How To Improve your Violin Posture! | Learn with Me

[@SuminaStuder1]

Who else is on Team Flamingo-Neck 🙋🏻‍♀️

[@singlesetpiano571]

We support you, Sumina!

[@jeninahuang2929]

Sumina Studer Violinist Aaa me XD You are very inspiring, keep it up!

[@dehanbadenhorst1398]

My neck is too short to even use a chin rest 😂

[@lindsaysreina6611]

HEREE

[@Octotype]

Yea I have a pretty long neck too, but I haven't really looked around for the best setup (chin & shoulder rest), and my posture suffers a bit from it (I lift my shoulder). A question, how do I know if I should prioritize my shoulder rest or my chin rest in order to fix the height issue my shoulders have been compensating for?

[@angels5449]

"Sometimes we practice 40 hrs a day" ah, yes, you got me there ;)

[@angels5449]

@Alonzo Prez de Guzmán. it was bass not guitar lol

[@streetjustice4287]

"Ling ling can play paganini cap 5 with oonnneee hand, why you no ling ling yet?"

[@Qo0_0]

Summon

[@Hawijack]

Caught my attention 😂

[@brent3542]

as a physical therapy student, I agree!

[@SuminaStuder1]

Phew! Passed the test 😅

[@brent3542]

hahaha! great vid, Sumina!

[@SofiaViviEnDo]

Scoliosis, lordosis, cifosis, being on a normal position is straight pain. I will end up looking like ida Haendel at 80 but I'm 42, and I don't even get closer to her playing!. Any suggestions?

[@eechu2199]

I can imagine so easily TwoSet blushing hearing Sumina making a reference to them

[@randomcubing7106]

Underrated comment

[@A-Minor-Music]

I'm glad you advocate for shoulder rests! Some folks are against them entirely, but I think it's a matter of personal choice/individual anatomy. I experimented for years & discovered mine was actually too high, a lower one was more comfortable. But without one I have too much tension in shoulder, neck & jaw.

[@owdy3973]

"If you feel pain of any sort it's your body's way of telling you that something is not quite right" My body when I play: *DIS AIN'T RIGHT*

[@luca-yf5qm]

„...because sometimes we practice 40 hours a day“ hahah love it 😂

[@MiserableLittleDoomGoblin]

This was very helpful. I'd love to see you do a follow-up video on breathing while playing. I have a tendency to hold my breath, and it's often hard to figure out how to match up inhaling/exhaling with things like Wohlfahrt's Etudes or Schradieck's left hand exercises. 🙂

[@henrypark4356]

Yesss!!!! I used to have problems with a straight spine when I was younger because I would sit while practicing, barely motivated to play. Nowadays, I stand when I play and make sure to keep my back straight - it's a little adjustment that made a huge difference. Btw I love the shoulder rest tips! Especially when using a rental from my conservatory, I would move my violin around (even when playing!) to try to find a comfortable position. 5:39 is JUST GOLD THANK YOU!!!!

[@kamikan22]

6:00 for anyone reading, the key here is doing this with no violin, twist your hand a little more as the playing position and move your arm back and forward, if you feel tension in your biceps or anywhere on the arm, you have a bad position for your body. Move your arm/shoulder blades around until you can go (with no violin) from 1st position to your shoulder with no tension, then visualize that "line" that your arm do, aline the fingerboard to that line and now you can be relaxed with no shadow tension on your arm 🥲

[@stidinadia1369]

Sumina is ling ling! She studies 40 hours 👌

[@gabrielhenriquefc1013]

😂😂

[@singlesetpiano571]

😀👌

[@angels5449]

Ling Ling 40 hrs :D

[@evgenysemenov6051]

From “Drawn together”

[@onlyviolin8264]

Absolutely!!! 😍

[@omniqwerty4175]

This is soo in time because my teacher is currently trying to fix my posture

[@JacquesLuu]

2:19 she's revealing her true identity: LING LING

[@gadielburman2328]

I really wanna see a Sumina Studer Violinist and TwoSet collab!!! @TwoSetViolin please make this happen!!!😁

[@kauru3844]

Thank you SO Much for introducing me to the extralong shoulder rest legs!! I didn't realize it but I guess I do have a long neck, and my shoulder rest has been uncomfortable since I started playing. I purchased these and now WOW, what a difference! So thanks for that. :-)

[@EmilyGjuzi-ec4rc]

Omg thank you! Just the shoulder rest tip has made improve IMMENSELY I used to be very tense while played and just one of your videos was able to change that (or let me improve) 🎉

[@ponta1911]

This video is really helpful! I had my back hurt and feel pain when I play violin. Probably It's because of unnatural posture. You look very relaxed and have beautiful posture when you play violin.

