After this video watch the follow-up Q&A video: kzread.info/dash/bejne/jIpo1qOSl7TVmbQ.html

For someone who would like to try getting rid of shoulder rest, which I did, and I play or learning to play classical concerto without any issue, go and get a higher chin rest which fits your jaw properly. Most chin rests came with the violin are too low unless you have a very short neck.Once you get the right chin rest, you will be able to play without shoulder rest. This also keep you from holding the violin too tight with the left hand. I taught my son in law this method and he managed to get rid of the shoulder rest without any issue. Hope this helps.

Very sensible and very refreshing. My shoulder rest goes into the cupboard! Never liked it anyway. I am a beginner and there always seemed too many rules from classical tutors. Like you say comfort and results are what count! Thanks you.

You speak a lot of sense. I'm teaching myself (by ear) using youtube videos like yours and have been playing/learning for 7 months. The shoulder rest has always been an issue for me. Violin teachers seem very strict on where the violin should be placed on the shoulder but I've seen professional players using a shoulder rest but it's obvious that their chin is not always making contact with the chin rest. I am going to be more relaxed on the violin position in future, taking more account of how natural it feels. I don't wan't to be a classical violinist, just play for my pleasure and eventually with a few friends.

I have been searching for someone to mention and discuss this topic. The topic of artistic playing, of playing with you own style, of playing with dynamics and so on.Thank you man! What struck me most was: '' I don't think that much in positions anymore...'' The greatest violinist once said ‘There is only one position, and there is only one scale.’

@ChristiaanvanHemert

6 жыл бұрын

+Luke Vella Critien Ah, nice to hear thanks!

I only just started playing viola, which is slightly bigger and heavier. I play without shoulder rest nor chin rest. You really don't need either of these things to keep the instrument supported, or to briefly grip it with the chin if it's in danger of pulling away. If I were to add some kind of support to the instrument it would be a strap that goes around your neck to hold the base of the violin or viola in place and prevent it pulling away or slipping.

Thank you, this is going to help me a lot as a beginner!

This is the best content on this subject I have ever seen, and I've been working on playing without a shoulder rest for over ten years. Immense gratitude to you for this! Your explanations are so clear and insightful. Regarding the placement of the thumb (and the resultant overall posture of the hand and wrist), Kato Havas referred to "the giving hand," which I believe she attributed to a Roma style of playing.

I've been searching for these tips for Such a Long time - thanks so much! I've bookmarked this page and have already made improvements in my playing before this video is even over!

@ChristiaanvanHemert

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Peter!

This is an excellent and helpful video! I’m a beginner, although I have already scoured KZread for all the hints I can find. There’s plenty of great (and not so great) information out there. In my mind I’m pretty advanced, but my motor skills have to catch up😅 Your approach really makes sense and is especially helpful because I’m older…63. Without a shoulder rest, I’m feeling no pain, no tension. The sound is better, and I’m able to do my shifts (learning them now) without a problem! I’ve had one lesson so far here in Japan and my teacher had me buy a Kun rest in place of my Wolf Secundo, but both lock everything and I can only practice 10 minutes before pain hits me hard. I don’t mind if it takes longer to learn skills if it doesn’t hurt me. An interesting analogy…I used to do weight training. People with bad form and less understanding of body mechanics often have to rely on the nautilus type machines that set the angles, everything is controlled. It’s easier for the trainers, too. But if you know how to move and what muscles to use, it is MUCH nicer and more effective to use free weights. It takes more focus and practice to do it correctly but the results are far better. It’s worth learning to trust and feel what your body can do. It certainly is dependent on personality, and trust in the process. I hope my teacher doesn’t get mad at me, lol🤪 Thank you for sharing your valuable insights.

You have a genuine interest in others learning violin! Bravo!

This video is a God send! Please, don't ever take any of your instructional violin videos down

@ChristiaanvanHemert

6 жыл бұрын

Ah thanks man, I won't!

Thank you! Just what I needed to hear right now - a focus on relaxation and sound - perfect :D

I followed your advice. It has now been over six months. I've never felt or played better. Thank you so much.

