I am a mad trad player and have been playing for around five years now. I am quite young, and was wondering if their is a set way to hold the fiddle. I am thinking to myself that I better iron out any faults now, than ten years down the road. When holding the fiddle, I rest the end on the skin between my thumb and index finger. I don't grip it between thumb and index finger as some players do. My fiddle teacher is always saying that I should correct how I hold the fiddle, and says as a result of how i hold it, my thumb sticks up at the end of the fiddle like a puppy's tail! She also says I will get a sore left hand when I get older.
if i were still young (i'm not, but is that a valid excuse...?) i would give a try to changing any bad habits i knew of. i would say to myself, ok, for a couple of weeks, i'll try the new way. because if it really stumped you, you could go back to the old way, but i would think two weeks, if you play regularly, would be enough to give your hand a clue if it could benefit from the new way. even if, or especially if, a person is self taught, trying things seems like a good idea.
on the other hand (and there always is another hand) i know a lot of people whose playing i admire but whose holds look very awkward to me, so it must be a very individual thing. i would care more about the sound than any puppy dog tails or apparent visual oddities. see if the sound changes, or the dexterity of your fingers?
It is entirely possible to play with "bad" left hand position. Don't ever believe anyone who says you can't be a great player without proper hand position. Just look at Liz Carrol (the above clip posted by RichardB). HOWEVER, using any left hand technique in which your wrist is at all bent makes your tendons have to work around a bend to make your fingers move. Whenever you play you are putting repetitive stress on those tendons. You will not notice any problem for years, but when the pain starts you will have to stop playing for weeks or months. This only happens to those that play a lot. Those that really want to play. I personally know at least a dozen fiddle players that had to go through that. True, you may be one of the lucky few who can play with your wrist bent and have you tendons not give out on you. You are young and haven't really been playing that long. When there is a way to learn to play in which you are sure not to have that problem in the future, don't you think a simple change in technique (which costs you nothing except a week or two of proper practice) is worth the effort? For your own sake in the long run, just listen to your teacher.
Your fiddle should be "held" with your chin rest... get a good shoulder rest if you need to. You should be able to "hold" the fiddle even if you take your left hand completely off the fiddle.
If you follow the instructional video - "A Night at the Opera", you should grasp the neck firmly with both hands and use the back of the violin.
Don't know why they bother giving you that bow. Oh yeah...for fencing practice. They cover that too.
Seriously, proper technique will stick you for a lifetime.
Zoe Conway has a lifetime of both solid traditional fiddle playing and solid classical training behind her, and is one of those comparatively rare violinists/fiddlers who can play at the top level in both genres.
You don't hold the thing with your left hand. It his completely held by having it rest between your chin and your shoulder. Your thumb underneath the neck is more of an anchor to keep your notes on track (helps a lot when going to different positions ;) ) Also your knuckles should be as parallel as you can get them with the neck of the board.
Holding the fiddle
Holding the fiddle
I am a mad trad player and have been playing for around five years now. I am quite young, and was wondering if their is a set way to hold the fiddle. I am thinking to myself that I better iron out any faults now, than ten years down the road. When holding the fiddle, I rest the end on the skin between my thumb and index finger. I don't grip it between thumb and index finger as some players do. My fiddle teacher is always saying that I should correct how I hold the fiddle, and says as a result of how i hold it, my thumb sticks up at the end of the fiddle like a puppy's tail! She also says I will get a sore left hand when I get older.
Responses Please!
# Posted on October 24th 2011 by Conor the fiddler
Re: Holding the fiddle
Why don't you listen to your fiddle teacher?
# Posted on October 24th 2011 by Dragut Reis
Re: Holding the fiddle
Yeah, definitely not a good way to hold it.
# Posted on October 24th 2011 by SmashTheWindows
Re: Holding the fiddle
There are as many ways of holding the fiddle as there are fiddlers, but general consensus would have it that your way is not a good one.
