April 12, 2015

Proper Left Hand Violin Hold

By Joanna Walsh


Producing that lovely and relaxing sound from a violin may sound, otherwise, impossible for a beginner. If you do not know the chords and proper mechanics, all that you can produce is plain, irritating noise. Luckily for you, you can enroll to a music school where you can be taught to play the instrument starting with the right position to creating beautiful notes and melodies.

The first thing a beginner must learn is the position of the left hand. This is necessary so that you will know the precise left hand violin hold. This is the part where the sound is produced. Some are standing upright straight and some use body arching while playing as part of the performance. Some are even dancing while playing. Lindsey Stirling is an example of a modern day violinist who incorporates dance into violin playing.

This instrument is one of the most sought after for musicians yet it could be one of the most difficult stringed instruments to learn. The guitar is also hard to learn but the positioning can be easier to learn. With regards to violin, starting positions can be difficult to retain as the shoulders and arm could feel strained and tired in carrying its weight.

This instrument, unlike the guitar, does not have frets in it making note and chord location difficult to do. Most teachers actually secure tapes on the parts of where you must hit your fingers to help you out. These are placed in the fingerboard. You can rely on the tapes in locating the tunes soon enough when you can finally memorize the chord positions.

The usual focus in learning the violin is the left hand position and the posture. It usually begins with practicing the correct posture. The left hand should be extended, while the thumb is placed on the first tape. The instructor will guide you with this. The thumb should be straight while the tip should be placed on the top part of the fingerboard.

Position the finger at the back of the fingerboard and its tip must be in appropriate level with the top of the board. Hold still and tight but at the same time, in a relaxed manner. Your wrist must be straight and the arm positioned right under the board. Again, relax and try not to exert too much effort.

While holding that position, try to produce a sound by hitting a basic chord with your fingers. Do not worry too much of you cannot make a perfect melody. Practice this time and time again until you get the perfect position and posture. Your instructor will teach you how to hit the notes properly. It does not matter if you stop from one chord to the next as long as you can become familiar with the finger positions first.

Your shoulder should also be positioned in a relaxed manner. Do not strain too hard in holding that instrument in place. If your shoulders are not relaxed, it will affect the muscles and will make it difficult to keep up in long duration. Another tip is that you can look at the picture of professionals or better yet, their videos. These will give you more ideas on how to position yourself comfortably.

There is really pain in order to gain the fruits of your labor. In addition, this will teach you values of patience and perseverance. If you get disappointed for not improving just yet, practice, practice, and practice some more.




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