How to relax Your Left hand While Playing Violin, No BS Guide

[@robertwaroff4303]

Thank you for doing this video. I do have a problem with tension in my left hand. I feel like it's more from lack of flexibility though. I'm 61 and started playing 2 years ago and I stretch my wrist and fingers every day. I have had some improvement but I can't get my elbow to move to my mid-line. do you have any ideas for that flexibility? Any help would be appreciated.

[@douglinist983]

I will do a video in the next coupe days! In the meanwhile do the things in the video, and I will clear a couple things here. 1. You can relax your hands at any age, the only way you can't is if there is a legitimate medical problem 2. Stretching your fingers and wrist, is good but it may be misleading, streatching is not relaxing. The goal is to get the weight of the arm "tranferred" to the violin so that the everything is relaxed. This is an extremely tough concept to understand and even harder to do, will post a video in a couple days for you! If you want a faster response feel free to join my discord! And subscribe! Thanks for the comment!

[@vinpen5662]

Are you still playing your violin

[@requiem9926]

Currently learning the Paganini caprice no 20. The fast bit tends to wear out my fingers easily. But this guide made it so much damn easier! Tysm for your help and contributions towards others❤️🔥

[@hannesfrischat7138]

That was a good video. Why not consider releasing more technique videos, also about right hand technique, your warm up program, and so on? Keep on what you are doing!

[@vinpen5662]

My thumb so much wants to draw my fingers to the finger board and hold it like mechanic holds a wrench

[@douglinist983]

yes, this is a hard instinct to break, I recommend putting the head of the violin on a stand then trying to make ur left thumb as comfy as possible to try to find your natural most relaxed state.

[@ChrisEbbrsen]

Thank you! My dad would have been furious had I dropped my great grandfathers violin. Hence I was always tense! I think your placing the scroll in the music stand trough is dangerous! You could snap your scroll real easy that way. Pluss look at how down cast your scroll is! That is slovenly form. Any of the old time teachers would admonish you f or dropping the scroll! That's one of the first taboos we're taught in beginning violin! Do not drop your scroll! Keep it horizontal or slightly up slanted. Your posture is important! Stand tall feet placed one foot apart scroll horizontal eyes viewing the fingerboard to scroll. Your correct about importance of relaxing left hand but you need a grippy shoulder rest and cup of your chin rest must hold violin as u ou say so left thumb won't choke!. Use a bungee or inner tube if you must support the scroll but remember it's delicate and carved thinly and if the wood is dry it will snap! Never put your violins scroll into the.pencil trough! Supposing your sitting behind a fellow violinist and he or she backs into your music stand! Your scroll will be snapped! Thanks for trying to teach but don't make more money for the lutiere if you can help it! Just saying!😢

[@michaelagibson8046]

Thank you!

[@tinlongsun5112]

Very good video. Helped me with my practice today.

[@douglinist983]

Thank you !

[@ecarneylaw]

Hiya Doug. thanks!

[@iggyzorro2406]

i am a very old (69) beginner. I've tried several shoulder rests and have never been comfortable. I feel most natural playing wih no shoulder rest and a small round pad under my shirt on the collar bone which helps me support the instrument. But playing sans shoulder rest calls for most of the support being provided by hand and arm which many youtube teachers advise. Is it possible to be somewhat relaxed playing in that manner? thanks for sharing your expertise.

[@douglinist983]

Yes you can be completely relaxed with a pad. Im not quite sure what you mean by sans shoulder rest ( I think you mean the shoulder rests that are tall and not pads). Ultimatly all that matters is that you hold the violin with your head, and that the violin holds the hand/arm thus enabling it to be more relaxed. I will delve deeper into this in my next video which Im working on right now. Thanks for commenting!

[@iggyzorro2406]

@@douglinist983 I have kuhn and bonmusica shoulder rests. they just don't do it for me.

[@douglinist983]

@@iggyzorro2406 ah well to each his own, I find it easier to hold the weight of my left arm with those shoulder rest, but the pad is just as doable! Focus on dropping like I did in the video and really making sure you are relaxed. Maybe you can get somone to feel your arm whole you hold the violin and see if they feel any tension.

[@iggyzorro2406]

@@douglinist983 THANK YOU. Looking forward to future vids.

[@Shrinksjp]

Well, I started playing the violin in my 60s with a private teacher. I am on Suzuki book 7, and still cannot do vibrato. It seems impossible to me. Everything else came easily. I have been trying vibrato for years in private lessons.

[@honkitytonkity]

hi! this video was really useful - I was wondering how to fix the bad habit of the wrist closing in on the violin neck instead of it being open (if that makes sense) ? thank you :) you should also make a video on right hand technique and vibrato! that’d be really useful

[@douglinist983]

Probably one of the best ways is putting the violin on music stand like in video to practice that. One of the key reasons I see why that left hand closes like that is because of the position of the thumb on the left hand. Make sure it’s in position (somewhere between first and second finger) and not too high or ANGLED (caps cuz that’s what can cause that wrist “collapsing”

[@judithWilliamson-b8s]

Any comments on how not to bump other strings while playing?

[@douglinist983]

hi sorry for just seeing this. The best thing to do for that in my opinion is to look at your right elbow. While looking at your right elbow go to each string and mentally note how high/low ur elbow is. (note that as you get more advanced you can implement the wrist some when you change strings to make the connection better). So for example for the G string your right elbow will be the highest, and for the E string it will be the lowest. After this if the problem still persists it is likely because of the wrist. The wrist should be rounded (as if to rub ur nose with the top of ur wrist) at the frog, and almost flat at the tip of the bow. hope this helps, and I hope that you are still on your violin journey

[@katiehunsaker1085]

I can't get my thumb to relax. It will naturally tense up and lay back.

[@douglinist983]

Sometimes the thumb wont relax with conventional methods and teachings. While you can try some other things like having a friend or relative stop you at random times when playing and move ur thumb a bit so that you feel that it is tense and can try focusing on relaxing it then resuming playing. You can also try whatever you come up with. Remember at one point no one knew how to play the violin or what the best echniques were. So try absolutely everything to get it to be relaxed then after that figure out how to get it in that state during playing, or just during proper left hand technique. I wish you the best and hope you are still playing!