Holding the violin like a Cello

October 19, 2015 at 04:21 AM · I've seen it done (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqPk7SvYBdA) but felt really weird when I tried it, but clearly it's something that can be done.

(EDIT) Oh hadn't seen your link was to that exact same video! ;)

October 19, 2015 at 07:48 AM · As an ageing violist, I have often though of it!

Super vibrato, though, and easy shifts.

With a "vertical violin", complicated bowings get a bit crunchy. Finding a teacher who is prepared to experiment him/her-self may be tricky..

Yo-Yo Ma plays the Bartok concerto on a Hutchins "vertical viola" (with a spike). His ease in the high positions is enough to make us violists weep!

October 19, 2015 at 08:55 AM · Who needs a viola when one has a five-string cello? LOL.

October 19, 2015 at 04:49 PM · Some off-the-cuff observations on playing a violin like a cello -

The violin will sound completely different to the player - perhaps distressingly so - because the sound is directed away horizontally well below face level and little reaches the player's ears in the way it does when the violin is played with the normal hold. Further, sound from the back plate, which under normal circumstances is directed into the surrounding area and is part of what the audience hears, will instead be directed at, and absorbed by, the player's torso.

A violin bow is too long because in the cello position the bowing arm is straight, or nearly so, for most of the time. The geometry of the situation does not permit the cello bowing arm to bend as completely as the violin bowing arm. I would recommend a shorter bow (by say 2 inches?) perhaps a late Baroque violin bow in the French style of the 1750s.

Vibrato in the cello mode is certainly easier than in the violin mode - but perhaps only too easy to overcook!

If you're already a cellist (as I am) then I think you have to firmly resist the temptation to treat it like a cello. You're now playing a different instrument - neither violin nor cello.

An orchestral section of violins being played a la cello just wouldn't work. For a start the sound would be directed at the back of the players in front, and not upwards; and think of the logistics of the extra space needed for bowing. Playing a la cello would probably work either solo or as part of a small ensemble.

October 19, 2015 at 04:55 PM · Would you consider viola instead of violin? I have 2 acquaintances who have upright violas, at least one is usually a cellist. I do think it's a good option if you have physical limitations, but I would worry about finding a teacher with the right expertise.

October 20, 2015 at 02:36 AM · I suppose it could be done, but someone who is already an accomplished cellist would have a much easier time of it. The great cellist, Emanuel Feurmann was said to have a parlor trick where he would hold a violin cello style and play the last movement of the Mendelssohn concerto - and better than many violinists!

I have a friend who is a professional cellist. She also used to do a lot of string teaching in public schools and had to learn some violin. She did OK but had a lot of trouble with vibrato on the violin. When she held the violin cello style, vibrato was no problem for her. But I noticed something interesting: playing the violin on the shoulder, her skills were limited - even apart from vibrato issues. Holding it cello style, not surprisingly, she was much freer. BUT - she didn't project as well holding it in the very cello style she was much more comfortable with.

I think that the OP should come to terms with his problems holding the violin normally and try to seek a teacher who is known for helping with pain reduction, body awareness, etc. Maybe independently, try some Alexander Technique and/or Feldenkreis, etc.

October 20, 2015 at 07:31 AM · It might be useful here to get some input from people who play viols (as in "consort of").

October 20, 2015 at 10:25 AM · As an ex-cellist taking up violin quite late in life, I did try the cello position.

I would endorse Trevor's point about sound - in my experience the tone that reaches the player is thin to the point of being unpleasant. As much of the pleasure of playing the instrument lies in the enjoyment of its tone under the ear, this on its own is a strong argument against the cello position.

Second, as you say yourself, there is the problem of teaching. You would be very much on your own, as neither mainstream violin technique or cello technique would be directly applicable.

Finally, there is the mundane point that you would probably not be accepted into classical ensembles, if that is a relevant consideration.

So I suspect that you should take Raphael's advice and find a teacher with the ability to help you find a safe approach to playing more conventionally. Failing that, you might be better to focus on an instrument that offers fewer physical challenges.

October 20, 2015 at 10:55 AM · My cellist friend also plays viols.