@ChristiaanvanHemert

3 жыл бұрын

Wow, very cool to hear!

Great advice and insight! Thank you !

Ciao! I've been playing for 4 or so years. I watched this yesterday or the day before. ...something clicked. Grazie assai! Dio l'benedica!

Began with a shoulder rest. When I started playing for Morris I had to frequently put the fiddle away when called upon to dance. Too much hassle to take the rest off each time, so gave it up. Having by chance a cheap plastic Strad pattern chin rest with a nice high rounded edge to tuck under my jaw I found it so much easier to play without the shoulder rest, being able to move around so much more freely. Although as a folk fiddler I don't shift position much I can when I need or want to. I did once get involved in a 12hr charity marathon without pain although my muscle memory took a day to stop the fiddling feeling. Although in my late 70's I do get tired I still play regularly, daily, and without pain. Perhaps it was good not having a teacher breathing wrongly down my neck telling me what to do! So, get the right chinrest before you even begin to think you need scaffolding.

Excellent

Absolutely a pleasure listening to you/ I am 58 year old and having been playing without teachers for over 15 years. I did have teachers at the beginning, they were nice, but I was bad, I ended up not listening and always eventually "fired" them. All my techniques are my own and I never even had to struggle hard to get them, they are just natural. And miraculously, my "techniques" (bow hold, no chin or shoulder rests, shifting, vibrato) are 99 percent same as what you are trying to show us.

@ChristiaanvanHemert

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing Helen!

Thank you for the video! I've been experiencing some pain in my left ear when I practice for an extended period of time. After doing research I've heard others say it's because shoulder rests can lift the violin TOO close to your ear. This makes sense because I've had really great ear training as a vocalist but it's at times hard for me to distinguish pitches as well on the violin. After testing it without my shoulder rest I could hear the notes more clearly and moving between strings was so much smoother.

@ChristiaanvanHemert

5 жыл бұрын

Interesting, good to hear you're enjoying playing restless!

Thank you for this video. It is helping me a lot. Greetings from South Africa.

@ChristiaanvanHemert

5 жыл бұрын

You're welcome and great to hear!

Thank you! I'll be practicing without the rest. Have to look for the exercises you mentioned. But I'm playing a viola;

Thank you for this video. VERY HELPFUL. I'm a session guitarist and decided to teach myself how to play the violin. I'm old. Christiaan's technique is almost guitar-like, especially when moving from a high note then sliding down to a lower note where there's a lot of thumb control. Love this video. If you play the guitar, you can easily adapt his method. I love his method. I decided to remove the shoulder rest, made me feel freer, more relaxed.

@ChristiaanvanHemert

4 жыл бұрын

Awesome!

Thank you, Christiaan... you know how to communicate.

@ChristiaanvanHemert

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much rez47!

I started without a shoulder rest (because I was too lazy to order one. Then I found out that the best violinists play without one. And I like to do things the hard way haha). I have a short neck already, a shoulder rest would probably feel uncomfortable anyway. The only thing I sometimes use is a piece of thin rubber so my violin doesn't slide off my shoulder (because of my clothes).

That's some clean playing right there

@ChristiaanvanHemert

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Thanks for sharing your experiences! I started just a week ago with violin end it was very frustrating and not working well with the shoulder holder and chin rest. Still did not find a right solution how to hold the violin most comfortably. To listen to you I found out there’s some freedom how to do it.

Thank you for your video on this topic! I have been playing my violin with no shoulder rest for a few months now and it is so freeing and much easier to play since I stared. I'm still experimenting with it a lot, so hearing your advice and technique for yourself is very helpful. I started by using Yehudi Menuhin's approach with the violin, with it held higher and the thumb only holding up the violin neck. but these angles and the hight became painful to maintain, making it hard to relax and not clench the violin with my chin. I found with your help that relaxing my arm closer to my rib cage and thus lowing the violin angle, feels so much less straining and I like it better. The question I have for you is when holding the violin up with the left hand, do you tend to cradle the neck completely in the v made by your hand, or is there a gap under the violin neck between your v, made by your thumb and first finger?