[@michaelbonesmusic]

yes, relaxation is key and not just more practice but thinking about what can be improved and repeating difficult parts until there is no more tension in the body, hand, fingers etc great video, everyone is different and it isn't a big deal to get a different shoulder rest or chinrest. I personally prefer chinrests that cover the base of the tail-piece as sometimes without I can bend the tone with my chin by mistake! Be aware of your body and address any aches or pains as potential posture issues, the more relaxed the more easily the violin can vibrate - do not squeeze or tense as you can end up clamping or dampening your sound by mistake :)

[@shupesmerga4694]

I tense up and raise my left shoulder when approaching a challenging passage, as a solution, i remind myself on the paper to inhale/exhale a bar before the passage and if possible, to inhale/exhale on every 1st beat of the measure.

[@JosephMusgrove]

I’m 6’2 and have my stand adjusted to maximum height. But when watching your video, it hit me that I am still looking down. So will try the chair trick to increase the height. Proud flamingo neck member! I play without a shoulder rest but use a Kreddle height adjustable chin rest and love it! Some things I would add in regards to health. 1. Recognize playing is a physical act. So stretch and loosen up your body before, during, and after practice. 2. Get yourself a “good” gel pad to stand on when practicing. 3. Take breaks. 4. Exercise and stay in shape.

[@KP-jt9py]

When I studied acting at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, we studied Alexander Technique as well. Interesting to hear that this is also a practice that professional musicians (or “soon to be” professional musicians) use.

[@ninabucknor322]

One tip idea that seemed to have helped me along the right track: raising your chin rest with cork pieces

[@lovebeast6653]

This is so important. Nobody ever talks of this in this very helpful way. Thank you.

[@doktorbeyza]

I didn't realized how much it is important to feel relaxed while playing until I try to feel more relaxed and it worked. It also stopped my back hurting.

[@adrianderroni4043]

Thanks this helped a lot as a Beginner violinist, adjusting the posture made the vibrato and the fingering soo much easier!

[@melizmatea]

Thank you so much! I just started classes - I've had four!- and I have issues with my shoulder rest fitting (I ordered a different one so hopefully that will help) and the chin rest is a bit weird for me too. I noticed today I was practically contorting my head and neck and this video is eye-opening!! Thank you!!!

[@alexejvelitchkov1307]

I love the little jumps she does while playing

[@cameronburnett9679]

I don't play the violin but I've noticed that people who are relaxed tend to rotate their arm from the center of the chest rather than from the shoulder. I learnt this in a particular martial art where every movement actually started by a very small rotation at this point, while the body remains completely relaxed and free of tension. It looks exactly the same as high level violin playing. The main point was to allow the spine to lengthen without doing so using tension. It's really difficult to have bad posture with an elongated spine. Like with the shoulders, if you hunch over you can curl your shoulders forward but try to do the same with an elongated spine. They just sit more or less in place. So you allow the spine to lengthen, which gives a structure for your body to relax around, and then just rotate from the center. Simple but not easy :).

[@retster9871]

Thanks for the advice! A lot of these are even applicable to non-musicians.

[@maheesurya5680]

A much-needed video in these lockdown times! Really appreciate the effort sumina! huge fan

[@theDUBMARK]

So glad you came back to KZbin. I am a cellist, and I am in total agreement with your points in this video!

[@sunflowerlemon._]

Never touched a violin so why do I keep watching channels like hers and twoset :P

[@mikevicsmff9946]

Because music brings us together

[@darkacademiadiaries]

I think the universe is sending you signs that you have to start playing 😂

[@sunflowerlemon._]

@@darkacademiadiaries I really want to, but I'm 19 and I feel like it's too late to start

[@mikevicsmff9946]

Aadil Jismy no, you’re never too late to start!

