]

Most violinists play with a more oblique left hand position, I have been trying a more guitar- like position but find this puts a lot of strain on the hand and arm, also for me It makes me play more on the finger tip and less on the pad.

[@KiralArtists]

God bless to your left hand

[@filippogady]

Tak!!!!!

[@CelloBassett]

Wow

[@filippogady]

Yeah dude

[@CelloBassett]

@@filippogady these are great,

[@polkaswe]

Which is the intro piece?

[@marwa-qz4ur]

Could you please record a video about vibrato?! ^^

[@filippogady]

That's already planned :)

[@marwa-qz4ur]

Quick reply, thank you .. Waiting it :D

[@liammagoon2483]

What violin and bow do you play on in this video Filip?

[@filippogady]

The violin is by Terry Borman. It's brand new, made in 2019. Love it! The bow is a CodaBow Diamond GX

[@robertpadgett4192]

What kind of violin do you play on?

[@filippogady]

A violin by Terry Borman

[@robertpadgett4192]

@@filippogady You make it sound fantastic!

[@Andres-qi2be]

Hi!! What do you recommend for developing left hand fingers' agility? (How to play easily fast passages?) Thanks for sharing your videos :)

[@filippogady]

That’s mostly an articulation/ left-right hand coordination issue. There will be a video coming on that with exercises that I use on pretty much everything 🙌🏼

[@andreseduardomostajomichel4156]

Dear Filip, in your opinion ¿Does the left elbow (I mean triceps) should be in contact with your body while playing?

[@hernanpaulitti]

Nice video Filip. Which book would you recommend for practicing scales? I'm an intermediate student. All the best!

[@filippogady]

Thanks!!! I feel like it doesn’t really matter, it’s just scales. I grew up with Flesch and Uminska, both are great options :)

[@SamLamingWingsuit]

Fuck yeah again Filip, thank you Sir! Great and funny video. I have quite a bad problem of tension in my left hand thumb (have a problem with tension in daily life with many things as well), any tips other than 'RELLLAAAAXX!' ? =] Thanks again!

[@filippogady]

Hmmm not sure. How much do you practice? I feel like when I don’t play for a few days, my fingers get very tired very quickly. I hear the same from friends who have quit playing professionally. They can still play very well, but the stamina in the muscles goes away which causes tensing up. Doesn’t sound like that’s your issue though. I’d probably have to see you play and see if I could identify the problem that way. Sorry if that’s not too helpful 😒

[@SamLamingWingsuit]

@@filippogady usually around an hour or two a day, occasionally 3 or 4. How about you? :) I think it's perhaps more posture connected than Instrument playing, but I feel it the most when playing Instruments. Thanks for the reply Filip.

[@JosephM6961]

Another great lesson! Just curious, have you done any Dounis exercises? I hear they are even more effective than Schradieck...

[@filippogady]

Thanks so much, Joseph! I’ve never actually done or tried Dounis, but I’ve heard great things about it. I should give it a shot.

[@ladyfiddle]

My thumb is killing me after playing this way... Am I doing something wrong?

[@theoriginalsuzena]

😊

[@jeanenviedapprendre]

Only moving the fingers makes perfect sense because smaller muscles are faster and more agile than large muscles (think squirrels vs gorillas). The arm is not as nimble as the hand. The hand is not as nimble as the finger. If you have to use your arm to reach something you will never find the speed you want!

[@juliejules7780]

I over extended my pinkie and now it clicks when I play violin and I can't stand it. I discovered I can play violin without using my pinkie if I change all the fingering lol

[@momoma533]

I think its not possible for everyone to play the fourth finger without adjusting the hand, unfortunately. For me if I do so (setting the hand for the fourth perfectly) its uncomfortable/unefficient for the lower fingers, especially for the third to reach the notes. Maybe I havent find out another way, yet. I guess, for you it works, because you have big hands. Maybe you have a thought on that. I kinda like your neutral way of telling/explainig, though. :)

[@filippogady]

Thank you! I do realize that having long fingers helps, but it’s not as important as it seems. I know plenty of violinists with really tiny hands who are brilliant violinists. I think that stretching the first (and second) finger down is super important as it makes your reach much bigger. That way you don’t have to stretch up with your 4th finger that far. Give it a try, hopefully it helps! Good luck :)

[@zomowo]

My self-esteem is gone....

[@trade_design23]

Good Grief - this guy has LONG fingers. Good info on videos, but... I think some mention should be made about how to play fourth finger if you have small hands /short fingers. Not everyone has perfect violin hand anatomy.

[@hgl65]

Left hand 🫲 is really problem for many students, lecture was helpful for us, thanks maestro…