You choose to play without a shoulder rest. Good for you! Lots of famous people play without and many are dogmatic about it (though I have not yet heard anyone claim that playing without the shoulder rest is easier). Here is the point though: It depends on the geometry of your body. If the distance between the chin and the collarbone is just right it works great. But people with long necks have difficulty being relaxed without a shoulder rest. Likewise if your hand is as large as Christiaan's there is no problem with high positions. The thumb remains underneath the neck. My hand is small. In order to go high up on the G (or indeed on any string) I need to take my thumb away from under the neck and rest it against the edge of the top of the fiddle. This is perfectly safe with a shoulder rest but I could not guarantee that my violin does not slide out and fall to the floor without one. Another point: What you say about playing in relaxed manner without any muscles being tense all the time is well taken. But don't blame the shoulder rest! It does not force me to press my chin down on the chin rest like a vise. Indeed I am not always touching it with my chin. You can do multiple violin positions with or without a chin rest (though I certainly would recommend to beginners to use only one: Every change in the position of the fiddle changes the geometry of the bow arm and there will be problems ever bowing nicely parallel to the bridge as you should. Once you are more comfortable with the instrument you'll have more freedoms). BTW many people (who play with or without a shoulder rest) recommend to use the chin (or rather the jawbone) to hold the fiddle to allow for downward shifts. This strikes me as easier than the thumb ahead of time method recommended here. Just don't clamp it down for extended periods. So: Unless you have the problems that Christiaan says he avoids by playing the way he plays: Don't feel obliged to throw away your shoulder rest! On the other hand: Why not try it? I did that long ago and decided against changing the way I play. But it may work for you.

@ChristiaanvanHemert

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your thoughts! I'm not dogmatic about it at all, do whatever feels best!

@stephaniegilmore1069

5 жыл бұрын

I love playing without the shoulder rest. It’s been a year and a half now and still hate the shoulder rest!

awesome technique and big thick sound, thnxxx for posting. Btw what strings are those?

Very interesting. Testing because I always felt constrained with shoulder rest.

If you have a desire to play the violin without a shoulder rest, I highly recommend following this violinist instructions. It worked for me. Thank You Chris.

@ChristiaanvanHemert

6 жыл бұрын

+sherom Thanks, very happy to hear that it's working for you!

@sherom

6 жыл бұрын

Hey Christiaan, this is the longest period I went through without the shoulder rest, it's working out pretty good. However, the back of the violin does slip off my shoulder at times.. Over all it's working out....Thanks again for your help.

Also big thanks from me. Im a beginner at 8 weeks of playing, and im by no means an expert or good yet, but i ditched my SR after roughly 4 weeks. My intonation has gotten a lot better without the SR and my neck pain was almost gone in an instant. After 4 weeks im already feeling a lot more confident about my playing and stopped thinking about what im doing and it feels great! SR felt unnatural for me from the beginning, because it forced me in some kind of position and it felt weird. I have a long neck and had to change my chin rest, but thats fine. Overall im very happy that i started playing without SR almost from the get go, so i dont have to relearn everything. :) whats funny as well, im using the russian bow hold but without realizing it. recently saw your video about it. i have yet to learn vibrato, but i will wait with that a little longer. thanks again for all the insight and information given from you, it really helps! Greeting from Germany, Alex

@ChristiaanvanHemert

6 жыл бұрын

Wow, great story Alex and you're welcome of course!

Hello Christiaan,First of all let me say that I love your playing style and have been playing fiddle (violin ) since my early twenties( I am now 66 years old) and still gig but not as often as I used to because I developed degenerative disc disease in my neck vertebra which leaves me in chronic pain.Unfortunately,I now have to play with a customized shoulder rest just keep playing. I have to compromise on losing some sound projection from my fiddle but at least I can get through a gig.I agree with you that its better to play the way you do(without shoulder rest) but in my case ,its just not possible.So I guess what I'm trying to say is that these devices have their place in certain circumstances;especially if one is suffering from a disability such as mine.But I agree with you that teachers can depend to much on adding excess devices to the violin,making the student overly dependent on them.You are a fine violinist with a much needed refreshing approach to teaching.Best Wishes,Dan

I am very excited to hear you explain the goodness of playing the violin without shoulder rest. I have been playing the violin without using the shoulder rest from childhood, I cannot agree with you more about the method. This way of playing is more pain-free, and easier to avoid injury, unlike most people think. There is one area I wish you may address when you have chance next time, since it must be in many players' mind too: if you have small hand, and when there is not enough support from your leftt-hand thumb, how do you manage to play very high positions, specially those high notes on D and G strings? Many thanks.

