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Only one solution - relax your thumb.
It's hard i know, but anyway You have to!
One exercise i know, called "rub the violin's neck" - play something (schradieck or wohlfahrt exercises, scales or whatever You like to play as a warm ups) and while You playing, move your thumb, just like You want to rub the violin. You'll probably will be out of tune while doing it and make strange sounds, but it's the one thing that helped me to relax the thumb.
Good luck with it, You're not alone there!

Regulars

My Teach had me play without my thumb. Actually holding it away from the violin. It was difficult to do at first, but I learned you can play without your thumb!!
Violinist start date - May 2013
Fiddler start date - May 2014
FIDDLE- Gift from a dear friend. A 1930-40 german copy, of a french copy of a Stradivarius. BOW - $50 carbon fiber. Strings - Dominants with E Pirastro Gold string.

Honorary tenured advisor
Regulars

I'm thinking that the root of the problem of thumb clenching is often or usually that the player doesn't feel secure in their hold. They feel that the neck or the whole instrument is falling. Some signs of a problemmatic hold: shrugging (raising) the left shoulder, neck pains, unusual or uncomfortable neck or chin posture, and an instrument that is heavier than normal. I would look to the fit of the shoulder rest and chin rest. Some people can do well without one or both, it seems. Some others do without them for the sake of image, to the detriment of their playing and/or their health, IME.
If merely holding the instrument requires much use of muscles, you are making tension part of your normal playing. If, in holding, you are permanently using muscle tension to raise the shoulder, I think you should change something.
How long have you had this thumb clenching problem?

My thumb and grip... grrh.. it changes a lot. I feel I have a good fit with my shoulder rest. I like Naska's exercise that makes sense. When I am practicing right now when I feel the grip, I slow down and open up my hand. Looks silly but it reminds me to let go.
When I play a song that I learned a year ago, it is funny sometimes the fingers remember that hold and death grip and that little pinky soldier. I have to unlearn the incorrect grip that I learned when I learned that song.
Of course new songs, and new level of skill and I have new incorrect holds.
I am finally at a point where I stop and try to correct hold, grip, tone, wandering bow.
Keep up the good work John.
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
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