Hello! Thank you very much, I'm so glad you find it helpful - and it's amazing how quickly we can learn that tension has nowhere to go when we use our secret weapon...😀Take care. Mary💗
Hello Katie! Thank you very much. These weight shifting exercises will strengthen your 4th finger and make your hand feel much more flexible and strong - always a great feeling! Take care. Mary💗
Dear Mary. Thank you very much for the video. I observed my left hand as I quickly tried this method. When pressing with my little finger, I still unconsciously pinched the neck with my index finger and thumb with strong force. So I found that my whole left hand was getting stronger and harder. I am not good at the C major scale, and I am not good at the hand shape where the index and middle fingers are attached to each other and the middle and ring fingers are open, but when I tried it while relaxing, I was able to create a balanced and stable hand shape. When I carefully placed each finger from the little finger onto the strings, feeling the relationship with the thumb, I felt the balance between the index and middle fingers. Now I will try to practise scales in this way, feeling the balance of my hand. Vibrato is also easier to apply. It's still slow, but I tried Mary's method and I started to get the hang of it. Thank you very much. Shin😊
Dear Shin, Thank you very much for your very thoughtful comments...I appreciate your willingness to experiment and stay open to possibilities. By shifting the weight of our pressure on the strings from the 1st to the 4th finger and back, we activate a type of flexibility in our hands and learn to equalise different finger strengths. This is far superior to always just putting our fingers down the same way. The first finger, thumb and chin hold the violin, while the first finger is also also a playing finger. That violin hold is the fundamental thing that helps or hinders our flexibility... Basically if the violin hold is too tight between the 1st finger and thumb then the other fingers cannot reach out easily. And if the thumb is too tight when using any finger it causes rigidity in the whole hand. We can discover several release mechanisms in the fingers and hand through experimenting with shifting weight, as you are doing through the use of basic simple scales; a wonderful way to practice to establish concepts and techniques - very, very well done! Thoughtful exploration such as you are doing is the key to success on the violin - that and enjoyment! I wish you all the best. Mary💗
Hello! I get marks and grooves too, especially since I got my new fingerboard. It doesn't really matter if you get marks and grooves so long as your hand isn't getting tired...but thumb tapping really works to lighten up a bit. Take care. Mary💗
Thank you so much Mary One question please, my pre teacher keeps asking me to put the 1st finger down at all time , even all the fingers down if it doesn't affect the note , I don't understand how to relax the hand if the fingers are in block form. I do understand the intonation is often determined by the 1st finger .How to relax the hand if I clamp down all the fingers especially practicing scales when I need to cross strings or shifting . I am learning A. Dvorak Humoresque the first two bars my teacher said I must hold down the 2 & 3 fingers and the 4 lines last two bars shift from 3rd position to 1st position , put all the fingers down to move up , but how to release the finger to play to the next note . I hope you don't mind if I continue to pick her brain , it seems I can't find anyone is willing to tell the true or want to show the reason or mechanic. I often see people not always hold down their fingers when they play , so who is right or wrong , I deep appreciate if you can make a video or tell me how it works ❤❤❤
Dear Alice, Thanks for your question. It's difficult to answer because I don't want to undermine your teacher in any way. However, you should not be asked to do things on the violin without explanations of why and how to do them, so I'm puzzled and would like to ask you, why are you not getting answers from your teacher? Can you not talk to your teacher? There should be plenty of dialogue with your teacher until you know exactly how to practice, but your questions tell me that's not happening...ask yourself why not. Anyway, back to your question; there isn't one answer; perhaps your teacher thinks your fingers are lifting too much and wants you to learn how to have them closer to the string. Or perhaps they were taught to keep all the fingers down and can do that only because they have long fingers and like most violinists, they don't realise that people with small hand need a different approach of finding escape mechanisms for the different fingers. It's crucial that we can set up our hand so we can play an octave with the 1st and 4th fingers without becoming rigid. Watch some videos all about setting up a small hand; th-cam.com/video/sMh3W2CFv7M/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/69osBchjZu0/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/J3OZcjjpdII/w-d-xo.html In this video all about finger drills you will see how I release fingers to keep my small hand relaxed; th-cam.com/video/Joar6qBb6ZY/w-d-xo.html I've done plenty of horrible, uncomfortable studies and pieces, trying to force my left hand into unrealistic 'recommended' techniques usually devised by people with 'normal' large hands until I realised I have to find what actually works for me... Many violinists recommend keeping the fingers as close to the string as possible, which is needed to play fast, but you can also see fantastic violinists lifting their fingers all the time to make their vibrato and shifting more free, so there's no rule, except one - whatever works for you. All violin technique needs to be tailored to our individual needs. Perhaps you need to take charge of that by asking questions and having a proper dialogue with your teacher until you are satisfied... I wish you all the best! Mary💗