Here's a good reason not to use one: As far as I know most violin cases don't actually have a spot for shoulder rests.

@procarpenter1788

4 жыл бұрын

Every modern case I've seen has a purpose built recess for a rest. I have two, and owned others, sadly departed, and they all have spots. The other two antique cases I have decidedly do not, lol.

Thank you for this quality content! I am a beginner on the violin. I want to play without shoulder rest, but the thing does not seem like it want to "sit" anywhere and keeps moving under my chin and over the neck bone. It is painful everywhere and i have to costantly reposition my left hand because the thumb keeps going up and up. Also attwmpting vibrato feels quite stiff. How can i practice my way through this? I am quite tall and skinny. Thank you man:)

My violin teacher he very good at playing violin and you too!! :3

Tremendous video.Thanks! Wondering what type (make) of Violin do U have? Thanks again!🥀

Thanks for this video. I've ditched my shoulder rest in favor of this. It feels much more comfortable. However, I can't rest the violin directly on my collarbone because it hurts my collarbone, but I notch the bottom purfling just under my collarbone and that seems to work for me very well. Feels very natural.

@ChristiaanvanHemert

5 жыл бұрын

You're welcome! As long as you don't have to strain your neck or arm you're doing it "correctly", no matter where you place the fiddle!

Christiaan I have just started violin today and I am glad I came across your video. I think your method makes a lot of sense here. I could not see any sense in playing which causes discomfort and is not natural for the wrist. If you're having to force these movements then the playing would naturally be worse overall. I was having some trouble holding the violin with my neck, especially since I am 6' tall I have a longer neck so the violin is not easy to "clamp" down with such a longer neck. And really with your technique I think it will be able to play easier, but my question really is how do you maintain stability when you are shifting positions in the hand, I seem to have great difficulty shifting positions because the violin is tending to move. Thanks again for your great video!

Thanks Christiaan. I see a trend in your videos of being very anti-dogmatic, which I enjoy a lot! I'm giving the shoulder-rest-less approach a try for my jazz manouche, and I have to say, that yeah, especially shifting and vibrato (although I don't use it much anyways) really have to be adjusted quite a lot. It feels as if I was thrown back a bit, everything that contains just one shift now feels a lot harder to play, but I guess that solves itself with time. And, to be fair, sometimes I get quite confused because everything feels so different, especially that slight wiggle here and there. But overall, it's great! Intonation feels much more spot on and "natural", and I love to feel the vibrations on my collar bone. It really frees things up, which is strangely a bit disconcerting, but only when I am over conscious. When I play for longer than an hour, I don#t even notice that I'm holding an instrument, it starts to feel more like just an extension of me (pathos, pathos) So yeah, thanks, you are a great motivator to try out new stuff!

@ChristiaanvanHemert

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks Leovar. Very cool to hear that you're giving it a try and that you already can tell some benefits. If you stick with it for 6 months, I'm confident you won't want to go back to a shoulder rest!

@GoldenToiletAngel

6 жыл бұрын

Alright, I'll let you know in six months so!

@manuelmartilopez9676

5 жыл бұрын

How did it go??

Could you post a list of shoulder-restless violinists of which we have videos today? Alternatively/additionally, would you mind posting a video of you playing the violin, with close ups of your left hand? I dig the philosophy of being physically one with the instrument, and that your left hand moves around a lot and takes on many different positions, i.e. that there is no one correct hand position. Nonetheless, I'd really appreciate the video, to see a hand that knows the violin w/out a shoulder rest, to see how you hold it up, etc. Thank you so much, these videos are awesome

I love your philosophy. To summarize when not using ahoulder rest, use thumb to lead shifts and use more wrist vibrato. Correct?

