This is a wonderfully helpful guide to overcoming various challenges that players with physical limitations encounter! I play on a 7/8 cello and as you mentioned, it has a really good projection and sound despite its size. Thank you so much for this and all the other videos you make!
I started whit 4/4 size violin and swop to 7/8 size advanced level JTL (2500€) It plays better than my beginner level violin (850€) and I got 75% in the swop from the first violin. For me as hoppy player it´s good for the rest of my life. Next I need to save money to a better bow.
OMG I have that 4th finger half ring finger long, I had 3/4 violin and it feels super easy to play, but I bought 4/4 stentor because my teacher said me that it is time to move up. It was so thick and terribly loud that I coldn't listen to it while playing, and my friends at music school could not as well, the strings were almost cutting my 4th finger and I couldn't play more that 20 minutes per day, so I could play 3 minute pop songs only. So I failed to train the concerto to pass my last exam in the music school and quit. Now I have 7/8 Dz Strad, it has less loud but better melody sound, it is a bit harder to play than 3/4 but in terms of much better sound I can learn to stretch my hand a bit, like pianists sometimes have 4th finger vide deformation %) My teacher was a small woman like 150+ cm tall so she should play 3/4 violin, but she had thined neck 4/4 or 7/8. She liked to show melody to her students on small violins and she had difficulties to play older student's 4/4 violins. She was pulling her hand forward so much that she has visible deformation of her posture. She was teaching for 16 hours a day and playing in orchestra as well on weekends but didn't earn much money and her son has choosen piano. Very sad story when she ignored her feelings about the size of the violin
This video made me cry. After a car accident, I gave up playing for 15 years due to neck, elbow, and wrist issues. I recently built a violin to work better for me. It has a tilted fingerboard, bridge, neck, modified shoulder rest... I've been feeling guilty about building one just for me, but I have loved it. I can play again. It will never have resale value, but the enjoyment is palpable.
I had a friend years ago who is insanely great on cello (she studied under Bernard Greenhouse and would play his Countess of Stanlein strad cello), but she was so tiny that she played a 3/4. For her doctoral thesis, she did an arrangement written for a 5-string cello (by Carlo Graziani, iirc) and performed it on her 4-string. It was seriously amazing.
I started playing cello all on my own 10 months ago and it's going pretty well I think, I have none but internet to guide me and figure it out myself. I ignore all the rules and find what works for me, I'm paraplegic in a wheelchair, have very short pinkies and a partially amputated right thumb so my bow hold is also messed up 🤣 I'm the kind of person that goes against the stream and does the opposite all the time, tell me to do something and you'll have a problem 😜 So my motivation comes from all the people in the FB groups that says not to touch a cello without having a teacher 🤣 Same people would also not even think about adjusting a bridge or soundpost themselves either, didn't take long before I was knocking the sound post back and forth and I did manage to improve the sound as well. You learn by doing with a bit of research 😉 My spirit animal is Rushad Eggleston! 😁 And shoutout to Valentina Irlando, it's amazing how well she can play the cello despite the physical limitations she has.
I started with 3/4 violin. I was 8 years old. Really helped at that age. Of course by 12 years old I had full sized. Fell right into it. That was fifty three years ago. Time flys.
I just started up with a new teacher (after 15 years gap) and while I am certain I have the right teacher, it is becoming apparent that 50+ years of guitar muscle memory will prevent me from being able to implement proper formal bowing technique. At least my left hand isn't bad and my intonation is improving (thanks to watching. an electronic tuner). I find your videos to be monstrously helpful, thank you for posting them.
Yes, I think you would have to do a lot of exercises just for bowing without using your left hand. You can get there though. It'll be a whole lot more fun when your new violin arrives 😊 🎻
I have recently started using my husbands rowing machine plus yoga and pre practice stretching. I managed to give myself rsi with a really gnarly bow hold. I learned that the nerve that runs through your elbow can actually pop in and out of the channel it sits in. Super weird feeling and I’m doing better with all the physical stuff plus braces at night and listening to my body about when to stop practicing!
Better than what I expected when I clicked on the video. It is always wonderful to see content to help people with physical limitations do the things they love.