[@sunflowerlemon._]

MikeVics MFF if I do start I’ll let you know how it goes! You guys are really nice

[@adahkaplan8494]

I just learned that my scoliosis brace is what has been causing my out-of-brace posture (violin playing posture) to be tense...so I’ve been working a lot on my playing posture. This is super helpful - thank you!

[@dreamcatcher9360]

Wow, you are just absolutely amazing at playing the violin!!

[@IsaacChoo88]

I has a flamingo-neck too, and I thought my neck and shoulder soreness were due to me not getting used to violin playing posture. Thanks for the long-leg shoulder rest tip

[@JuliaJacobsen]

Love this video Sumina! I didn’t realize that my music stand is probably still too low. I’ve also found that some things I do with my body outside of violin can affect how much pain or discomfort I feel while I’m playing. For example, the way I sit in bed or large chairs can make playing scales painful so I need to be more mindful of my posture outside of violin.

[@JE58-rbi]

Thank you, Sumina Studer, for sharing your valuable knowledge of the violin! Your time is greatly appreciated!

[@laikeatlim8261]

Violinist and teacher par excellence.

[@Faithhg310]

I think I will go back to using a shoulder rest. I too have a long neck and I find I am straining and hunching too much. Thank you for your tips!

[@grapesofwrath361]

The kreddle chin rest can also be good for your posture because it is incredibly versatile and adjustable with every axis. And also check out the Dounis method.

[@manishsigdel824]

She had me at 40 hours XD

[@clodu2008]

Thank you for these tips. As a guy that learned violin alone from youtube, these tips are gold for me. And i feel you about Flamingo-neck :)), having same problem.

[@maliakirk4877]

Thank you so much for making this video Sumina!! I've been struggling with my posture for a long time, and I also have a very long neck. I'll try out some of your tips! :)

[@fsuberca]

Can I just thank you on the obvious (yet no too obvious for me) tip about setting music stand up to your eye level.... Omg what a difference, just finished practicing and was fun, painless and way more productive. Thanks sumina

[@alirashidi9630]

Why do I see a fraction of twoset ?community everywhere

[@goolgmorelikesmoolge9038]

Because...we are everywhere...

[@paulinekuzina7187]

You bet!

[@taisaokho2438]

@@paulinekuzina7187 you brett..... I'll see myself to the door

[@jub8891]

we're really just the same person with different accounts

[@yes1635]

@@jub8891 yeah hi me

[@Patrick-cc3ub]

A little off topic, but I’m curious. Who is your favorite violinist for the Bach Chaccone? Personally mine is Heifetz.... he adds a certain kick to it while maintaining the emotion and sadness of the piece.

[@pedroreyes4670]

Positional pain was the reason I had to give up :( Had some injuries before starting, and it got really bad. Take care!

[@sauerkirschkompott]

Thank you, I actually never really thought about it but I am always adjusting my body to my surroundings... I am so excited to try out to improve my posture while playing and see the changes!

[@StarShippCaptain]

Excellent Instruction and Help! Well Done!

[@kathyknuteson2838]

What great tips! I wish i knew these back when I was a music major in the late 70s. I ended up dropping out but part of the reason was shoulder pain and that horrible violin "hickey" that was always hurting! Starting to play again and I'm using these tips including trying a new shoulder rest. Might get a new chin rest too.

[@explorewithCK]

Super helpful learnwithme video Sumina. Thank you! 😊

[@mtraube]

Dear Sumina, I have a question for you : when you were a kid, between 8 and 12, how often would you see your teacher every week? (Teacher asking here!)

[@zalanfabian4148]

In my experience with my Girrafe-Neck, I think that a tall shoulder-rest is unable to solve the issue in some cases. I tried it once and it puts the left hand much higher, (even when the shoulder stays down) than it should be. In my case it led to a sore shoulder and after that to a very painful inflammation in my joint for about a month. I believe that the violin needs to stay "down" on the collar-bone and we should use a taller, more comfortable chin-rest instead of a higher shoulder-rest. It is also good to play once in a while without a shoulder rest to get that feeling of freedom in the movement of the violin and the shoulder and than try to reach the same amount of freedom with a shoulder-rest.

