Is it difficult to play the violin if you are double jointed

November 11, 2016 at 03:04 AM · I do not understand why this would be an issue, though I have never experienced what a double joint is like. There is no reason that his left hand's fingers should bend back. I think a solid private teacher should be consulted as there is probably an issue with his posture/how he is holding his instrument.

November 11, 2016 at 03:08 AM · There is no such thing as double jointed.

Cheers Carlo

November 11, 2016 at 03:48 AM ·

Double joint exercise:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJJfyMVsg6U&t=49s

November 11, 2016 at 11:22 AM · I had one very gifted student for whom I had to devise new fingerings to avoid over using the middle finger!

She helped me to be more creative with my own fingerings..

November 11, 2016 at 01:42 PM · Hi Gautam, Like your friend, I am also 'double-jointed'. I don't feel that I had any more difficulties playing then someone without joint issues. It simply is a matter of training the muscles in ones hand which takes time.

I had more problems getting my thumb to stay bent on my bow hold then I had with locking/collapsing fingers on my left.

November 11, 2016 at 01:55 PM · Paganini was said to be double jointed

November 11, 2016 at 04:40 PM · Paganini's secret was that he actually had no joints. :D

More seriously, it is a blessing to be double-jointed, as tension and positioning mistakes are much easier to spot.

I have double-jointed thumbs, and they warn me of too much tension, because the left gets stuck and painfully snaps back, while the one on the bow hurts if I hold the bow more than slightly too tight. :)

November 11, 2016 at 10:22 PM · As one who also has hyper-extensive joints I can tell you that the problem isn't the hyper-extension capability but way too much pressure on the fingers pressing on the strings. If you have those joints and you put a death-grip on the neck you will have all kinds of problems. The fix is to relax, it doesn't take that much pressure to properly stop a string.

November 11, 2016 at 11:40 PM · "Is it difficult to play the violin if you are double jointed?"

Yes. It is also difficult to play if you are not double jointed. Learning the violin is one of the most difficult but rewarding endeavors someone can take on.

Find a good teacher, practice, and enjoy the adventure!

November 13, 2016 at 01:43 PM · Personally, I do not quite difficult. But it always depends on the person, besides it is directly connected to his skills and abilities.

November 15, 2016 at 04:31 AM · My brother's hands look just like the pictures you posted. My mom used a lot of hand putty and stretchy bands, etc. for him growing up.

Also, George is correct - a lot of violinists use way too much pressure and "gripping" when playing (and this is magnified when the violinist has "double-joints"). Simon Fischer's book, "Basics" has a lot of simple exercises dealing with various techniques and issues. This might be a good resource for him.

November 16, 2016 at 10:30 AM · Bailey truly doesn't know what he is talking about. If the OP's friend's hands really are as hypermobile as the ones depicted then it is likely that he will find he has to work around it in learning the violin. I see lots of perople with hypermobility,, and most of the kids have a parent who has hypermobile joints who has gone through life hardly noticing except for when it came in handy for a party trick. But when you get a 5 year old who's fingertips hyperextend when he picks up a pencil, you can see that 1. its going to be difficult to get any precision in hand activities and 2. he's going to develop joint pain and stiffness.

If your friend can't convince his finger joints to remain in a comfortably flexed position against sustained light resistance, he may need to do a fair bit of retraining to strengthen those flexor muscles and to develop the sense of what it feels like to work with his hand in that shape. Often people with hypermobility, esp if its extreme, have perpetually worked with their fingers extended to full range, that's how they get their strength. They may also have less awareness and feedback about what their hands and fingers are doing, so your friend would benefit from a really good teacher who can reinforce good patterns.

If it was proving really difficult, you could look into a good physio or OT with hands expertise who does taping and have the joints stabilised for a few days with coban or kinesiotape, and see what that is like for practising.