How to Play The Violin With a Comfortable, Pain Free Left Arm

We violinists all too often ignore pain and discomfort because we imagine it's normal to be sore and uncomfortable when playing the violin...that couldn't be more wrong! All technique can be improved and we can become pain free. So today let's look at ways to help with a very common cause of soreness and rigidity; the left arm. Mary V

[@sololino]

Lowering the left shoulder when shifting up is an excellent tip!

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

Hope it helps! M❤

[@mflecha1]

It sure is 👍

[@porglezomp7235]

I’m coming back to the viola after not playing it for 6 or 7 years and am much more aware of pain/injury potential this time, thanks for this video, giving me things to think about and pay attention to.

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

Hello! Congratulations for resuming your viola playing..you know, a break from your instrument can be a really great thing. The fresh impetus and freedoms we can inject into our playing after a hiatus are incredibly valuable and you sound like you have the ability and thoughtfulness to take advantage of starting over while already being able to play. I hope you enjoy your playing and practicing. Do let us know how you get on. Mary💗

[@sheilaclarke3692]

I am indebted to you for this video, Mary, you have helped me understand why practice sessions have been painful down my left side. There are no violin teachers where l live, so your lessons are priceless - l hang on your every word. THANK YOU! Sheila ❤

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

Hello Sheila! I'm so delighted you found the video helpful - you don't know how happy it makes me to know that a violinist is happier- and coming out of pain... It's amazing how fast we develop habits in our muscles that end up hindering us, isn't it? And it takes a lot of vigilance to replace those painful habits with helpful ones. That's why you deserve a huge amount of praise for your insights and determination to help cure your pain problems - well done indeed! It's an ongoing issue though, as you know, so keep going Sheila! Please contact me if there's anything specific you'd like help with and I'll do my best. Mary💗

[@jessejules2092]

I am teaching myself violin as a 45 year old. I tell you, I'm not new to music at all having training to grade 7 classical piano and being a rock musician playing guitar and drums, but violin is a completely different experience. A lot to think about. I am so grateful for this video. Note to self 'build up stamina.'

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

Hello Jesse! Great that you're teaching yourself violin - congratulations! I'm delighted you found the video helpful. You're right, there is a lot to think about, and a good foundation is everything in violin, so try to build things up patiently. Please contact me with any questions you may have and I'll do my best to help, ok? Take care, Mary💗

[@iggyzorro2406]

Thank you - every piece of information you share I study and try to implemement when necessary and possible. Past videos have truly helped me (lightening the touch when vibrating and quoting Hilary Hahn with regard to placing the chin on the chin rest - just turning the head should place the chin in the rest without raising or lowering it) and at my advanced age anything that precludes pain is welcome. Right now my biggest challenge is motivation to practice.

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

Hello Iggy. You know, you don't need to 'practice'; just play thoughtfully! An interesting and valid alternative approach to violin playing is to understand a concept then let it come through physically when you play. As you know, much of violin playing is mental. Motivation is reward. It's fun to play with a KZbin piano accompaniment of a piece you love and it perks up the playing. Iggy, thanks for your kind words. Mary V

[@nickiemcnichols5397]

@@violinstudiowithmaryvI love what you wrote about practicing and playing. I do both during my little sessions. Thoughtful playing, that’s really good!

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

Hello! Thank you for your kind words. After looking at your lovely channel, I'm not surprised you like the idea of thoughtful playing - all things ukulele and beyond - wonderful! Especially lovely and surprising was 'Meditation Music for Ukulele Fans' - absolutely gorgeous... You've made me wonder if I could have another try at the ukulele - how exciting! Thanks again. Mary💗

[@sm9846]

You explained an essential and important issue ! Thank you so much ! Greetings from Iran 🌷🌼💐☘

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

Greetings! I'm delighted if the video has helped you and thank you very much for your kind words. Take care. Mary V🌺

[@mflecha1]

