When you are playing the violin, is your shoulder and left neck side supposed to hurt?

Question

Because after i play for five minutes my shoulders start to hurt and so do my arms from supporting the violin and my hand supporting the violin starts to sag, and my violin teacher always gets mad at me. Is there a way that i can improve the time i hold my violin up, such as arm exercises or anything.

Answer 1

Just keep playing! Your arm will become strong in time.

Answer 2

This question is quite difficult to answer because I can't actually see how you're holding the violin but I will give a few suggestions anyway.

If you have just taken up playing the violin, then it is natural for those muscles to hurt because they're not used to working that hard to keep the violin up.

If you have been playing the violin for a while now, it might be because of your posture. Posture, in violin is very important. It determines your confidence and the quality of the sound. Here are a few suggestions to help your posture.

- Have a straight back to start with (then you won't be a cripple and your back won't hurt)

- The violin should be held on the side of you, not in front of you (this determines your confidence and the quality of the sound. The sound will travel directly to the audience)

- Hold your violin up so it is level with your nose (this is also part of confidence)

As for your teacher, I think he/she does not understand your difficulties. I suggest you find a better violin teacher. Ask your local music store for good violin teachers.

I hope this has helped, good luck!

Answer 3

No:  something is wrong.  Nothing is supposed to hurt.  (The advice to "just keep playing" is wrong!!)

You need to consult with a good teacher and find alternative ways of holding the instrument.  

When something hurts, your body is telling you something valuable and you have to listen!!

Answer 4

Are you using a shoulder rest? If so, is it positioned properly? There are several different kinds, most are adjustable, and you may have to adjust it a few times before you find a comfortable setting. I also found that when I first started playing the violin, I was unknowingly  pushing down on the violin with my chin, straining the muscles in my neck. Check yourself in a mirror while you play, you may be surprised!

Good posture is SO important when you play the violin. Try to be conscious of your posture when you're NOT playing the violin- do you normally slouch? If so, make a real effort to sit with good posture as often as possible, and soon it will come naturally. My orchestra teacher in middle school used to crack us up when she had us get into good posture at the beginning of every class- "All right everyone, SUCK IN YOUR STOMACH! PUSH BACK THOSE SHOULDERS! AND STICK OUT YOUR CHEST!!!"

If you still have trouble, you want to do light exercises that tone, not build muscle. Try yoga!

Answer 5

Your violin may not be positioned properly.  When you hold the violin, the left hand doesn't support it at all.  If you have a long neck, you may need to reposition your chin rest; conversely, if you have a short neck, your violin may need to be a little thinner.  While toning muscle is a great idea, there are some forms that work bettter than others.  Try tricep workouts and shoulder working.  Repetitive lifting of weights that are a little more than your violin should help a lot.  Yoga is not a bad idea.  

If your shoulders hurt, stretch before playing.  I've played for 10 years and stretching is magic, especially before performances.  While it can lessen over time, it won't ever go completely away.  Every time you practice, you work those muscles.  Every time you run, you work muscles.  The muscles are just strengthening.  I haven't ever met anyone that doesn't have a stiff neck and back after a four hour rehearsal.

If you relax before you play and think loosey goosey, you should be a little better.  A tense hand and shoulder only leads toward bad luck.  

As to your teacher getting angry, tell her whats happening.  She might look closer at your posture to see what's wrong.  

Your left arm should never hurt, its normal for your right to be a little sore after intense playing.

Good luck.  Don't give up playing if its a little difficult; it gets more fun after you learn the basics.  Email me if you have anything else. =)

Answer 6

I always use a pad about an inch thick, with a shoelace strap around the chin rest.Position it between the back and your collar bone.  You are not supposed to support the violin with your left hand under the neck. You need to support it with your chin and shoulder/collarbone. The pad was a tip from a student of Dvorak's.

Answer 7

If you've just started taking violin, then I imagine you will have to build up your muscles, just like with wind instrument players who have to build up muscles to support their instruments properly and hold a correct embouchure for playing.

I do know, from a friend who is a phenomenal violinist, that you shouldn't squeeze the violin between your shoulder and chin - you should be balancing the underside of the violin on your shoulder, and only using your chin to help balance.

Answer 8

No, nothing should be hurting you or else you are straining your muscles.  It would be wise to invest in a shoulder rest to prevent you from squeezing your violin between your shoulder and chin.  Make sure that you are sitting or standing up straight and that your violin is positioned correctly.  Your violin teacher isn't supposed to be yelling and getting mad at you, he/she is supposed to be helping you.  You might want to consider switching violin teachers.