Sharing a Lesson

These buddies are both learning left-hand position. As she achieved it, this four-year old turned to her friend to talk about it. This is the same lesson as "Violin Partners" so you can see that each had a chance to practice individually with me. Both partners watched and encouraged each other and discussed their success together.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• violin
• lesson
• left-hand
• teacher
• buddy
• Russian
• School
• Galamian
• Suzuki

[LisasViolinStudio]

(part 3) Eventually, the thumb is quite mobile because it acts as a fulcrum to whatever finger is playing, but in the beginning, I teach my kids like this because it helps them learn the fulcrum-function of the thumb and the feeling of the neck resting on top of the thumb. It also sets up the half-step between fingers 2 & 3 very nicely.

[LisasViolinStudio]

This position is one I learned from Milstein and some other old-school violinists. There are essentially two ways to "hold" a violin. You can clamp down on the chin rest with your chin and shoulder getting tighter. Then the thumb often rests on the side of the neck - forming a vice-like grip with the index finger (side to side across the neck).

[Lokan3]

Aha, that's a great idea! Two of my own children have double jointed thumbs. I'll see if my ten year old boy will let me videotape his bowing. Despite years of constant correction he persists in playing with it inverted and then he also tilts the bow stick backwards. It drives me to distraction, but of course he has to be the one to want to fix it :) Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to me. I love the Suzuki community! I'm in Toronto, Canada by the way.

[LisasViolinStudio]

I always start with that circle you see at the beginning of the video, then use the pencil to set the position, then work with the bow. Kids tend to want to close up the thumb and squeeze it towards their palms. You just have to work on it a lot. If you put up a video of the problem, I can probably tell you what is happening.

[Lokan3]

I do try to have the kids end up with vertical thumbs and 1st fingers, but sometimes I struggle to get them there. especially with thumb tension. Any ideas on how to deal with double jointed right thumbs?

Thanks.

[Lokan3]

That sounds great. Thanks for clarifying. I always find setting up the left hand position in my litlest ones the hardest thing. Next time I'll try some of these suggestions. Thanks again! Please keep posting and I will keep learning. I'm always looking for helpful things.

[LisasViolinStudio]

(part 2) Or, you can balance the violin on two points on your body - your collarbone and your thumb. In this position, the violin is not really "held" as much as balanced. The relationship with the thumb and index finger is vertical, not horizontal, so the finger presses down ONTO the thumb, not squeezed across the neck.

[Lokan3]

I also teach Suzuki violin. In my training the teachers tended to call playing from this angle "using the inside corner of your finger." I think it's just another way of saying the same thing. I was wondering what you were doing though with the thumb? I wasn't sure of the purpose of sticking it out like that. Thanks!

[LisasViolinStudio]

(sorry - can't put long posts here!) If you are a violinist, you can do a simple experiment at home. Play one note on your finger tip with your finger perpendicular to the fingerboard and listen to how it sounds. Then roll your finger back so the knuckle falls towards the scroll and your finger is pressing the string down with the pad. Now listen. Which do you like better? Which feels more relaxed for your hand?

[LisasViolinStudio]

This is a very old style way of playing - you can see it on most of the "Golden Age" violinists (if you search on YouTube for them you will find lots of videos). In my opinion, it makes for much better intonation and tone.