Hey Christiaan I'm extremely interested in your method, I think it all makes much more sense with your approach. What would you suggest for someone with a long neck? Would it be possible for someone like me or would I need some kind of adjustment? Thanks for your videos and your work! Much love ❤

@ChristiaanvanHemert

5 жыл бұрын

You might need a little pillow under your violin if you have a very long neck but in general I have found just holding up the violin only with your arm and not trying on your chin to hold the violin in place is enough!

Does your shoulder touch the violin? I have rather small shoulders that hang down, and when I put the violin on my collar bone, I'm inclined to pull up my shoulder so that it would touch the violin, making it better supported.

I have slight upper arm pain which the doctor tells me comes from the muscle in the shoulder. He told me to give my violin playing a rest to recover. I think my error was - trying to grip the chin rest too much! Another look at your video and I will now not worry about the chin rest. So: NO shoulder rest and light chin rest. Thanks

Great video. I've been having a lot of neck pain, and the playing the violin has never been comfortable for me. Like many, my search for comfort has given a lot of money to shoulder rest makers! Could it be that the solution really is to ditch it completely? I'm starting to think so. Thanks so much. Was having trouble shifting down as you say...

I got a frozen shoulder and also some tennis elbow in my LEFT arm using my shoulder rest so I'm going to try to ditch it now

What about the position of the thumb Christian? As I see it seems that you don't have I specific "C " shape .thank you for your help

@ChristiaanvanHemert

6 жыл бұрын

Yeah, My thumb kind of moves all over the place (like Perlman's). I'm not sure that's the best way though and if you should attempt to copy that!

Every time I see someone I think s/he is best... Now I'm thinking Christiaan is the best.... So the moral of the this is that there's always someone somewhere better... , so then who is the best... Wow, this sounded like a Zen Koan... I guess it's early morning...

@ChristiaanvanHemert

6 жыл бұрын

Haha, thanks Csaba!

4:08 “because I’m nuts” 😂😂

@ChristiaanvanHemert

6 жыл бұрын

Haha, I am!

And what about without chin rest too? I switched to cloth and pad because both were uncomfortable to me... but I feel like it would be better to not have to use even the alternatives as it takes time to set up and makes me less want to play.

please tell me if there is a connection with this way of holding the violin with the human larynx

@ChristiaanvanHemert

6 жыл бұрын

No my violin is still below my larinx!

You can play Classical Music Title: Canon In D Symphony Tomorrow During this Friday Night Live Violin 🎻 Solo Practice Tonight.

Question: did you get pain when you played for years with a shoulder rest?

@ChristiaanvanHemert

2 жыл бұрын

I certainly did, it's the reason I changed!

Could you please tell me what chain rest you're using?

@ChristiaanvanHemert

2 жыл бұрын

I don't know. It was on the violin when i bought it. I think it's the most standard one :)

old school violin Leupold Auer school right?

Thank you. This video help me a lot as i self learn.

@ChristiaanvanHemert

6 жыл бұрын

You're welcome William!

Like I said, I play 99 percent "like" you. The difference is:: you are professional and I am just some auntie trying to play this impossible instrument. People keep finding faults about me. No hard feelings, they do what they do because they love me and try to help me.

Can a short person do this ? I am 159cm tall

Ah - a fellow spirit! Always hated the sense of rigidity with a shoulder rest and chucked it away after a few weeks. Much prefer the freedom of playing restless. Perhaps worth pointing out that for the first 300 years of the instrument everyone played restless and seemed to get along fine. My pet theory is that teachers find it easier to make progress with tiny tots if they give them a rest - playing restless does take more skill in the initial stages when there's so much else to focus on. And once youngsters get used to the rest, it's probably not worth changing back unless they are getting injured, as properly used it seems to work for many virtuosi. But looking at the people I play with it seems to be abused more often than not, with people pressing down with their chins in a dangerous manner. Some teachers even have their kids parade around holding the violin by their chins alone, which seems like a form of child abuse to me. As you say, the arms evolved to hold things up, but the neck definitely didn't evolve to press things down! After watching Milstein videos I did train myself to lead with the thumb on a downshift as you suggest. But I'm not sure it's necessary provided you use a chin-rest with a reasonably prominent lip. I can hold the fiddle in place with only the weight of my head resting passively on the chin-rest, of even by just hooking my jaw over the lip without actually touching the main part of the rest. Provided my left hand is relaxed as it should be I can downshift fine without needing to lead with the thumb, though perhaps it's a fraction less secure.

