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The violin is a fantastic instrument to learn, and some of the finest music we know has been written for the instrument. We're all familiar with the warm feeling we experience when listening to someone who's really mastered playing the violin, but learning the instrument can sometimes be frustrating, and we violinists often develop tension which holds us back and, in extreme cases, can even lead to injury. After all, holding a wooden box with strings under our chin for long periods isn't all that natural, but with a bit of thought and careful practice, we can reduce tension and learn to play the violin in a relaxed manner, thereby create a wonderful sonorous sound.
So here are a few tips to consider when practising, which will help you to reduce tension:
1. Always play with good posture, with both feet firmly on the ground and with a perfectly straight body. Looking in the mirror while practising will help you achieve this.
2. Think about your breathing while practising. Playing the violin is a bit like being a singer, and we need to learn to breathe while playing and avoid holding air inside our lungs.
3. Never strain fingers or arms while playing. If something feels tense, stop playing at once, and concentrate on relaxing that part of your body before starting to play again.
4. Slow practise will lead to tension-free playing and will make your sound miles better! If something feels uncomfortable, isolate that passage of the play each note very slowly. When that feels relaxed, practise slightly faster. Gradually increase the speed at which you play, but never increase the speed until the passage feels relaxed at the speed you are already playing at.
5. Never thrash something out on the violin! It may be tempting, but the quickest way to make something sound good is to go back to basics, practise slowly and gradually building up from there.
Reducing tension is one of the most important things to learn when playing the violin. By doing so you will avoid injury, look much better while performing and most of all, develop a beautiful, relaxed sound.
GOOD LUCK!
