What is the Correct Left Thumb Position for Violinists?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 มิ.ย. 2024
- Do you squeeze the violin neck with your thumb and index finger? Stop right now and watch this video!
Learn this left hand technique to easily reach third and fourth finger notes, improve your overall pitch and free up your hand to play vibrato in the highest positions.
I am based in Nottingham, UK, and have been teaching since 2016, and online via Zoom since lockdown began.
To book online lessons, contact: theviolincoach@gmail.com
Links to recommended accessories:
Kun Solo shoulder rest: tinyurl.com/yar7r77b
Goetz Slim Style chin rest: tinyurl.com/yajqxmlu
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I am fortunate that my teacher has instructed me in this method for a year now and it really works for my small hands. So I watch this video to reinforce the correct position and I find that my thumb does rest near the nape as you have shown. I especially liked that you said the thumb and fingers are in different positions for every note. Thanks for this excellent instruction.
Cheers!
Wow my 4th finger has really sucked for the whole 3 years I played in middle school (part of the reason I dropped the instrument), but now that I’ve come back to the instrument, I’m so glad I found this because it fixed a lot of the things holding me back and its becoming enjoyable again, thanks so much!
This is one of the best videos about left hand form. Thank you
You are a perfect coach. I wish I found you long before. God bless your work.
I feel as though I can't rotate my wrist enough hold the instrument properly. I will continue to work on that - the thumb placement portion was a great help.
TH-cam read my mind so I watched this video. And it was very, very helpful. Thank you!!!
Real good stuff!! ❤
Exactly what I was looking for, I have been struggling to reach the flat notes with my pinky finger.
This video has really helped me.
I was doing this mistake all the time unknowingly. Many many Thanks for the tutorial.❤❤❤❤
Incredibly helpful and precise, thankyou and much appreciated.
Thanks, that’s very helpful, especially about not squeezing the neck and maintaining the C shape
Thank you from Italy! That's what I was looking for and didn't found...🙏🏻
You are only one I found good with correct techniques of violin playing.Great
Thanks for your feedback, appreciated!
That is the complet lessons.God bless you!
Amazing tutorial! This is exactly what I was struggling with.
Very clear and enlightening. I have bee toying with this posture for a while and find it very freeing. Thank you
Thank you, Ursella.
Thank very much for this Ursilla
Thank you for sharing this advice on how to hold the violin. I’ve never taken a lesson online but maybe I’ll give it a try with you.
this is the best vide about this s ubject
Thank you so much.
Thanks for the video, it was very informative and helpful!
Happy to help! Thanks for your feedback :)
Hey, The video of your instructor's performance was really nice and I really appreciate the thorough explanation, I've been teaching Violin privately for more than a decade now.
First, I don't think Vlad's thumb was actually behind his first finger for the majority of that performance if at all, it was blurry for me. If you spend some time meditating while focusing on your hand or studying the anatomy of your hand you would feel tension on the inside of your pinky knuckle when you pull your thumb behind your first finger. Also placing your thumb that far back gives a lot of strength to your first and second but very little to your third and fourth. Our first and second finger doesn't need the extra help our pink and third does. So I would have to agree with Prof. Bushkova about the hand shape mattering first and that centering your thumb near the middle finger releases the tension in your hand. Also for vibrato, we already have limited space for going downward for vibrato, pulling your thumb back further reduces the backwards direction of your vibrato. I'm sure this position works, with practice any one can make anything work, but using the wrong position would require to do extra work to get to the same solution as some one with the correct position. I'm glad this works for your students, but my students are young and have tiny hands, there isn't one student that i've had that could reach the correct pinky placement with their thumb pointing backwards. However, they reach the correct pinky position instantly when I move their thumb higher though.
I think my main point is, because everybody's hand is a different shape, it's a little hard to be defining what is the correct position for everybody's thumb here. That thumb position might only be correct for you.
I'm not sure why he taught me that way but he did and it works for me. Everyone is free to choose how they want to do it and whether they want to listen to my advice. Maybe you should create your own video on the topic?
@@theviolincoach6353 oooohh!😅
This is incredibly helpful!
Glad you found it helpful, thanks for your feedback :)
Very helpful, Thank you
Wow such a useful violin video, thank you so much!
Pleasure!
This is VERY good! Thank you!
My pleasure, thanks for ur feedback :)
Great lesson. My left thumb has had.a death.grip for years. I never used a shoulder.rest untill a few years ago. Right now ive no chin rest nor shoulder rest. I tryed to get a Libero shoulder rest but struck.out. From timd to time i study Wallace Richey finger gymnastics
Thank you for solid clear guidance.bye for now
Best explanation on the left thumb thank you for sharing
Thank you for commenting, happy holidays!
Great clear explanation. I've been playing since 1966 and having just looked at my FB pics of me playing , I'm doing it all wrong! Off to work on getting it right. Might make that pinky work less of a stretch than it is. I've always compensated by shoving my left elbow way over to the right, which hurts if I do it for long.
thank so much so useful video
Thanks, please subscribe for more videos on the psychological and physical challenges of learning the violin
Nice teaching maam , thanks for this video help me a lot as beginner. from PHILIPPINES
Thank youu
You're awesome 😎
Thank you very much from Taiwan
thank you. this was really very helpful. love from india
Your way is how my teacher is **retraining** me to place my thumb. I was putting the neck between my thumb and index finger.