@ChristiaanvanHemert

6 жыл бұрын

Spot on observations and I agree completely!

i started the violin and hired a teacher.I told her i want to learn to play without a shoulder rest like youre doing and she quit.

I am a beginner. Can I play without worrying about developing my pinkie? I want to play mainly bluegrass and country fiddle.

@ChristiaanvanHemert

7 жыл бұрын

I would certainly try and develop your pinky. It will give you so much more freedom. It will be worth the extra effort!

@JNITLOST

7 жыл бұрын

Thank you. I have a young friend who plays violin and is amazed at anyone suggesting NO shoulder rest :-)

@feelinghealingfrequences7179

6 жыл бұрын

I enjoy using my pinky in many fiddle tunes to double the open string above. Pinky or 4th finger on D string is A. Then playing both together as in songs like Arkansas traveller , forked dear, back up and push and most fun the fiddlers anthem the shuffle section in orange blossom special. Pinky may take 5-10 years to learn and use in tune and rapidly however its worth it. Playing my mandolin and learning 4 string 4 finger chords like G to A and vice versa will strengthen and teach pinky to stretch into correct position.

In my opinion, playing without a shoulder rest is more natural and gives a better feeling of the violin vibrations. I think, shoulder rests are encouraged by teachers because it makes their lives easier

@lionelpoirot2732

6 жыл бұрын

Mohammed Hajjar I think they teach to play with shoulder rest also because of students who would play fast and see the result soon....

Thanks again for the very informative tips . Just one thing Paganini wrote those variations without a shoulder rest ........and also all the 20th greats . Grapelli ,Menhuin , Swarbrick , Heifetz ,Elman ,Ostriakh,Milstein, Haendel etc,etc none of them used the shoulder rest ! How is it that almost over night all of this was forgotten ?.......same applies to gut strings . They are now regarded as belonging exclusively to baroque music but untill the 70s nearly everyone used them (or if not steel) ...... Could it be down to marketing ?

@ChristiaanvanHemert

6 жыл бұрын

Yup, you're completely right. I'm not sure it's marketing, at least not nowadays. Now it's just that 99% of teachers play with shoulder rest so it's only natural that they teach that too, and this will continue with the next generation of teachers...

Use a rest if you need one. Or don't. Maybe at least explore not using one for a good couple of months and see what happens. You might do really well. I see these people around with short necks and shoulder rests cranked up higher than the Tower of Babel and it's ridiculous. Bottom line, support the fiddle with your left hand regardless. This bullshit notion that you have to be all "look ma, no hands" has to stop. I switched to the Russian hold for a couple of years, but find it limiting for chopping. I know it can be done, but I don't want to put the work in for what I see as negligable returns. Plus I badly sprained my wrist 20 years ago and the Russian hold hurts after a while. Make them digits do the work, yo! Really like the video, and I feel this is very high quality content that will help a lot of people decide what is best for them!

Does your collar bone ever hurt?

@ChristiaanvanHemert

5 жыл бұрын

No!

Christiaan please make more videos from different angles of how to play without shoulder rest if possible showing other violinists playing without shoulder rest. Thank you!

@ChristiaanvanHemert

6 жыл бұрын

Good idea, I'll think about it!