Thank you so much for these helpful hints. I am starting to work with shifting position and double stops and being careful with posture and tensions that build up. 🙏

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

Hello Mario! Thank you very much, I'm so glad you found the video helpful. It's an enormous advantage that you are aware of tensions that can build up when we're concentrating very hard on certain techniques. Violin technique is all about balancing all tensions in the body and making the movements as easy and efficient as possible. A good teacher can spot tensions and give advice to ease them, but when the student has his own awareness and makes that awareness a vital part of his practice, that is best. That and a positive, loving attitude towards the violin is the great key to progress and success! Take care Mario! Mary❤

[@kamikan22]

Tip: if you breath expanding your chest (which also expand your collarbone "into your chin") you can breath while relaxing your neck/shoulder/head etc. Heck you can even hold your violin without any neck, shoulder or even the thumb if you use your lung air instead of muscles, and then when you exhale you can notice how your chest and body "exapansion" only lowers by a bit

[@user-do5hd7zb4x]

Thank you!

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

Hello Chris - thank you! Mary V

[@francescorusso3114]

Very good. 😃

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

Glad you liked it! Mary V

[@RaymondBilodeau]

Wonderful advice as always with your sweet presentation.

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

Thank you very much! Mary❤️

[@psychowolf99]

As a guitarist this is also helpful for me!!

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

Hello! I'm delighted you found the video helpful and thank you very much for letting me know..I don't know about playing the guitar, but it looks so hard on the wrist and fingers! Mary❤

[@mement0_m0ri]

Part of my problem is, despite being 42 years old, I am SO petite that I barely qualify for a full sized violin, so everything is more of a stretch and uncomfortable for me.

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

Hello! I sympathise greatly with you...look, it is a struggle and an extra burden learning to stretch one's left hand in the right way, something that people with 'normal' size couldn't begin to realise. So why not look for a nice 3/4 size violin for yourself? A violin shop will have nice instruments if you can manage to get to one. A good 3/4 violin can be very sweet sounding. I recently went to the brilliant violin shop in Edinburgh and I played lots of smaller violins which were just so nice to play... Please watch my videos all about how to set up a small hand on the violin which I hope will help you; kzbin.info/www/bejne/qX7LZIpoeKupba8 There's always a solution, but being in pain and struggling is no good and I hope you don't put up with that. Find another way and become a happy violinist. Good luck and let us know what you think and how you get on. Mary💗

[@mement0_m0ri]

@@violinstudiowithmaryv Thank you for the encouragement. I am definitely considering trying a 3/4 violin. Although, after really concentrating on my form I am making slow progress on my 4/4. You're videos have been very helpful for me, thank you so much. ❤

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

@@mement0_m0ri I'm so glad you are making progress on your full size violin... When I was in College we used to swap instruments and I loved playing the viola because my violin felt wonderfully tiny and easy afterwards!! Mary💗

[@lindachene5006]

I think so too. Even there might be a 7/8 or something between three-quarter and 4/4 violin. I am a violist so I can relate. The high positions are murder for me. One thing that helps me and I would check with Mary or someone else, I have a chin rest that is in the middle of the instrument instead of the side. It helps me but, I hesitate to suggest it because I am not a teacher. Good luck with it.❤

[@lindachene5006]

I have to agree. My violin feels so easy after my viola but after all, I couldn’t give up my C string, especially since I’m not crazy about the E string​@@violinstudiowithmaryv.