Thank you for covering this topic, accessibility is so important. What do you think about the family of violins designed by Carleen Hutchins? This octet family has larger and smaller instruments designed not to loose their voice and projection, as anyone listening to recordings from the Consort can testify. Also, did not knew about the mechanical tuning pegs, interesting concept. Life finds a way? I tough that was from Jurassic Park :p
Thanks, Olaf, for this guide and the positive encouragement! If I may add three additional suggestions-I know these are true for the double bass and I would love to hear your take on them for the other strings. Make sure that the hair on your bow is good! Have your bow rehaired as needed. Try different rosin-this is especially true on bass, different weather conditions demand different rosin, either stickier or less sticky. And put on new strings! Old strings will be dull and uninteresting sounding, new strings will make your instrument sound fully alive!
Wouldn’t it be easier to replace the neck instead of graph or is that the same thing? Why is the scroll made separately from the neck and fitted vs one piece? I love your videos and the knowledge. I don’t even play. Just love instruments.
Some other options that I’ve tried for making a violin easier to play. (I’m at the point where I just play for myself). Playing without a chin rest could help with jaw or neck pain. A left-handed violin. Might help if a person has an issue with their left hand or arm. (This one I have not tried but I have seen them for sale). Playing with a strap: This can also help with jaw or neck issues. Using Frets: Makes intonation easier but also reduces the pressure to needed to press the the strings. Lower tension strings: Another way to reduce the pressure needed to press down the strings. You already mentioned having a lower bridge. It’s possible to buy one with self-adjusting feet. That is a good way to just try it out without first buying a fitted bridge. Having fine tuners on all of the strings. It was helpful to me to have a second, lower- cost violin that I used to make changes so I could compare.
i was just unboxing and test fitting my bon musica shoulder rest just as you started talking about it, talk about fortuitous. highly recommend it for people who are finding the standard arches of shoulder rests are not fitting your needs. its soooo customiseable in more than just around the shoulder too
Thank you so much for your video. I always struggled with my short 4th finger. Always thought I needed to try a different position, try harder or that I was doing something wrong. Thank you.
I started with a 3/4 due to ignorance. But I loved it. Now I have a very cheap 100e vso... and I just love it, it plays better than the other one. For all things beginner it is more than enough. Let's see when I start playing with some folk music people
Great vid, Olaf. One you missed though! Left handed violins. Have you heard of the musician Otu? He appeared on a TwoSet vid once. Otu is digitally challenged so had a left handed violin made; a lot of work cos it also involves moving the bass bar. The pegs can still get in the way though but his progress within the first month would make most wanna give up. Phenomenal is an understatement!! And after 1 year!! You can watch it on his YT channel.
Thank you for your videos! You do mention to lower string height, which I want to do on my violin and my cello, what are the lowest string settings before they start to buzz?
@@TobiasSebastien I did mine myself. Trial and error. On the nut, I stuck two layers of electrical insulation tape on the fingerboard up against the nut, and filed the string grooves down to the tape. And at the bridge, I filed the grooves much deeper. Do the E string first... mine 2.5mm above fingerboard (measured at the bridge end of the fingerboard). Do the other strings and keep the same curvature and don't make the G string too low (mine is 4.5mm). My measurements are alot lower than recommended, but I don't care about that and they don't either. Sometimes you need to think outside the box to make it work for you.
@@zeniktorres4320 thank you 🙏 I just want to avoid to go too low, although a violin bridge is not too expensive. I will try it soon. Thank you very much for sharing!
Years ago my dad had an acoustic guitar that the action was ridiculously high on. It was an acoustic and was supposed to have nylon strings but he put steel ones on and bent the neck. So I don’t like high action either. You almost needed stitches after trying to play that thing!
@@GaryGP40 Well, it’s the same with a lot of Banjo’s especially from the turn of the century ones, some weren’t made with truss rods so you get lot’s of Banjo’s that need neck and headstock work, and those Banjo’s were made for plastic or gut strings as well.
I try and avoid it... Stradivari used to make guitars, but these days there are many guitar makers and much less violin makers. Violin family instruments are my passion, so I try to stick to them 🙂
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This is a wonderfully helpful guide to overcoming various challenges that players with physical limitations encounter! I play on a 7/8 cello and as you mentioned, it has a really good projection and sound despite its size. Thank you so much for this and all the other videos you make!
I started whit 4/4 size violin and swop to 7/8 size advanced level JTL (2500€) It plays better than my beginner level violin (850€) and I got 75% in the swop from the first violin. For me as hoppy player it´s good for the rest of my life. Next I need to save money to a better bow.
