Comments

Karen, I do the same thing with my left hand when I play. It really inhibits smooth playing on the E string. What are you doing to correct this? I can't seem to get out of the habit of keeping the side of my index finger against the neck. I think I started doing this when trying to not press my thumb into the neck. I've traded one bad habit for a new one. I think you're doing the right thing to face up to the facts on your thumb. Acknowledging the problem can be the first step towards solving it. One of my adult students had a similar issue, and since we've been dealing with it, his playing has improved tremendously. T. Netz, I don't think it's an all-or none thing. I'm trying to keep the instrument more balanced on my thumb and especially, to not bend the top thumb joint in a gripping motion but rather always keep it straight with the instrument right above it. The neck sometimes still touches the inside of my index finger (actually it's a little lower, more like the inside of the index knuckle) but I don't think that can be completely avoided just the way my hand is shaped.

What I'm having to get used to is thinking about the position of my fingers and instrument in space with my thumb rather than inside of knuckle as the primary reference point. That's what I meant by "entirely different feeling."

It just feels weird because I had surgery on that thumb, which healed long ago, but there's a scar and the scar touches the neck.

And it's somewhat distracting to always have to be thinking about my thumb while I'm playing. I'd really rather be thinking about fingerings, phrasings, dynamics . . . but as Laurie says, it takes 21 days to establish a habit, and I have about 15 to go.

Pauline, I definitely want to face the facts about my thumb, I just haven't been sure what they are or which ones are relevant. Good for you for helping your student through his issues! My teacher has been very patient in listening to me talk through this. Good luck in finally working out the problem with your thumb. I am sure you will succeed. I watch my student play, and when I see signs of muscle tension, I tell him to stop, stretch his muscles or massage them gently, and only when his violin-playing muscles feel relaxed can he play again. I can see the signs of muscle tension before he can feel them. (He's a beginner.) These rests give us lots of opportunities to talk about whatever he's interested in musically.