Hold a Violin

Holding a violin incorrectly can stifle your sound, keep you from advancing in your tone and speed and cause the violin to slip while playing. A violinist uses their hand, chin, jaw, collarbone and shoulder to keep the violin balanced and secure. Use these steps for positioning your violin.

Steps

Obtaining Correct Posture

  1. Sit down in a straight-backed chair or stand up straight. It doesn’t matter if you choose to sit or stand, but it does matter that you keep your core engaged [1] and that you sit up or stand up straight. You want to feel like you have power up through your body.
  2. Don’t slouch. Slouching can lead to decreased speed and eventual pain. When sitting, both feet should be flat on the ground with the same positioning as if you were standing.
  3. Position your feet. If you're standing, position your feet a comfortable distance apart. They should be slightly less than shoulder-width apart, with your left foot a bit in front of the right. Place your weight fairly evenly between your two feet but with slightly more weight on the left foot than on the right foot. This will give you a firm base and balance. [1]

Positioning the Violin

  1. Place the violin on your neck and shoulder. You should rest the broad end of the violin onto your left collarbone with the neck of the violin facing outward. It should feel like a relatively natural, stable position.
  2. Place your chin on the chinrest. Lower you head straight down until it touches the chin rest. This may feel slightly less natural, but you also shouldn’t be straining yourself too dramatically. Your chin should only drop, not stretch.
  3. Angle your head properly. Now that your chin is on the chinrest, angle your head a little to the left so that you are looking 90 degrees from your violin. You want to angle your head in such a way that the chin rest runs along your jaw and ends at your chin.
  4. Pivot the violin toward the center. It should create a line that extends from your nose outward. [1] This is the correct way to hold a violin. If this is your first time holding a violin it might seem difficult, but get in the habit of doing it this way. Otherwise you will develop bad habits that will make it difficult to progress in the future.

Holding the Violin as You Play

  1. Keep the angle of the violin relatively steady while playing. When you play, the angle of the violin will fluctuate from left to right depending on the type of music and your comfort level. [1] However, the angle should not deviate too much more than 20 degrees. [2]
  2. Hold the violin straight with the strings parallel to the ground. The violin has a tendency to drop with bad posture, so check your posture if you notice the violin dropping constantly. [2]
  3. Position your left hand at the end of the violin's neck, before the struts. Hold the neck between your left thumb and forefinger, as if you are pinching it. You don’t need to hold it too tightly or you will cramp your hand.
  4. Curl your forefinger onto the top of the neck. The remaining fingers should not touch the violin. The violin should rest on that knuckle lightly. The weight of the violin should be distributed evenly between this knuckle and your collarbone. [2]
  5. Establish a straight line from your left wrist to your forearm. Do not twist your wrist. This positioning will change depending on the type of music being played and which strings you are using. This is the basic 1st position.
  6. Grasp the bow. You need to hold the bow at the end of the bow. Don’t choke up on it like a baseball bat. Hold it with your right thumb and fingers. Your forefinger should rest on top of the bow's pad and your pinky finger should sit on a screw. Now you are ready to play. [1]



Tips

  • Playing the violin while standing is better for your form and allows you a greater range of motion. It is also the traditionally preferred posture for practicing.
  • If the violin is painful even with a chin rest and shoulder rest, place a handkerchief between your chin or shoulder and the rest.
  • Make sure you are following the correct ways to hold the violin or else you could end up with a wrong posture and it could be hard to fix later on.
  • This guide is intended for right-handed violinists. Left-handed players should reverse the sides mentioned.
  • You can hold a violin without a chin rest or shoulder rest, but it is not suggested for beginners.
  • When you put your head on the chin rest do not put your chin on put the side of your jawbone that's why violinists look like they are looking down to the right!
  • Do not tense your neck or grip the neck of the violin too tightly. This is natural for beginners to compensate for the sense they will drop the instrument, but with correct violin posture and weight distribution, this shouldn't be a problem.
  • Do not squeeze the violin with your chin. Your chin should rest lightly on the chin rest.
  • When holding the bow, make sure to bend your thumb and pinky.
  • Beginners should buy a holder to put your fingers when holding the bow. If you have a double jointed pinky finger, you should get it too.

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 http://www.rkviolin.com/writ_fund_one.html
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 http://www.violinist.com/violin/how-to-hold-a-violin/

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