OMG I have that 4th finger half ring finger long, I had 3/4 violin and it feels super easy to play, but I bought 4/4 stentor because my teacher said me that it is time to move up. It was so thick and terribly loud that I coldn't listen to it while playing, and my friends at music school could not as well, the strings were almost cutting my 4th finger and I couldn't play more that 20 minutes per day, so I could play 3 minute pop songs only. So I failed to train the concerto to pass my last exam in the music school and quit. Now I have 7/8 Dz Strad, it has less loud but better melody sound, it is a bit harder to play than 3/4 but in terms of much better sound I can learn to stretch my hand a bit, like pianists sometimes have 4th finger vide deformation %) My teacher was a small woman like 150+ cm tall so she should play 3/4 violin, but she had thined neck 4/4 or 7/8. She liked to show melody to her students on small violins and she had difficulties to play older student's 4/4 violins. She was pulling her hand forward so much that she has visible deformation of her posture. She was teaching for 16 hours a day and playing in orchestra as well on weekends but didn't earn much money and her son has choosen piano. Very sad story when she ignored her feelings about the size of the violin
This video made me cry. After a car accident, I gave up playing for 15 years due to neck, elbow, and wrist issues. I recently built a violin to work better for me. It has a tilted fingerboard, bridge, neck, modified shoulder rest... I've been feeling guilty about building one just for me, but I have loved it. I can play again. It will never have resale value, but the enjoyment is palpable.
That's beautiful 😍
Thank you for sharing 🙏
I had a friend years ago who is insanely great on cello (she studied under Bernard Greenhouse and would play his Countess of Stanlein strad cello), but she was so tiny that she played a 3/4.
For her doctoral thesis, she did an arrangement written for a 5-string cello (by Carlo Graziani, iirc) and performed it on her 4-string. It was seriously amazing.
I started playing cello all on my own 10 months ago and it's going pretty well I think, I have none but internet to guide me and figure it out myself. I ignore all the rules and find what works for me, I'm paraplegic in a wheelchair, have very short pinkies and a partially amputated right thumb so my bow hold is also messed up 🤣
I'm the kind of person that goes against the stream and does the opposite all the time, tell me to do something and you'll have a problem 😜
So my motivation comes from all the people in the FB groups that says not to touch a cello without having a teacher 🤣
Same people would also not even think about adjusting a bridge or soundpost themselves either, didn't take long before I was knocking the sound post back and forth and I did manage to improve the sound as well. You learn by doing with a bit of research 😉
My spirit animal is Rushad Eggleston! 😁
And shoutout to Valentina Irlando, it's amazing how well she can play the cello despite the physical limitations she has.
Short fingers can be a real challenge on the g string I know
I started with 3/4 violin. I was 8 years old. Really helped at that age. Of course by 12 years old I had full sized. Fell right into it. That was fifty three years ago. Time flys.
I just started up with a new teacher (after 15 years gap) and while I am certain I have the right teacher, it is becoming apparent that 50+ years of guitar muscle memory will prevent me from being able to implement proper formal bowing technique. At least my left hand isn't bad and my intonation is improving (thanks to watching. an electronic tuner).
I find your videos to be monstrously helpful, thank you for posting them.
Yes,
I think you would have to do a lot of exercises just for bowing without using your left hand.
You can get there though.
It'll be a whole lot more fun when your new violin arrives 😊 🎻
I have recently started using my husbands rowing machine plus yoga and pre practice stretching. I managed to give myself rsi with a really gnarly bow hold. I learned that the nerve that runs through your elbow can actually pop in and out of the channel it sits in. Super weird feeling and I’m doing better with all the physical stuff plus braces at night and listening to my body about when to stop practicing!
❤️ & that good posture stuff helps in other areas of life also.
Better than what I expected when I clicked on the video. It is always wonderful to see content to help people with physical limitations do the things they love.
Thank you for covering this topic, accessibility is so important.
What do you think about the family of violins designed by Carleen Hutchins? This octet family has larger and smaller instruments designed not to loose their voice and projection, as anyone listening to recordings from the Consort can testify.
Also, did not knew about the mechanical tuning pegs, interesting concept.
Life finds a way? I tough that was from Jurassic Park :p
Love the unique inclusiveness of this video ❤
Thanks, Olaf, for this guide and the positive encouragement! If I may add three additional suggestions-I know these are true for the double bass and I would love to hear your take on them for the other strings. Make sure that the hair on your bow is good! Have your bow rehaired as needed. Try different rosin-this is especially true on bass, different weather conditions demand different rosin, either stickier or less sticky. And put on new strings! Old strings will be dull and uninteresting sounding, new strings will make your instrument sound fully alive!
