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Getting Restless...

Practicing: While I am playing the violin i get back aches or my fingers start hurting, is that normal?

From Amy Jean
Posted November 4, 2009 at 03:41 AM

 Hi. During playing the violin my back starts hurting or my fingers start cramping up. I just get tired easily and i usually have to take a lot of breaks. What do you guys recommend I do? I wonder if it has something to do with my posture...

Greetngs,

the simplest solution is to take Alexander lessons.  Unfortunately this s an expensive option.   You didn`t say how long you ahve been playign by the way?

Playing the violin is the same as doing a sport.  It requires warming up the body,  stretching, doing correctly and within moderation and then warming down and especially stretching.  From your description of the pain you could be failing to pay attention in any one of these areas or more

  You might begin each pracitc esession with a body awareness and integration exercises (assuming you are warm and loose.)   Take a note of your left foot.  Don`t move it or anything.  Just observe the feeling both in it and without in terms of what it is touching /sensations etc.  Repeat the procedure with your right foot.  Now try and pay attention to both feet simultaneously.  Nw pay attention to your left lower leg in the same way  .  Then the right.  The both and then include the sensation of the feet.  Notice oyur upper legs in the same way and then add the lower parts.  Do the buttocks,  lower back,  stomach upper back,  chest upper arm,  lower arm hands neck etc in the same way.  It doesn`t take long to do this exercises.

Dont strat playing difficult stuff straight away.  Be calm.  Be relaxed.  Make sure you are standing balanced between both feet equally and -your knees are not locked back.-   Pracitc ethrowing the violin up rather quickly.  Imagine the left arm is throwing a ball to someone. There is an initla wind up (backward movement)  the throw/reelease and then follow through.   Try to emulate this feeling when putting the vilin up.  Putting it up slowly and carefully is hard work and utilizes many muscles which then remain tense.   You might even beign warming up the bow arm without the vioin.  Hold the bow in the left hand in front of you.  Slowly and carefully find your bow hold. Press veyr slightly with the thumb so that the hold is settled.  Then make big patterns in all diections with the bow.  Circes, squares,  write your name,  mimic actuall bowing on animaginary violin. At no time does the bow hold change.

Once you are goin on bow /violin togethr play some open strings with various bowings   Look at the stirn vibrating and search for the freeest sound.  Dont try and play loud in the ealry stages of pracitcing.   Do some really easy scales focusing on aboulste relaxtion of the left hand.   Stop after a few notes and do a check for tenson in the thumb,  frst finge rof the left hand etc.   Wipe you thumb back and forth on the neck ass part of your routine for doing less with less tension.  Stop eveyr ten minutes without fail and let the lubricants run back into your joints and the fingers decontract.  Shae your hands.   stopping every ten minutes is extremely benificial.

After you have finished practicing stretch. This si reallyimportant.  get a copy of Bob Andersens book on stretching.

Idle thoughts,

Buri

Ball tossing and monkey bars--it all comes down to recess.  No one ever complains of stiffness when coming back from recess.

 For success get recess not excess.

Buri has lots of great ideas as usual. Here's a few more things to consider.  Do you routinely stand or sit? Switching off might help you. Are you sure your chinrest & shoulder rest if you use one fit & work well? Do you have a teacher/coach? If not, you might get a few lessons w/a specific intent of someone who can analyze your rests & your playing position, and who can watch you for signs of tension & loss of balance while you play.  For pain in your fingers, do you think you clench up as you play? Perhaps you pound your fingers too hard? Is your violin well-adjusted for string height, and have you tried a lighter-gauge string or a soft-core string if you currently use a heavy gauge or all-metal? Short version, try to back up to the most basic level of the problem, and if you can't tell what's going on, look for a coach who can assist you. Luck! Sue 

Sorry to look simplist but do you have a good competent teacher who knows the restless method to teach you this. If not, run and find one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (oups Sue beat me to told this sorry) Because at first, people place their thumb all sort of inergonomic ways under the neck of the instruments.  The new added weight of the violin on their left thumb that isn't there where you play with a rest can lead  to terrible crispation in all the left hand if you don't learn to hold the neck correctly... Also the FAMOUS left shoulder that so many lift when they play restless.  Play with two mirrors, one on front or you and one in your back.  Look in a way to see your back when you play... you may find schocking surprises and realize that your left shoulder is always up. (nothing better than to catch onself doing the wrong thing to be conscious of it and correct it). This mirror trick performed miracles to teach my shoulders... Some people just need slight support as a pad or cloth etc  

However I agree very much too with the excellent advice on breaks, AT and relaxation. Just that you can do all this and still fail to find a solution if you do not have a competent person to teach you this way of holding the violin. 

Good luck!

Anne-Marie

Thanks everyone for the great advice. Buri i have tried the excercises each time before i play and now my back and hands feel a lot better. I have also tried the cloth on my shoulder and it helps too. And lastly the mirror trick is really cool because i found out that i slump alot while i play. which is probably the reason why my back hurts so much!! In terms of my back and hands they feel much better. Thanks everyone!!!

 I usually just crack my knuckles before I play. Something I learned on Seinfeld.

It`s the -only- thing you can learn on Seinfeld.

 LOL well i dont really like to crack my knuckles...it hurts=(

Try to focus on your arms, that they don't stick to the torso on either side.. Arm, I mean upper arm, and the shoulder joint... ;)

Ha ha, I know the feeling. I pllay so much the tips of my left fingers get air blisters... Also, when playing something really high in pitch, i get a headache...

Yeah, yeah, it's just that feeling. Otherwise, its amazing how good bowing can improve pitch.... intonation that is. Otherwise it's the same speed (140bpm) with me, and I know how frustrating it is, when you can't play as precisely as you could bcs of the bowing tension....... :-P

Yikes, what im talking about?? Was that another thread? ;-)

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