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My husband said something to me the other day as I was struggling to play a piece.
\"Stop playing that thing like its going to break. Play it like you mean it! Think of a newborn baby. You're not going to break her. Hold her gently, but firmly. You have to let her know that YOU are in control, then SHE will calm down.\"
Amazingly enough, this analogy worked. He's right. I have been half-scared that I will break a string, the bow, the bridge.. anything. Now, I'm not so scared.
Any thoughts?
![\"dancing\"](/forum/playing-the-violin/\"/wp-content/forum-smileys/dancing.gif\")
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I relate to that a LOT Sporksies! The first time someone put a violin in my hands I had moist palms, was scared of breaking something, I mean a violin really feels fragile because it's so light weight! I was expecting a heavy instrument because it was made of wood lol. That was 6 years ago I think? Well I gave back the violin right away because I was super uncomfortable trying to even draw a single note on it and I will not start on holding it properly! First violin date = fail!
Last friday when I received my violin the same apprehension almost surfaced but I told myself to take a deep breath and just hold it! I still am manipulating it carefully but I'm not scared to break anything when I practice now haha. It's not a week yet but I am feeling more in control of my bow and I cannot wait for the day that holding the fiddle will be as natural as walking! Second violin date = I left my phone number! Call me back.
"It can sing like a bird, it can cry like a human being, it can be very angry, it can be all that humans are" Maxim Vengerov
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yes, yes... that's it exactly. Trying to draw the bow gently like it might hurt the hairs if you play it hard and fast will only tend to make squeeky noises and missed notes in regards to pitch. Like I told one beginner, "...play it like you stole it!"... thinking the analagy would surface like driving a car more agressively since it isn't yours and you're scared with an adrenelin rush. LOL
With the right amount of rosin, the clean strings in tune, bow in the right area next to the bridge and fingerboard, and you have the receipe for beautiful musical notes.
"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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Haaaaa! Denny, the last time I saw that phrase, "play it like you stole it", it was "ride it like you stole it" and it was on a pair of panties [hope this isn't too off-color for me to say in forum]; but I thought it was hysterical when I saw it the first time and haven't seen it again til now.
Anyway, more appropriately, case in point, GREAT analogy Sporksies! Yeah, too delicate and light-handed definitely produces a timid/uncertain/abomination of a sound. I still [yeah, still, like in my whopping 13 wks of experience, lol] tend to play comparatively lightly, but I'm becoming more and more comfortable "digging into it".
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LOL great replies! Ya'll got me laughing now!
My biggest problem area with bowing is digging into the D and G strings. I can dig the A and E like nobody's business. For some reason, my brain thinks the D and G are babies and just can't handle it. Its a little backwards, huh? 
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I've always had a soft spot for the G string.... 
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Nah, D string is where it's at. 
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LOL Scott,
Fiddler4Fun, he didn't mean the violin G string.
One of the first videos that I made that got a lot of hits for no apparent reason on youtube was, "Playing on the G-string" I figured out why.
It didn't keep on getting those hits but someone probably thought it was funny and sent it to their friends who expected to see a different type of G-string. LOL
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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My teenage daughter (she's 14) always snickers when I say I can't hit the G string right. She even commented one night that if I didn't have such a big butt, I could hit it. I totally lost it.
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Sporksies said
Amazingly enough, this analogy worked. He's right. I have been half-scared that I will break a string, the bow, the bridge.. anything. Now, I'm not so scared.
Any thoughts?
Sometimes I get in the zone wailing away on some blues , playing along with the stereo.
The next morning I feel bad about treating her so rough, then I apoligise and she forgives me.
Then we just play some scales for awhile!
No matter where you go, there you are!
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@ FM & Sporskies; alright, I'm not so embarrassed at my "ride it like you stole it" comment, lmao! You've really got to be careful about titling your YouTube videos; with very little effort, one could think of dozens of seemingly mundane/innocent topics [for the violin/fiddle world] that could have very inappropriate alternative connotations.
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Hey there fiddlerman community,
It has almost been a year now since i've been facing a problem with the way i hold my violin. Despite the fact i am not a begginer, this year i have been studying more and thus i became aware of problems in my posture i didn't know before. Such as the fact i am holding the violin way too tightly. My teacher tells me to take it easy but i really cannot. I have been pressing the violin with my neck too much. So, i decided to change the position of my chin rest. I have seen many fiddlers placing it rights on the top of the tail piece, but mine is next to it. Is it possible for me to change the chinrest's position without having to purchase another chinrest? Also, i have seen many violin players who want their chinrest to be higher putting some kind of tiny wood pieces under it... where can i find some of these?
Thank you all for your time
Not sure if those pieces you're talking about are available in a store. I made my own but I did it wrong, you will need to use a hard wood to fasion the blocks out of. When you do this, you need to move the clamp that holds the chinrest to the violin. Needs to have new holes lower into the wood blocks otherwise the chinrest will want to pull toward you and off the violin.
Do you understand what I mean ?
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I was afraid to pick my new Vieiolin out of the case. Now it feels like an old friend and I handle it with confidence -- still can't play worth a darn but no longer afraid of hurting her.
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@ argy1678... WELCOME to the family... hope you have fun here.
...you know Fiddlerman has a "kit" of several chinrests to acquire at one time and test out to find which one is best for you. You might want to try that.
He has them under accessories on the Fiddlershop.com website. You should go take a look... he only charges you for the one you keep, the others you send back and don't get charged for. What a deal!
"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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Fiddlestix said
Not sure if those pieces you're talking about are available in a store. I made my own but I did it wrong, you will need to use a hard wood to fasion the blocks out of. When you do this, you need to move the clamp that holds the chinrest to the violin. Needs to have new holes lower into the wood blocks otherwise the chinrest will want to pull toward you and off the violin.Do you understand what I mean ?
Thank you mate, i think i do. I will see what i can do.
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cdennyb said
@ argy1678... WELCOME to the family... hope you have fun here....you know Fiddlerman has a "kit" of several chinrests to acquire at one time and test out to find which one is best for you. You might want to try that.
He has them under accessories on the Fiddlershop.com website. You should go take a look... he only charges you for the one you keep, the others you send back and don't get charged for. What a deal!
Thanks !
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Them little pieces of wood are normally cork so the metal doesn't carve into the wood of your violin. You can find cork in many stores and for sure place the chinrest back and forth to feel what makes it more comfortable for you. Ya want to have that violin to feel as loose as possible so you can relax both arms and jam.
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You may not necessarily be able to put it over your tailpiece. Only possible with certain models. Can you post a picture?
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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