Great points, love your vids, love your attitude toward life, always look foreward to your vids....
Many Thanks. Interlochen Alumni. My Sister still Teaches in Orlando.
I absolutely love your videos. They are very educational and informative. BRAVO!
Hi Olaf I have short arms so instead of buying a 7/8 th violin I put a centre mount chin rest 🤗
Wouldn’t it be easier to replace the neck instead of graph or is that the same thing? Why is the scroll made separately from the neck and fitted vs one piece? I love your videos and the knowledge. I don’t even play. Just love instruments.
Very good. Thank you.
Some other options that I’ve tried for making a violin easier to play. (I’m at the point where I just play for myself).
Playing without a chin rest could help with jaw or neck pain.
A left-handed violin. Might help if a person has an issue with their left hand or arm. (This one I have not tried but I have seen them for sale).
Playing with a strap: This can also help with jaw or neck issues.
Using Frets: Makes intonation easier but also reduces the pressure to needed to press the the strings.
Lower tension strings: Another way to reduce the pressure needed to press down the strings.
You already mentioned having a lower bridge. It’s possible to buy one with self-adjusting feet. That is a good way to just try it out without first buying a fitted bridge.
Having fine tuners on all of the strings.
It was helpful to me to have a second, lower- cost violin that I used to make changes so I could compare.
Thank you OG!
i was just unboxing and test fitting my bon musica shoulder rest just as you started talking about it, talk about fortuitous. highly recommend it for people who are finding the standard arches of shoulder rests are not fitting your needs. its soooo customiseable in more than just around the shoulder too
Thank you so much for your video. I always struggled with my short 4th finger. Always thought I needed to try a different position, try harder or that I was doing something wrong. Thank you.
I started with a 3/4 due to ignorance. But I loved it. Now I have a very cheap 100e vso... and I just love it, it plays better than the other one. For all things beginner it is more than enough. Let's see when I start playing with some folk music people
Great vid, Olaf. One you missed though! Left handed violins. Have you heard of the musician Otu? He appeared on a TwoSet vid once. Otu is digitally challenged so had a left handed violin made; a lot of work cos it also involves moving the bass bar. The pegs can still get in the way though but his progress within the first month would make most wanna give up. Phenomenal is an understatement!! And after 1 year!! You can watch it on his YT channel.
What about different grades of bow hair? Is one grade of horse hair more important to sound than other horse hair?
Stretching, particularly the torso and back of the legs can be an excellent way of preparing for practice.
Could I ask what's the difference between wooden tailpiece and synthetic ones in terms of the sound it gives?
Thank you for your videos! You do mention to lower string height, which I want to do on my violin and my cello, what are the lowest string settings before they start to buzz?
Yes,
There's a point where it will start buzzing... So not that low
@@AskOlaftheViolinmaker thank you for your swift reply! 🙏🙏🙏 Are there measurements what that lowest setting is, or is it trial and error?
@@TobiasSebastien I did mine myself. Trial and error. On the nut, I stuck two layers of electrical insulation tape on the fingerboard up against the nut, and filed the string grooves down to the tape. And at the bridge, I filed the grooves much deeper. Do the E string first... mine 2.5mm above fingerboard (measured at the bridge end of the fingerboard). Do the other strings and keep the same curvature and don't make the G string too low (mine is 4.5mm). My measurements are alot lower than recommended, but I don't care about that and they don't either. Sometimes you need to think outside the box to make it work for you.
@@zeniktorres4320 thank you 🙏 I just want to avoid to go too low, although a violin bridge is not too expensive. I will try it soon. Thank you very much for sharing!
I don’t like high action on a fiddle.
Years ago my dad had an acoustic guitar that the action was ridiculously high on. It was an acoustic and was supposed to have nylon strings but he put steel ones on and bent the neck. So I don’t like high action either. You almost needed stitches after trying to play that thing!
@@GaryGP40 Well, it’s the same with a lot of Banjo’s especially from the turn of the century ones, some weren’t made with truss rods so you get lot’s of Banjo’s that need neck and headstock work, and those Banjo’s were made for plastic or gut strings as well.
hello Mrs. Olaf, have you ever worked on a guitar
I try and avoid it...
Stradivari used to make guitars, but these days there are many guitar makers and much less violin makers.
Violin family instruments are my passion, so I try to stick to them 🙂
thats cool@@AskOlaftheViolinmaker