Return to the Foundations
The essential principles of balanced, secure, and expressive violin playing.
When progress stalls, the problem is often deeper than the passage, shift, or bow stroke that seems to be causing the trouble. If the fundamentals of violin playing are not properly established, they will continue to interfere with everything built upon them.
Problems with balance, alignment, support, or freedom of movement can reveal themselves as tension, unreliable technique, inconsistent intonation or persistent out-of-tune playing, and difficulty producing a free, resonant tone.
Strong foundations remain essential at every level of violin playing. They are worth revisiting whenever these problems appear, or whenever the violin begins to feel more difficult than it should.
Violin Hold & Setup
Establish a balanced relationship with the violin through instrument placement, posture, support, and freedom of movement. A secure setup creates the physical foundation for both left- and right-hand technique.
Left-Side Foundations
Develop a balanced and coordinated left side through arm and elbow organization, forearm rotation, wrist alignment, hand frame, thumb function, finger placement, and freedom of movement.
Right-Side Foundations
Develop a balanced and coordinated right side through bow hold, finger and thumb function, wrist and forearm movement, bow-arm organization, and freedom throughout the bowing mechanism.