[@luisacevedobarrenechea5822]

its very good what you said but remember to not be dependent on the chin rest, the violin simple rest in your collar bone

[@SpringHuangMusic]

So glad that you made this video! Thanks so much for those really helpful, realistic tips and information - I can't agree more! ❤️

[@phemy5904]

I have a really hard back pain while I play the violin so this helped me a lot!

[@ruchiraja993]

I love your videos. Thank you for doing them. Your posture playing personality is amazing. 😗

[@gladeszanina467]

Thanks, for these precious tips

[@junacebedo888]

Thanks. This is very good even if I don't play the violin. I was in a choir and I know how important symmetry is on high your chin is depending on your vocal technique

[@FirstLast-Area52]

I've played guitar for 40 years this year. ONE time I tried holding a violin. No idea how u move fingers on violin strings. Wow. Really hard just to hold the thing. Amazing

[@traumwandler8891]

I miss the mention of playing violin without a shoulder rest. Surpisingly this was the solution for me and it even fixed (by 2 days practising) the 30 year old permanent tension I got through violin playing (with shoulder rest) in childhood. I guess the 8 years playing during childhood made a bad muscle programming and as soon as I played the violin without shoulder rest the muscels got rid of the programming and could reset into healthy muscel tone.

[@elizabethcheng8212]

This video was so helpful as I’ve been dealing with shoulder and tense muscle pains. I’ll be watching this video many times haha

[@tomazviolin]

Hi. Very helpful tips about a "good use of the self". This has a lot to do with longevity in violin playing. Bravo!

[@sophister]

You are amazing! I actually had Alexandertechnique lessons in university, I live in Berlin and play the violin

[@peterpetrov5831]

Ok. I don't play violin, and I probably would not play violin. But I respect you so much, that i watched the whole video.

[@thusharaaluthge6129]

Wonderful teacher .....❤

[@ab6ie]

i participated in a couple classes on alexander technique during a music summer program!

[@alexandremazarin_vlngtr]

My favorite shoulder rest is... my own shoulders... my violin sound have changed and no more pain... as like you said... each one has a particularity.

[@kerimmetin913]

That video made me realise about my posture... I am always so tense I am thankful for this video Practice 40 hours a day :D

[@littlefishy5681]

This video was really helpful! Thank you so much! And by the way, congratulations on 100K!!!!😃

[@nicolasmarquesruiz7556]

Loved the video. Thanks, Sumina!

[@thusharaaluthge6129]

Very helpful lessons ... thank you 🙏

[@amindaou5711]

I have pain in my left arm and neck from violin 🎻 that most people have because of violin holding but I can't stop it .. violin is my whole life ❤

[@interculturalcommunication8481]

Hello Sumina, this is so helpful! I got my daughter a new chin rest which immediately helped correct her violin hold. Do you think you can be so kind to make a video on how to practice vibrato and switching positions? 😁🙏💖

[@mohitparashar9122]

This is helping me alot . Thank you so much ❤❤

[@Mal-sg2du]

Thank you, Sumina! This is very helpful.

[@AhsanU]

I must say, as someone that's interested in linguistics, your accent is rather interesting. I hear subtle hints of German influenced speech patterns mixed with American English, very cool!

[@mariolastepaniuk4957]

Very informative video, thank you Sumina! 👍🙌

[@OiishiNoAnko]

Sumina please show off your concert/competition wardrobe Tips to find items that are - subdued enough - formal - doesn’t limit movement - keeps you warm - doesn’t get caught - fits - and other struggles

[@Octotype]

Yea I have a pretty long neck too, but I haven't really looked around for the best setup (chin & shoulder rest), and my posture suffers a bit from it (I lift my shoulder). A question, how do I know if I should prioritize my shoulder rest or my chin rest in order to fix the height issue my shoulders have been compensating for?