[@angieellis8018]

I am looking forward to following this video again tonight at the start of my practice thank you 😊

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

How nice! I hope you enjoy your practice this evening. Thank you. Mary V

[@angieellis8018]

Very helpful thank you 😊

[@lolamas3042]

Hola Mary! Mil detalles a tener en cuenta cuando tocamos el violín...Intentaré bajar el hombro al hacer los cambios de posición y también con el vibrato...a seguir experimentando!😊 Mil gracias por tus consejos para evitar el dolor y conseguir la postura más natural posible! Cuídate mucho, Mary!💜🎶💜🎻

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

Hello Lola! Your spirit of experimentation will bring you the greatest success because you keep everything fresh and aware. That's the real key to progress on the violin! Thank you so much for your lovely words, Lola, I love the way you express yourself! Take care, Mary V

[@lolamas3042]

​@@violinstudiowithmaryv Me gustaría poder expresarme en inglés, pero solo tengo tiempo para estudiar violín!😊 😉

[@arqeangel]

Hello! May I ask what shoulder rest you’re using? It looks very supportive, which is what I’m looking for. Thank you for your videos!

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

Hello! Thank you. My shoulder rest is by Willy Wolf and it's a great one because just about everything in it is adjustable and I find it really comfortable and supportive. Please look out for my new video coming out in the next few days all about making your shoulder rest really comfortable... I hope you find what you're looking for! Mary 💗

[@shooutoutannormensfische]

madame, Im not sure if you gonna read this, but lowering the shoulder is the most helpful tip if ever heard!THANK YOU❤can it help to play the g string too? because I got a bit of a pain in my forearm because of the twisting for the g string! greets from germany

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

Hello! I certainly am reading your comment and thank you very much! I'm delighted you like the shoulder tip and I hope it works well for you. On the g string, as well as lowering the shoulder we can also tilt our head to the right while looking down the fingerboard or move our head sideways so our jaw is in a full sideways position. See 1.53 in my Gadfly video to illustrate the head changing from the e string position to the g string; kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXrPmoyshd6Cq6M As an interesting note, in high positions on the g string I have to use alternative fingerings because of my very short pinkie, which means my arm isn't twisted trying to accommodate the pinkie... Like many violinists I get very stiff and sore if I twist my arm, so generally I've adopted a better way for myself. Pain and soreness should not be part of violin playing. Thanks again and I wish you well in your violin experiments! Mary❤

[@shooutoutannormensfische]

@@violinstudiowithmaryv thank you very much for such an detailed response. im looking up a lot of illustrations right now (its just my second day of owning an violin) and i will look at your material for sure! my only problem is, that everything just feels unnatural. to reach the G string my arm is way to twisted, same goes for my forearm. my elbow is also way more rotated and it feels not great at all. maybe i should also visit an violin shop in my town and maybe ask them what im doing wrong with my left arm

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

@@shooutoutannormensfische Woah, woah, woah! I didn't realise you've only had your violin for two days! We start the violin by making sure our set up is right, meaning we must learn how to hold the violin properly with or without a shoulder rest, choose and fit a shoulder rest correctly and most important of all for the left arm, learn how to hold the violin without squeezing. etc etc. Then we very slowly start to familiarise our left arm by starting on the open D and A strings with simple bows and simple fingerings. Can you see how impatient you've been? It's crucial to understand the fundamentals and get them right, then build from there for a pain free violin future. Get some advice or better still, some lessons to give you a good start. Best Wishes, Mary❤

[@shooutoutannormensfische]

@@violinstudiowithmaryv you might be right, i am maybe not patient enough. ill start with the A and E strings and the G major scale. also, i will atleast visit my local violin shop for a few lessons. lessons are expensive and i hope 5-6 lessons could atleast give me the right start. how to bow on open strings kind of works at this point, but i guess a teacher would tell me otherwise and hopefully could make a big difference. also, my shoulder rest arrives tomorrow, i hope it also will makes stuff easier, because i got quiet a long neck

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

Good for you! I know lessons are an extra expense but getting a good start on the violin is worth its weight in gold. From the very beginning of our violin journey our habits and techniques have to be constantly reviewed and overturned as we progress, and bad habits take much longer to change! Knowledge about techniques is empowering. Start with the D and A strings and the D major scale and make being comfortable on the violin a very big priority. Good luck and Best Wishes, Mary❤

[@jennileepinto672]

2:02 this is my current problem :( I’ve been playing violin for a couple of years but I wasn’t taught how to properly hold it. I can’t turn my wrist that way without feeling extreme pain, my left arm also tends to face out to the right to make the pain more bearable But this caused another problem, tension and my inability to properly vibrato, please help 🥹

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

Hello! I'm so sorry you're having these difficulties...let's try a little experiment...without your violin, hold your left arm out straight in front of you, palm down, then turn your hand to palm up. Please let me know if there's any pain in that movement...Mary❤ps you should stay away from vibrato until the severe pain has been addressed and corrected, ok?