# Posted on October 24th 2011 by gam
Re: Holding the fiddle
If you hold it flat with the thumb sticking up you might end up playing like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4fT5V14uns and that would be tragic
# Posted on October 24th 2011 by RichardB
Re: Holding the fiddle
if i were still young (i'm not, but is that a valid excuse...?) i would give a try to changing any bad habits i knew of. i would say to myself, ok, for a couple of weeks, i'll try the new way. because if it really stumped you, you could go back to the old way, but i would think two weeks, if you play regularly, would be enough to give your hand a clue if it could benefit from the new way. even if, or especially if, a person is self taught, trying things seems like a good idea.
on the other hand (and there always is another hand) i know a lot of people whose playing i admire but whose holds look very awkward to me, so it must be a very individual thing. i would care more about the sound than any puppy dog tails or apparent visual oddities. see if the sound changes, or the dexterity of your fingers?
# Posted on October 24th 2011 by full measure
Re: Holding the fiddle
Strictly speaking, you shouldn't be "gripping" it at all with your left hand.
# Posted on October 24th 2011 by SmashTheWindows
Re: Holding the fiddle
It is entirely possible to play with "bad" left hand position. Don't ever believe anyone who says you can't be a great player without proper hand position. Just look at Liz Carrol (the above clip posted by RichardB). HOWEVER, using any left hand technique in which your wrist is at all bent makes your tendons have to work around a bend to make your fingers move. Whenever you play you are putting repetitive stress on those tendons. You will not notice any problem for years, but when the pain starts you will have to stop playing for weeks or months. This only happens to those that play a lot. Those that really want to play. I personally know at least a dozen fiddle players that had to go through that. True, you may be one of the lucky few who can play with your wrist bent and have you tendons not give out on you. You are young and haven't really been playing that long. When there is a way to learn to play in which you are sure not to have that problem in the future, don't you think a simple change in technique (which costs you nothing except a week or two of proper practice) is worth the effort? For your own sake in the long run, just listen to your teacher.
# Posted on October 24th 2011 by fiddleK
Re: Holding the fiddle
Your fiddle should be "held" with your chin rest... get a good shoulder rest if you need to. You should be able to "hold" the fiddle even if you take your left hand completely off the fiddle.
# Posted on October 24th 2011 by Fiddlechick7
Re: Holding the fiddle
Good article here,
http://www.violinist.com/violin/how-to-hold-a-violin/
# Posted on October 24th 2011 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Holding the fiddle
Another tragic player:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acsNgZbvF8E
# Posted on October 24th 2011 by Just a person
Re: Holding the fiddle
If you follow the instructional video - "A Night at the Opera", you should grasp the neck firmly with both hands and use the back of the violin.
Don't know why they bother giving you that bow. Oh yeah...for fencing practice. They cover that too.
Seriously, proper technique will stick you for a lifetime.
# Posted on October 24th 2011 by MorganYYZ
Re: Holding the fiddle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lefW4od-uTc
This one must have listened to her teacher, and look where it got her.
# Posted on October 25th 2011 by SandyBottoms
Re: Holding the fiddle
Just a Person: do you think Martin Hayes' teacher had a word with him, sometime between your video and this one?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcxqWI93LCc&feature=related
# Posted on October 25th 2011 by Bernie 29
Re: Holding the fiddle
Zoe Conway has a lifetime of both solid traditional fiddle playing and solid classical training behind her, and is one of those comparatively rare violinists/fiddlers who can play at the top level in both genres.
# Posted on October 25th 2011 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Holding the fiddle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqCDDRAy8hQ
You might even end up playing like this man...
# Posted on October 25th 2011 by gam
Re: Holding the fiddle
TJ, she is one of my favorites. I like IP too gam, funny video.
# Posted on October 26th 2011 by SandyBottoms
Re: Holding the fiddle
I don't know about Martin Hayes' teacher, but clearly he has a new barber...
# Posted on October 27th 2011 by Just a person
Re: Holding the fiddle
You don't hold the thing with your left hand. It his completely held by having it rest between your chin and your shoulder. Your thumb underneath the neck is more of an anchor to keep your notes on track (helps a lot when going to different positions ;) ) Also your knuckles should be as parallel as you can get them with the neck of the board.
Hope this helps
# Posted on October 30th 2011 by Invincible
Re: Holding the fiddle
Thank you very much for all your advice, and I laughed at the comment about Martin Hayes! lol
# Posted on November 1st 2011 by Conor the fiddler