How to Stop Left Hand Cramping and Squeezing on the Violin | Violin Lounge TV #388
Playing tips, massage techniques and stretching exercises to heal and prevent cramps in your left hand and the mouse of your thumb:
These tips will help you play the violin fast, relaxed and secure
A lot of violin players, and especially adult beginning violinists, have trouble keeping their left hand relaxed. Also advanced violinists playing lots of hours, can have nasty cramps in their left hand.
Do you notice your left hand squeezing? In the video above I give you some simple massage techniques for your hand and fingers and some stretching exercises. This will help you relieve the tension right away.
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Hi! I'm Zlata
Classical violinist helping you overcome technical struggles and play with feeling by improving your bow technique.
Most effective to avoid tension in violin playing is to change the way you play
A good left hand technique involves a flexible thumb that is a counter player of your other fingers.
Your thumb shouldn’t be locked into one place squeezed tightly to the neck of the violin.
Your left hand should look round and relaxed. When it’s looks tensed or edgy, it probably is.
You don’t need much power to ‘hit the notes’. You can either softly press the string on the fingerboard or use the ‘slapping’ technique I show in the video.
What was your best insight from this violin lesson?
Share it in the comments below!
Hi Zlata,
Another fine and informative video; many thanks.
Have you come across the Chinese Iron Balls also more commonly known as Baoding Balls. (Ming Dynasty 1368-1644) ?
They come in pairs and can have a simple bright steel coating or beautiful painted Chinese characters or animals, for example I have dolphins.
They come in various sizes (for different sized hands) and each has its own ‘clanging’ sound from an internal mechanism. One sound for Yin and the other for Yang. You rotate both balls in one hand and all parts of the whole hand is massaged and the sound is very relaxing. They cost only a few English pounds.
Perhaps you might consider doing a video because if I have ‘tight hands I use them for only a minute or so and they bring back the relaxed movement feeling.
If you need help please feel free to ask.
I have had the fiddling for older folk web page do an in depth article after I recommended them with coloured photos.
PS My wonderful wife Josie, always wanting to tidy up when we were in THE WORKS shop in Derby (UK) did not like the different sounds in each of the boxed sets and made sure that each box had two Yins or two Yangs but not one of each ! She told what she had done and I had to explain that each box had to have one Yin and one Yang for harmony reasons. I spent a fair amount of time swapping them all back, but the sounds were wonderfully relaxing !! Couldn’t get out of the shop quick enough !!
Hmmm…. I might have to try these!
Let me know how they work for you!
Great suggestion!
… and don’t forget the fingertips, so that the chinese round balls, including the noise-causing triangles in the balls, help tolerate pain from or simply guide the fingertips.
Thank you Zlata. I was wondering which video has the slapping technique.
Is this one the video you’re looking for?