@@violinstudiowithmaryv Dear Mary , unfortunately some violin teachers don't know how to explain why and how , yes my fingers are very short plus my teacher thinks that I play the piano , I mimic the action on piano to the violin. Maybe that is why she keeps asking me kept all the fingers down. She says it is a problem to hold fingers down , pianists lift fingers all the times on the keys Do you think people play piano will have the problem learning the violin . It seems the two instruments are quite opposite , piano we are right hand dominated , but violin left hand is doing lot of fingers work. Plus I am lazy not actively listening , it really takes time to get ear training , I really appreciate you have given me a good insight why and how , I certainly work on this and watch your precious videos and teaching. Thank you so much for taking time and effort to share with us
Dear Alice, Thanks again for your thoughts...I think I see now what your teacher is trying to help you with but in fact you may be missing some fundamental techniques in the left hand that you need first... I'd like you to kindly consider some things I've observed... The way you put your fingers down and not actively listening are connected. Actively listening is much more than ear training. It's actually awareness and examination of your actions and thoughts. Without that you will be stuck just repeating the same things. I've mentioned before that you're in a great hurry to improve but your impatience has caused you to miss out on quite a lot of fundamental things you really need to make genuine progress... Your teacher is trying to stop you banging your fingers down too hard on the fingerboard. It's a common problem. Piano playing and right and left hand domination is not an issue here. It's more a question of how you are processing information, which comes right back to being actively observant. You cannot really expect to play the violin without really listening to what you're producing, or examining with full awareness the movements you're making. Repetition is not the answer because it does not correct the problem, but just reinforces our mistakes and bakes them in. I advise you to slow right down and have a think about why you are leaving it up to teachers to do all the listening. A teacher can only do so much without an active pupil, you see? So Alice, those are my observations and I strongly advise you to think about your great passion and desire to improve and why you would allow yourself to be lazy and not examine extremely carefully every single thing you do on the violin. I know you can do it. Take care! Mary💗
@@violinstudiowithmaryv thank you Mary for reminder , I will learn to be patient and actively listen and watch my fingers and intonation , actually my bowing is getting better without scrapping on the wood , I understand what is happening
Dear Alice, I'm delighted your bowing has improved - well done! By really listening and examining yourself you will make the progress you want so much...and do try to have conversations with your teachers, not moving on until you fully understand the reasons and the techniques you are being asked to practice, ok? Take care Alice! Mary💗
Tapping is one of the best remedies to left hand tension! So glad you addressed this very common issue!
Hello! Thank you very much, I'm so glad you find it helpful - and it's amazing how quickly we can learn that tension has nowhere to go when we use our secret weapon...😀Take care. Mary💗
Really helpful, thanks Mary !
Hello Katie! Thank you very much.
These weight shifting exercises will strengthen your 4th finger and make your hand feel much more flexible and strong - always a great feeling!
Take care. Mary💗
Dear Mary.
Thank you very much for the video.
I observed my left hand as I quickly tried this method.
When pressing with my little finger, I still unconsciously pinched the neck with my index finger and thumb with strong force. So I found that my whole left hand was getting stronger and harder.
I am not good at the C major scale, and I am not good at the hand shape where the index and middle fingers are attached to each other and the middle and ring fingers are open, but when I tried it while relaxing, I was able to create a balanced and stable hand shape.
When I carefully placed each finger from the little finger onto the strings, feeling the relationship with the thumb, I felt the balance between the index and middle fingers. Now I will try to practise scales in this way, feeling the balance of my hand.
Vibrato is also easier to apply. It's still slow, but I tried Mary's method and I started to get the hang of it.
Thank you very much.
Shin😊
Dear Shin,
Thank you very much for your very thoughtful comments...I appreciate your willingness to experiment and stay open to possibilities.
By shifting the weight of our pressure on the strings from the 1st to the 4th finger and back, we activate a type of flexibility in our hands and learn to equalise different finger strengths. This is far superior to always just putting our fingers down the same way.
The first finger, thumb and chin hold the violin, while the first finger is also also a playing finger. That violin hold is the fundamental thing that helps or hinders our flexibility...
Basically if the violin hold is too tight between the 1st finger and thumb then the other fingers cannot reach out easily. And if the thumb is too tight when using any finger it causes rigidity in the whole hand.
We can discover several release mechanisms in the fingers and hand through experimenting with shifting weight, as you are doing through the use of basic simple scales; a wonderful way to practice to establish concepts and techniques - very, very well done!
Thoughtful exploration such as you are doing is the key to success on the violin - that and enjoyment!
I wish you all the best. Mary💗
Thank you Mary!!!!
Thank you very much Marta! Mary💗
A different approach to reduce finger pressure. I get marks/grooves on my fingertips every time I play. I will try your suggestion. Thank you!
Hello! I get marks and grooves too, especially since I got my new fingerboard.
It doesn't really matter if you get marks and grooves so long as your hand isn't getting tired...but thumb tapping really works to lighten up a bit.
