So much has happened since my last blog post, but I’m still teaching! I started a new student today, and I wanted to share some info about our lesson.
First of all, every student, no matter how young or young-at-heart, starts with posture. Having the correct posture and setup is so important that it’s the first thing any student needs to master.
First off is holding the violin. I have a video that covers the steps – I know, it’s made for kids. I’ll have a grown up version shortly. But each step of the process is important for lining up the body to embrace the instrument. Let me explain…
- First we start in rest position. The violin is tucked under the right arm for security. And it leaves the left hand free to get a good hold on the instrument when it’s time.
- We grasp the violin with the left hand on the body – thumb on the back and curved fingers on top. This is a secure hold and keeps the wrist neutral so that the forearm muscles are doing the lifting. If you let your fingers flatten, the palm does the work and it strains your wrist. Also, grabbing the instrument by the neck is like strangling it before you’ve even started and that’s just not nice.
- We lift the instrument up to the right shoulder, making a window around the head. You don’t have to wave, like I do in the video, but this actually rotates the left shoulder blade and lifts the rib cage, straightening the spine. When it comes time to place the violin, the rotated shoulder gives a nice sturdy surface for the violin (or viola).
- Drawing a rainbow with the violin. This action keeps the shoulder blade rotated, and increases the range of the shoulder. Plus, how fun is it to stick the end button in your ear? By the way, sticking the button in your ear keeps the head facing forward until it’s time to turn it.
- Placing the instrument on your shoulder. This step gives you a second to make sure the instrument is seated on top of the shoulder bone. We like to try to put it in front of the shoulder, but have you ever put a book away on the front edge of the shelf? It won’t stay! By placing the violin on top of the rotated shoulder, we have a full-service shelf to support the violin.
- Finally, turn your head until the violin is secure. Our chiropractors will thank us for not scrunching our neck bones by lifting our china or shrugging our shoulders. If the violin is setup probably for our body shape, all we have to do to secure the violin is keep our head gently turned to the left, keeping the violin sandwiches between the chin and shoulder.
- Let go and trust physics. If you’ve done all of the steps properly, you can let go with the left hand, and let the weight of your head do all the work. Did you know that the average skull weighs 14 pounds? Let your head do the holding so your fingers can do the acrobatics.
And that’s it! Next, I’ll go in depth with the bow hold. Be sure to check out the kids version and follow along!