[@jennileepinto672]

@@violinstudiowithmaryv there is only slight pain, but I am unable to turn my palm up without moving my arm from the straight position

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

@@jennileepinto672 Doing this movement without the violin suggests to me that there may be some muscle or tendon damage in the arm. What do you think about seeking help from an osteopath, chiropractor or massage therapist to see if the arm can regain movement without any pain? Also, I wonder if the way you hold your violin or your shoulder rest set up is correct. If it's not right there can be all sorts of soreness and pain. My feeling is that you should pause your violin playing until your arm has been restored, then the violin hold/left arm actions examined and tailored for your individual physique. Pain is not and should never be a part of violin playing. Mary❤

[@jennileepinto672]

@@violinstudiowithmaryv what if there was no pain? What would you recommend then? I always thought it was a flexibility issue Thank you for answering my questions Mary 🫶🏼

[@DivaDeb1234]

I'm still going round and round trying to get comfortable. 😢 Please pray for me ❤

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

Hello Debbie! Take a step back for a moment. Ask yourself what is now better and more comfortable than before. And ask yourself why those things are better. You found a way to play despite discomfort, rigidity and pain, and that habit has become fixed. That's what needs to be retrained with awareness and knowledge. You have insight into the workings of the body and the body's energy. Your body's response to the violin needs to be retrained with gentleness, persuasion and patience. Never panic, always be patient. So take a step back and question again how to simply put the violin under your chin without the 'drag' factor. That's the key for you. Take a deep breath, slow down a bit... these things take time to change...Mary❤

[@DivaDeb1234]

@@violinstudiowithmaryv I'll try . Do you always practice standing?

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

@@DivaDeb1234 Yes, usually I practice standing, do you? Especially if I'm intending to perform a piece, I want everything to be as rehearsed as I'm going to perform it, as freely as possible! I walk slowly round and about as I play actually.. perhaps it's also an antedote to the hours sitting in uncomfortable chairs in orchestras and recordings! Take care Debbie! Mary❤

[@DivaDeb1234]

@@violinstudiowithmaryv I guess I'm pretty lazy and I sit down. I mean the orchestra music needs to be sitting but maybe when I practice solo stuff I should stand. It seems to me that I really want the bottom part of my shoulder rest high. If the top part is pushing forward my neck goes down and that's where I get into trouble. I have some ideas. I'll try again today .... After I teach three exercise classes.! I really have to figure this out because I've gotten so much better at playing that I simply must. Or I won't progress further

[@violinstudiowithmaryv]

@@DivaDeb1234 Well standing or sitting, so long as your posture is good...😊 It's a great idea to mess about with your shoulder rest! Keep trying things, but give them a chance to work and for your body to adjust before you rush on... Just remember that raising the bottom leg of the shoulder rest makes the violin flatter and can be harder to play on the lower strings... I think you meant if the top part of the shoulder rest pushes into the neck then your 'head goes down' - correct? In your film the violin was sandwiched tightly between your chin and shoulder, and everything was rigid and painful. Actually there should be enough room under your head to move your head around quite freely. Also you should be able to waggle the violin around. Just to remind you, a shoulder rest doesn't mean the violin is in one position rigidly. If you could embrace the idea that there could be space under your chin neck and head, enough to actually move your head around when you play, you'd be closer to freeing yourself. Are you impatient? Stay calm and just try one thing at a time, but I love that you have ideas and are trying lots of things! Mary❤