[@markz8353]

From my experience, the tail of the violin should rest on your collarbone. The shoulder rest helps support the bottom of the violin by filling the gap between your shoulder and the violin, but it shouldn't lift the tail of the violin because it needs to have contact with your collarbone. Typically long neck players get extra tall chin rests because the neck is above the violin, and the tall chin rest can fill in that gap so your head doesn't have to be strained as much to reach the chin rest. If you lift your shoulder you probably first need to relax more and try to focus more on the collarbone and how it supports the violin. If there's a large gap above your shoulder when your violin is resting flat on the collarbone, then you probably need a taller shoulder rest. As for your neck, if it feels sore or has to bend a lot to reach the chin rest then you should get a higher chin rest. I'm not a professional tho so yeah that's just from my own knowledge and experience because I have a super long neck and recently got a customized chin rest.

[@lemon1653]

Prioritize a higher chin rest first. If you just raise the shoulder rest, it will raise your violin, and you’ll have to raise your arms to play. The violin should ideally balance on the collarbone as the commenter stated.

[@peterjohnporrata4866]

I just love your explanation and every subject you covered, keep it up, I am definitely one of your followers. Where do you teach?

[@rudylopez692]

Great job on the posture. Thank you for the information, especially since I am new and I didn’t know about the longer should rest legs. Maybe you can do a video on left hand positions. I always seem to get this wrong. My teacher says being tense is important also but I find it hard to mimic what she is teaching me if I am not here. I wondered about music stand height also, now I know. Your awesome.

[@samuelbatista2004]

Thanks for the video helped me a lot.

[@jutrigueiro]

Your instructions are easy to understand and you very beautiful :)

[@LT808HI]

I remember the simplest of sayings. “Bring the instrument to you, and not you to your instrument” lol

[@intannisita1065]

Hi i'm intan nisita i'm violinst too! Since 2nd Senior High School I love violinst because i play Violinst This Time😘🤗

[@aleraler2677]

Thanks for sharing with us U r the best 👏

[@Leviolin]

You are so beautiful and good in violin! Thanks you for your advices! 🙏

[@mxxlb8220]

This is just what I needed! Thank u sm 💕

[@viviennelin1901]

thank u sumina!!! that was super helpful :))

[@jessicawang6558]

Thanks for your video. I’m a beginner violinist and I’ve been having intense shoulder/back pain when I’m playing the violin. I’m trying to work with my teacher to work on the pain : (

[@beastviolin]

Thank you so so much for the video! Postures are always overlooked

[@luizapaternostro4409]

Thank you for your addressing postural problems! Something that helps me A LOT is changing my axis while playing. I found that if I can be unbalanced enough to almost fall on the floor (not quite, obviously, but the idea is to be truly out of my natural axis with the whole body): 1) I can feel my inner deeper muscles prevent me from falling. Once I feel how (and where) they are working, they "wake up" and I can count on them to take over the "wrong" muscles that are creating the tension and so I can go back to a more natural posture (that usually is not exactly the one I had at first after all); 2) The tension melts away, because I get rid of the base that supports it. I feel tension needs to be built upon something, there is usually a very rigid muscle that "holds" it. If I change my axis, chances are I'm confronting that rigidness against gravity. That usually makes it null or so fragile that it is easy to overcome it. Once I've been through releasing the tension while holding an unbalanced axis, I've learned the pathway and can do so in my natural posture as well. I struggle a lot with left arm tension and tiredness, though. I feel my violin keeps slipping to the front and can't find a shoulder rest that suits me. Would appreciate any help I can get. :)

[@francescozingarello204]

great video! :-) well done! Greetings from Zurich. I hope I can listen to a concert of yours here in Switzerland any soon! :D keep up the great videos.

[@andyihli]

Thanks for the tips, Sumina Ling-Ling!!

[@Zxouf873]

It's like you knew what i need then made this video thank you ☺️😊

[@gokkuXD]

I need this. Thanks. Firstimer subscriber. 😁

[@innah1420]

i just started learning to play violin and i find this video really helpful, thank you sumina! 💛

[@garlicpepper1334]

Welcom to adult-beginner gang!

Loved loved this video!! Greetings from Honduras :)

[@alexisbianco158]

Very interesting your video. I don’t think I’ve a flamingo neck, but for certain I’m 78, and started on line with the violin. And there is so many things to think at the same time. Would you consider practical to use a support which hold the violin and is fit on the shoulder or back? If that so I don’t have to worry on holding and my left arm and hand, can be moved freely. There is not such a device in my country, but understand they have it in Europe. Thanks and congratulations

[@erzas556]

Thank you so much!