The Violin and Viola

 

Violinists and violists often suffer from conditions in the back, neck, jaw, shoulder and hands, which can be nerve or muscular in origin.  The very nature of the instrument causes asymmetrical development of the musician’s body leading to imbalances in the neck, jaw and shoulders and even lower down the spine.  Symptoms are usually caused by repetitive strain or long periods of sitting or standing in the awkward postures needed to play.

 

 

 

 

The correct accessories and supports can make an enormous difference to the comfort of playing and drastically reduce the risk of injuries and playing related pain. You can read an interesting research project carried out at the Utrecht Conservatory about the positive effects of correct supports here.  It’s a good website  and contains a lot of useful advice and information.

 

Neck length and shoulder width are not really considered when determining the size of violin/viola  you play so your shoulder rest and chin rest set-up has a huge influence on how well your instrument will fit you.  The set-up will vary from person to person depending on  where your chin naturally falls on the instrument,  the length of your neck, body, arms etc.  Rests should be customised and adjusted for each individual so that playing feels easier, more comfortable and pain free.  This, along with good posture and movements when playing will go a long to way to keeping injury free.

 

 

Even with the perfect set up and posture, if you stay in one postion for too long , your body will still complain.

Try to take regular short breaks during practising, about 5 mins rest every 20-30 minutes is a good guide.

After a session of playing, it’s a good idea to work on loosening up your neck, shoulders and nervous sytem to maintain good flexibility.