October 2015

How to Bow Comfortably and Fluently (with Arthritis or Fibromyalgia) | Violin & Viola TV #205

October 27, 2015 08:56

In this video I will give some advice to one of our viewers based on the photo’s he sent me.

First a little disclaimer: I’m just a humble fiddler and not a doctor. This is general advice, not specific advice for your individual situation. If your doctor tells you otherwise or if your body tells you otherwise, feel free to not follow my advice.

Taran writes...

Hi Zlata! I've been watching your videos on youtube and have found them very helpful. I got my violin back in December and have been playing for about 4 weeks now.
Do you have any tips or advice on playing comfortably for people with arthritis? I've heard many people say that your bowing hand should feel relaxed and not feel tight or strained, but with the arthritis in my wrist, it's hard to pinpoint whether the pain is coming from my playing something incorrectly or if it's another factor (which can even include the weather!).
I want to make sure I'm not developing any bad habits early and want to catch them before I get too set into my ways. Thank you in advance for your help!
Kindest Regards,
Taran J Hook

Please watch the video to see a couple of shots of Taran’s playing. In this you see that the bow hand looks quite tensed with straight fingers. Probably (correct me if I’m wrong) he holds the same position and doesn’t move his wrist or fingers while bowing.

I think you can work a lot on bow ‘hold’, movement and relaxation... the souplesse of your bowing. This is something every beginners needs to work on. Certainly adults want to do too much, with too much tension and with a fixated hold. The bowing is stiff. This can be heard in your sound, but can also cause injury.

The bow hold that is optimal for your sound and playing technique, is a very strange hold. If you do this in a tensed way, your muscles can’t do it very long. Every beginner, certainly if you have arthritis or fibromyalgia, should work on the movement in the bow hold instead of focussing on keeping a strained hold.

In the video I demonstrate the effortless movement of using your wrist and fingers as a spring system. Violin playing shouldn’t cost a lot of effort in a short time. It should be refined, fluent and relaxed. In the end of the video I show you a jellyfish exercise.

What I notice is that Taran pivots the bow with the hair in the direction of the scroll (see video). If you pivot the bow, the hair should face the bridge and not the scroll. Otherwise you will unnecessarily strain your wrist.

I hope these tips will help all beginners, but specially those who have something like arthritis.

I think playing the violin is possible in a lot of cases, even if it’s just 10 minutes in a row.

Is this video helpful to you? Please let me know in the comments below! If you like it, share it with your friends!

Love,

Zlata

PS: Do you have questions or struggles on violin or viola playing? Post a comment below or send an e-mail to info@violinlounge.com and I might dedicate a Violin & Viola TV episode to answering your question!

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Wolf Forte Secundo Shoulder Rest Review

October 19, 2015 07:38

In this episode I’m going to review a product that I’ve been using for almost twenty years and that is an all time favorite amongst my students and clients. It’s the Wolf Forte Secundo shoulder rest.

Amateur and professional players from all over the country (and abroad) visit me for ‘rest fitting session’ in which I find and adjust the perfect chinrest and shoulder rest (or cushion or nothing) for them. Most of the time they know the Wolf, as it’s a Dutch brand that most people here use.

Often people are a bit skeptic about the Wolf, because they have tried it before. However very often this Wolf appears to be the perfect rest for them.

A Wolf can be a good fit for almost everybody, because it’s adjustable in so many ways.

The key is in adjusting it and taking the time for that. Often people reject the Wolf, because they just didn’t find the way to adjust it.

The advantages of the Wolf above other rests are:

You can make the screws on the feet even higher with tubes that come with the rest when you buy one.

You can place the feet upside down, so the rest is a lot lower or a lot higher.

You can bend the rest, so it follows the exact shape of your collar bone. This is not possible with rests that are made of wood or plastic.

You can adjust it in width and height.

You can tilt the cushion.

The disadvantage of the Wolf is that you can’t make it extremely low. I’m a big fan of holding your violin a bit to the middle and low. This automatically means you need either no shoulder rest (like I play the viola) or a very low shoulder rest (like I play the violin). This is the reason why after almost twenty years of playing with a Wolf I have replaced it quite recently with a Viva la Musica Augstusin Diamond rest (click here for the review).

I see that in 90% of the cases people end of with this Wolf. If you want to buy your first shoulder rest or you have a shoulder rest that doesn’t fit you well, the Wolf is a good starting point.

If you are interested in buying the Wolf Forte Secundo shoulder rest, click here!

Is this video helpful to you? Please let me know in the comments below! If you like it, share it with your friends!

What’s your favorite shoulder rest and why? Share it in the comments below!

Love,

Zlata

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How to Keep the Space between your Index Finger and the Neck of your Violin

October 13, 2015 02:53

In this episode of Violin & Viola TV I answer a question from my Violin & Viola Academy student Ryan. He asks...

I am having trouble keeping space between my index finger and the fingerboard when playing on the lower two strings. Any tips?

The assumption that there should always be space between your index finger and the fingerboard is not really correct. In the video I show you exactly how the violin should rest in your hand.

Your violin should rest on your collar bone mainly and should be supported by your left hand. The contact points are the lowest knuckle of your index finger and your left thumb. These two are your reference points for the position you are playing in and support the violin at the same time.

The advantage of supporting your violin also with your left hand is that it’s stable, comfortable (you don’t strain your neck too much) and your intonation will be better (research says). And no, it won’t get in the way of your vibrato if you do it right.

Don’t hold your violin just with your chin and shoulder. This is true for the violin, but even more for the viola as it’s bigger, longer and heavier.

Is this video helpful to you? Please let me know in the comments below! If you like it, share it with your friends!

Love,

Zlata

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What case do you need? Why I choose Gewa Maestro | Violin & Viola TV #202

October 6, 2015 06:46

Violin & Viola TV episode 202 is all about what case you need. Of course it depends on what you need to use it for.

If you just go to your weekly lesson with your case and you don't travel with it too much, I simple case will be fine for you. If you want to save some money and are not very high demanding, something like this (click here) will do.

If you are traveling a lot with your case and you want it to be light, choose a carbon BAM case, Gewa Air case or Musilia case (in the video I accidentally say Mustafa, but that's not correct).

If you want something more big and luxury, you might go for something like I have: the Gewa Maestro (in green). I show it in the video. It's quite heavy, because it has suspension and good wooden protection.

I read some research that wood, as is integrated in high quality classical cases, protects your instrument best against changes in humidity and temperature.

There are quite some large compartments, so a big case like this is very practical (certainly for teachers like me!). Also it looks very nice and the finish is very detailed. I hope to enjoy this case for many years to come.

In the end I would like to recommend to buy your case offline, because online the pictures always look beautiful and in real life it can be different.

I hope this video has enlightened you a bit on what violin case to buy.

Is this video helpful to you? Please let me know in the comments below! If you like it, share it with your friends!

Love,

Zlata

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