Have you seen Ray Chen's thumb? It is sticking way up to where the neck looks like it is resting in the bottom between his thumb and index finger.
However, Augustin Hadelich plays with the thumb under and also to the side of the neck as he plays.
Omg, i learned that the spacing between the violin and 1st finger touching/pressing the violin is what is causing me trouble with vibrato, so the thumb placement was very helpful. Do you have any tips on this subject without using a shoulder rest? I'm so glad i found you. New subscriber here and will definitely be coming back for more. Thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU!!!
Thankyou form India 🙏🏿
Prof. Bushkova (one of the premier violin instructors on YT and top rate World symphony performer) insists that the LH thumb should be positioned across the the middle finger, not the index finger. She gives her rationale for that in her videos. Some would not agree with her. Actually the hand shape/size will dictate the thumb and index finger positions, that is: relative fingers length, fingers to hand length ratio, the length of the pinky finger which is of paramount importance and how much the pinky is recessed into the hand relatively to other fingers. The same applies to the thumb relative length and position on the hand.
Some hands are nightmare for violin playing but nothing is impossible, at least for amateur experience.
Interesting. I do agree that it depends on the hand size and shape. I think we all have to do what works for us..for my hands and for the majority of my students, this technique works. Have a happy Christmas and thanks for sharing :)
And Bushkova is absolutely correct. That's why she's an orchestral player.
I also do this technique, holding my left finger under, but my teacher says I cant do that for some reason, she prefers the finger to be up along the board, but i think its more comfortable having it under like you!
I suspect it depends on the person...
Thank you about the pinching the neck part, my left hand is less tense now. Although, the hand position doesn't work for me even though I no longer pinch the neck, it's as if when I change strings my hand falls back into place where it's used (where the index part touches the side of my violin neck).
I may be doing it wrong but it's quite uncomfortable
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
My understanding from diagrams on violin holding s a y. Thumb goes 7 oclok position on neck. Thats the number 7 not large hand. That is the preferred position. Of course Stradivaris have v neck and.thid m akes.it harder.
it is hard to press the inder, middle, and ringfingers without slightly pressuring the thumb... is the thumb slightly pressures?
WHEN I HOLD THE VIOLIN WITH CHIN SUPPORT & SHOULDER REST SUPPORT IN PLACE I CANNOT SEE THE KEYBOARD, ANY SUGGESTION, MADAM?
I put my thumb below but when I press the note I still squeeze the neck, just in different position (like pinching). Because if I don't, my violin will slip down from my press. I can hold the violin without hand, but when I press, it'll go down. So I'm still having a hard time to slide, specially backwards because my violin gets pulled away
Thank you violin coach for this video. it has helped my posture and understanding greatly. Because you understand form so well, I had a question.
when holding up the violin, should the left hand, index finger, touch the violin, assuming you are not squeezing? my index finger has a gap between the neck and I wonder if that is incorrect.
thank you!
Glad to have helped!
U saved my mistake :( i hate my teachers never one told me anything about it
Hi there may be a chance you won’t see this question but I find I have to press into the string with my finger so I don’t get a horrible noise when playing. As you said it is no good squeezing the violin because I’m limited in movement. When you press down on a string to play a note are you counteracting that pressure with your head and shoulder. Hope the question makes sense if you ever get the chance to read it. Thank you in advance
The weight of the relaxed left arm should transfer into the finger. It must be hook shaped for this to happen. The weight of of head on the chin rest should mean you don't need to use shoulders to push upwards. It's a fine balance! Contact me on theviolincoach@gmail.com if you want to arrange a zoom tutorial
Do you also yeah the viola?
1 year and 7 months holding it wrong :( am so sad and can’t get vibrato cause of it
How do you prevent the violin from shaking when doing vibrato? Do you have to lock it tightly using your chin? I am a beginner in violin so I am having a hard time figuring it out.
Try my video on how to do vibrato...
Short answer is no, don't grip it anywhere and make sure your shoulder rest is fitted correctly so you don't have to grip with the chin. If you are a beginner don't worry about vibrato for now, build it when you have the basics down
What can I do about 'sweating' thumb, after playing for a longer period? It makes my shifts stuttery because it doesnt slide smoothly anymore
Yes this is a problem but if you soften the grip it should resolve it
Superb lesson from a beautiful lady. Want to be her student or her husband.
I prefer the thumb under position also. Much easier to create a wide vibrato and reach extensions all without squeezing. This is rather unorthodox as most teachers prefer the thumb on the side of the neck.
I can't play with my thumb on the side, but some can :)
Greetings from India !
Thank You !
1, Our Bible says otherwise abt left Thumb position !
2, I myself after 20 yrs of playing, changed to this New Method LAST WEEK!
Best , better n easy Vibrato, shifting, Overall " RESURRECTION "
Except G# with an open D !
I am starting All over again from HONEYMAN TUTOR, SEVCIK, RICCI , DONT N PAGANINI !
Question !
1, What Made U choose this Thumb position ?
Hey, sorry for the slow response I am only just seeing some of these comments as I abandoned my channel after injury which prevented me from using my computer. Hope you are well and glad this position is working for you. I learned it from a violin teacher I had in Serbia called Vladimir Nikolic (sadly deceased) who I went to in my early 20s to help me with my technique. It solved many problems for me. Vladimir was an incredible violinist. Here is a link to his performace: th-cam.com/video/g5lkvk3Soes/w-d-xo.html
And here ends months of struggle🙃
Thanks for the feedback, happy it helped!