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Regulars
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Pretty sure im going to bore a hole right through the ebony.
I start out fine, vibrato coming along and before you know it, theres a giant snake coming at me and im trying to strangle it.
What's the best strategy for loosening up?
Hmmm, what if I just shift to every note? Lol.
What has worked for you?
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Hey Risk ,
Sounds kinda crampy and uncomfortable ...dang ...
Might try re-afirming yer bend in yer wrist as you move to each new line ...maybe yer letting yer wrist straighten out a bit resulting in pinching the neck ...also look to see if yer cradling , not holding the neck with the outter most joint of yer thumb might help ...once again ..mirror , mirror on the wall , what's troubling me most of all ...?
also , try stroking the neck a bit as if yer going fer another position or doing a slide ..just to loosen up ...remember , we cradle the neck ...we do not hold the neck ....yer properly fitted chin rest and shoulder rest , if you use one , should allow full support of yer violin even without the use of the left hand ...
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Off topic, Tucson, I see you are working on Rondo Capriccioso 
I performed that solo with Gavleborg Symfoniorkester in my 20's. Such a terrific show piece.
How is it going for you?
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Oh , Hey Pierre,
Thanks fer yer interest ...love that you were playing Rondo Capriccioso at such a young age ...what a wonderful experiance and opportunity ...
I had some difficulty developing the skills i did not yet have but trusted fully my teacher , Ben Nisbet , who is with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and a playing judge at the VMAAI to give me the tools I needed and work with the somewhat un-ortadox methods I employ to learn ...
Just the first three lines took me some two months or so to get to fall into place , hampered no doubt by lack of skills and health issues as well ...though i feel skills were the most factored ...not to be put off by difficulty I employed the tools Ben was giving me and doubled my practice time and was rewarded at the end of my last lesson when Ben leaned back and smiled and remarked " that's the first time you've played that and had it sound as it should " .
Progress is a wonderful thing in any endevor and even small praise is welcome after a hard row to hoe ...
I did find a tendency to play too fast as if rushing through lines causing difficulty in timing / duration , etc . when first starting out ...slow down , concentrate on accuracy is the rule of the day now ...
Looking forward to adding much polish and many more hours of playing to this tune ...well worth the effort ....we'll see where I'm at with it by mid year ...this is sooo much fun ....
Thanks again fer all yer doing to promote and support violin and the good folks who wish to embrace such a fine instrument ...
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Rub the neck, risk. Whatever You do just rub the neck.
Explanation:
For example You play scales - play every note as usual and rub violins neck with your thumb. Yes, i know the sound becomes awful, but that thing helped me to overcome the death grip (not totally though, i think i'm tough one ha-ha).
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For what it's worth, I have ZERO death grip on the violin neck. It's easily achieved by just placing the neck on your 'thumbprint'.
It might not work all the time but it will insure for awhile anyway that you develop a light touch holding the neck.
Here's a few pics to show you my techniques. I allow my thumb to simply slide along under the neck as I move up to higher positions. 
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
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