I'm trying to get a better (proper) position for my left hand and also trying to keep my wrist straight. I've watched some YT videos where it's suggested to keep your thumb peeking above the neck slightly and maintain a slight hole (space) between the instrument's neck and the base of the thumb.
When fingering the notes I push down on the strings to play the notes and the neck needs to come up against resistance of some sort; for the string to be able to be pushed down to the neck surface). My question: Do you kind of grip the neck of the fiddle with the thumb, putting pressure between side of the thumb and neck (and the base (side) of your index finger), to hold it steady (the resistance)? I suppose the other option is to let the neck of the fiddle kind be supported in the valley between the thumb and the index finger (not having the hole (space) mentioned earlier. Hopefully I'm explaining this in an understandable way.
Thanks for the thoughts.
John
Edited by - capefiddle on 02/12/2025 10:14:04
My tremors are getting worse, so please excuse this.
My fiddle is not supported by my left hand. I employ a shoulder rest.
Maybe I'm an example of what not do to, these days.
Edited by - farmerjones on 02/12/2025 10:15:28
Thanks, Farmer Jones. It looks to me like the thumb is doing some supporting of the neck. I guess I need to pay more attention to this seemingly minor detail when I watch others play. So many little intricate details about playing the fiddle.
John
Don't get hung up on pushing the string down to the fingerboard. Instead, experiment and take note of how little you actually have to press down to get the string to sound. Also some fiddles are set up with pretty high action and that can make the travel distance farther than necessary.
quote:
Originally posted by capefiddle
Do you kind of grip the neck of the fiddle with the thumb, putting pressure between side of the thumb and neck (and the base (side) of your index finger), to hold it steady (the resistance)?
Another option is where you don't need to grip the neck; nor squeeze.
The fiddle neck is mostly balanced on, or just rests on the first finger, around the base knuckle joint.
The thumb rests on back of neck maybe around just below the pad or top joint, helps a little balance, stability (not really about resistance)
This leaves the space mentioned, giving the fingers a good arch and angle to come down to strings, mostly just weight of fingers or very slight down pressure. As mentioned, don't need to squeeze the strings into fingerboard. This non-grip, is not locking the hand to neck, so allows flexibility to hand to slightly move to adjust for different fingers/strings reach.
Edited by - alaskafiddler on 02/12/2025 16:49:48
The left hand supports the weight of the violin to a small extent if you play without a shoulder rest, but the violin really rests in the hand more than it’s gripped. A relaxed hold from that perspective is important because it ensures the greatest dexterity for the fingers.
There are differing opinions on the placement of the thumb on the neck. What’s consistent among pedagogues is that the neck should not be all the way into the crook of the thumb. There should be space and the violin should rest on the lowest joint of the first finger and the thumb. Some teach a position where the thumb falls below the upper edge of the fingerboard, but the majority of players are taught to play in a position where the thumb is a little bit above the fingerboard. What’s important is that the hold allows the fingers a full range of motion and it’s easy to extend the fingers for regular intervals as well as irregular ones like fingered octaves, tenths, or more.
Adherents to the Suzuki method tend to be against using the hand in any supportive capacity, as the shoulder rest is used to wedge the violin firmly into the space between chin and collarbone, theoretically leaving the hand free to move without hindrance.
Yes, having the wrist straight helps for playing. By keeping the wrist in a straight line it positions the fingers so that they are hovering over the strings, not coming in at an angle (a major source of intonation problems). For adult learners this position can be very difficult to accomplish because it requires a rotation of the forearm; this is why children are started on the violin at young ages—the body becomes accustomed to the position when it’s at an especially flexible stage, and the posture becomes natural and effortless through repetition.
Be careful with violin instruction videos on YouTube, though. Many of them are very poor and contain bad and harmful information. Make sure the sources are reputable or you risk permanent damage!