Take care. Mary💗
Thank you so much Mary
One question please, my pre teacher keeps asking me to put the 1st finger down at all time , even all the fingers down if it doesn't affect the note , I don't understand how to relax the hand if the fingers are in block form. I do understand the intonation is often determined by the 1st finger .How to relax the hand if I clamp down all the fingers especially practicing scales when I need to cross strings or shifting . I am learning A. Dvorak Humoresque the first two bars my teacher said I must hold down the 2 & 3 fingers and the 4 lines last two bars shift from 3rd position to 1st position , put all the fingers down to move up , but how to release the finger to play to the next note . I hope you don't mind if I continue to pick her brain , it seems I can't find anyone is willing to tell the true or want to show the reason or mechanic. I often see people not always hold down their fingers when they play , so who is right or wrong , I deep appreciate if you can make a video or tell me how it works ❤❤❤
Dear Alice, Thanks for your question. It's difficult to answer because I don't want to undermine your teacher in any way.
However, you should not be asked to do things on the violin without explanations of why and how to do them, so I'm puzzled and would like to ask you, why are you not getting answers from your teacher? Can you not talk to your teacher? There should be plenty of dialogue with your teacher until you know exactly how to practice, but your questions tell me that's not happening...ask yourself why not.
Anyway, back to your question; there isn't one answer; perhaps your teacher thinks your fingers are lifting too much and wants you to learn how to have them closer to the string.
Or perhaps they were taught to keep all the fingers down and can do that only because they have long fingers and like most violinists, they don't realise that people with small hand need a different approach of finding escape mechanisms for the different fingers.
It's crucial that we can set up our hand so we can play an octave with the 1st and 4th fingers without becoming rigid.
Watch some videos all about setting up a small hand;
th-cam.com/video/sMh3W2CFv7M/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/69osBchjZu0/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/J3OZcjjpdII/w-d-xo.html
In this video all about finger drills you will see how I release fingers to keep my small hand relaxed;
th-cam.com/video/Joar6qBb6ZY/w-d-xo.html
I've done plenty of horrible, uncomfortable studies and pieces, trying to force my left hand into unrealistic 'recommended' techniques usually devised by people with 'normal' large hands until I realised I have to find what actually works for me...
Many violinists recommend keeping the fingers as close to the string as possible, which is needed to play fast, but you can also see fantastic violinists lifting their fingers all the time to make their vibrato and shifting more free, so there's no rule, except one - whatever works for you. All violin technique needs to be tailored to our individual needs.
Perhaps you need to take charge of that by asking questions and having a proper dialogue with your teacher until you are satisfied...
I wish you all the best! Mary💗
@@violinstudiowithmaryv Dear Mary , unfortunately some violin teachers don't know how to explain why and how , yes my fingers are very short plus my teacher thinks that I play the piano , I mimic the action on piano to the violin. Maybe that is why she keeps asking me kept all the fingers down. She says it is a problem to hold fingers down , pianists lift fingers all the times on the keys
Do you think people play piano will have the problem learning the violin . It seems the two instruments are quite opposite , piano we are right hand dominated , but violin left hand is doing lot of fingers work. Plus I am lazy not actively listening , it really takes time to get ear training , I really appreciate you have given me a good insight why and how , I certainly work on this and watch your precious videos and teaching. Thank you so much for taking time and effort to share with us
Dear Alice, Thanks again for your thoughts...I think I see now what your teacher is trying to help you with but in fact you may be missing some fundamental techniques in the left hand that you need first...
I'd like you to kindly consider some things I've observed...
The way you put your fingers down and not actively listening are connected.
Actively listening is much more than ear training. It's actually awareness and examination of your actions and thoughts.
Without that you will be stuck just repeating the same things.
I've mentioned before that you're in a great hurry to improve but your impatience has caused you to miss out on quite a lot of fundamental things you really need to make genuine progress...
Your teacher is trying to stop you banging your fingers down too hard on the fingerboard. It's a common problem.
Piano playing and right and left hand domination is not an issue here. It's more a question of how you are processing information, which comes right back to being actively observant.
You cannot really expect to play the violin without really listening to what you're producing, or examining with full awareness the movements you're making.
Repetition is not the answer because it does not correct the problem, but just reinforces our mistakes and bakes them in.
I advise you to slow right down and have a think about why you are leaving it up to teachers to do all the listening. A teacher can only do so much without an active pupil, you see?
So Alice, those are my observations and I strongly advise you to think about your great passion and desire to improve and why you would allow yourself to be lazy and not examine extremely carefully every single thing you do on the violin.
I know you can do it. Take care! Mary💗
@@violinstudiowithmaryv thank you Mary for reminder , I will learn to be patient and actively listen and watch my fingers and intonation , actually my bowing is getting better without scrapping on the wood , I understand what is happening
Dear Alice, I'm delighted your bowing has improved - well done!
By really listening and examining yourself you will make the progress you want so much...and do try to have conversations with your teachers, not moving on until you fully understand the reasons and the techniques you are being asked to practice, ok?
Take care Alice! Mary💗
Thanks Mary. Your videos are not for naught.
Thank you very much! Mary💗
🙏🙏🙏💚🤍❤
Thank you! Mary💗
👍🏻
Thank you! Mary💗