A classy and beautiful sounding though it is, the violin has got to be one of THE most uncomfortable instruments to play - at least to me, since I've only now tried to start learning it and I'm well into my 50s already. The guitar requires your hand to be in no unnatural positions which can't be said about the violin. The curving up of the fingers from underneath the violin is most demanding. Oh and one other aspect that no violin teacher seems to mention is that unless you're slim, you'll be at a massive disadvantage

@Rialas

5 жыл бұрын

Ramapriya D Mark O Connor an awesome guitarist gave up the guitar because of carpal tunnel, took up the violin too be a tremendous violinist. Also Roby Lakatos, a very large man, and a huge violin talent. The violin is the most comfortable instrument to play when you put in a little effort, certainly more so than a guitar.

I still don't get how to vibrato without a shoulder rest.... I don't own nor have any rests near me soooo yeah... it's hard to vibratoooo 😭😭 I can somewhat do a hand vibrato but a long winded arm vibrato is more difficult.. but I guess it's just practice and getting used to the feel I suppose..,

@ChristiaanvanHemert

7 жыл бұрын

GamerXian I have a video on my channel about vibrato as well. Check it out!

@DoubleAviolin

6 жыл бұрын

The fact is that it is harder without a shoulder rest. If you already have a nice vibrato playing with a shoulder rest you'll have to start more or less from scratch again.

Yes, I ripped the chin rest off too! And off all those little fine tuning screws! I so love playing and I never have pain. I developed my "techniques" focusing on how I think the music should sound instead of on the techniques themselves. Having said that, lately I got myself a teacher again, to see if I can benefit from learning some techniques. And I think I do. It is very different from having a teacher when you just started learning. Because now I am much more used to the violin and to myself. My new teacher is under 20 year old. I like her so young that I don't feel that I have to listen to her, though I do try to listen to her. LOL.

Am I right in thinking that folk players tend to play like this more so than players of other genres?

@ChristiaanvanHemert

6 жыл бұрын

Freeman I'm pretty sure there are far more classical players that play without shoulder rest than folk players, even though it's still a low percentage!

@tullochgorum6323

6 жыл бұрын

In the UK the rest disease seems to have taken root in the folk world. It's quite rare to see fiddlers who play restless.

@duncanandrew3307

4 жыл бұрын

@@tullochgorum6323 I think they don't give enough thought to the chinrest. So many are impossible to get any kind of hold on. I have been sans shoulder rest for many years- can't play with one now.

@tullochgorum6323

4 жыл бұрын

@@duncanandrew3307 You're preaching to the converted. For me, playing fiddle with a shoulder rest would be like making love in chain mail - it destroys the connection with the instrument. But each to their own - many of the greats use a rest so I guess it's a matter of personal preference.

Please make a video on holding the violin, as we have all been taught nonsense such as 'no dive bombing' (where the scroll is pointing towards the ground). Of course you know this, but others watching don't realise that some of the masters of the violin dive bombed. I personally find my physiology isn't compatible with the orthodox positions.

great tone,play more

@ChristiaanvanHemert

6 жыл бұрын

+James Lay Thanks James, will do!

You want to avoid fights, BECAUSE A VIOLIN IS MORE DANGEROUS WITH A SHOULDER REST ATTACHED!!!! FYI IMHO

Easy for You. You don' t have long like me.

I use no shoulder rest - and no chin rest feels better (so much better - it's incredible!). Sometimes I put the chin rest back on, but I NEVER feel good about it - it gets in the way too. As for the shoulder rest - never never never never never! I have to be FREE!

@ChristiaanvanHemert

6 жыл бұрын

+Shawn Christopher White Thanks!

@procarpenter1788

5 жыл бұрын

Very nice! What feels the very best for me is to play with no chinrest, shoulder rest, AND no violin as well! I just feel so freeeeeeeeeeeee!

You're great and all but your videos are damn long

@ChristiaanvanHemert

3 жыл бұрын

They're shorter now ;)

hyper frustrant! que en anglais, pas d'exemple sonore quasiment et du baaaavardage, c'est pourtant une belle façon , jouer sans épaulière, mais le son produit ici n'a pas d'âme, arrgh

@ChristiaanvanHemert

5 жыл бұрын

Ahahaha

@denischang1104

5 жыл бұрын

Tout comme votre commentaire!