Violinists pay a lot of attention to the quality of their violins and accessories. But they often forget one fundamental principle: proper violin posture.

Before you start learning any bowing techniques, master the correct way to sit/stand when playing the violin. Figure out how to position every part, starting from your forearm to your feet.

Not sure about the right posture to adopt? We’ve got you covered. Below is a detailed guide to proper violin posture.

The Basics of Good Violin Posture

Anytime you’re playing your violin, you should make an effort to sit in the correct posture. But what exactly does that look like? Well, here are five steps you should take:

1. Form a “V” shape with your legs

The first thing you’ll want to do is check your stance. If you’re currently standing, then put your feet together in a “rest position.”

Next, move your left foot slightly to the side, causing you to form a “V” shape. When you’re ready to start playing, widen your stance to the point that your feet are shoulder-width apart.

It’s okay if your left foot is positioned more towards the front than your right one. Just ensure that you have enough balance that you can freely swing back and forth. Once you’ve achieved this, it’s time to position the violin on your upper body.

2. Left Collar Bone

To position the violin correctly, bring it all the way up to your left shoulder. While you’re at it, you should be simultaneously turning your head slightly leftwards.

Finally, position the instrument in such a way that it sits directly atop your left collar bone and shoulder. Ideally, your head’s weight should be enough to support the violin.

If this position doesn’t feel comfortable at the moment, you should consider getting a chinrest and violin shoulder rest. But, ensure that you get accessories that conform to the contour of your body.

How can you tell if you’ve adopted the correct violin posture? For starters, your spine and back ought to be relaxed completely.

Secondly, the violin should be sitting parallel to the surface that you’re standing on. If you experience any discomfort on your shoulder, start the positioning process from scratch.

3. Placement of the Left Hand

Once you’ve positioned the violin to a comfortable spot, the next thing you should take care of are your hands. Specifically, your left hand should partially wrap around the violin’s neck.

Whilst keeping your wrist in a straight position, place each of your left-hand fingers on the fingerboard. Ensure that your thumb sits opposite your index finger. Also, leave a decent amount of space between your palm and the violin’s neck.

4. Relax your Bow Hold

The next thing you should check on is your bow hold. If you have the correct violin bow hold, then your right-hand fingers should be slightly curved and relaxed.

To achieve this, position your thumb so that it’s directly across the curved middle and ring finger. On the other hand, these middle and ring fingers ought to be sitting on the bulk of the frog while covering the eye.

Last but not least, your pinky should be on top of the stick with your index finger suspended over the stick. If your bow hold feels overly tight or loose, check the position of each finger and correct it accordingly.

5. Check your Right Arm

Your right arm plays a particularly important role when it comes to correct violin posture. Each time you adjust its position, there are several other things that you’re adjusting; knowingly or unknowingly.

Another point to keep in mind is that the greater the weight you utilize from your right shoulder, the better the resulting sound. However, if you use too much weight, the violin sound that stems from this will be a bit scratchy. Conversely, failing to use enough weight can cause the sound to be too thin.

What Is Bad Violin Posture?

The following signs are indications of a bad violin posture:

• Slouching - when learning how to hold a violin, it’s easy to hunch over or position your back in other awkward and uncomfortable ways. But, it’s crucial that you keep your back as straight as you can; whether you’re sitting or standing.
• Turning your head too far to the left - it’s natural to turn your head a little bit to the left. However, it shouldn’t be titled all the way in the left direction.
• Incorrect positioning of the forearm and wrist - you want to be able to move your fingers freely without experiencing any discomfort in your wrist or forearm. If you’re experiencing any of this, examine your posture and make the necessary adjustments.

Tips to Practice Good Violin Posture

Having some difficulties sticking to the right posture? Well, here are a few things you can do to improve:

Replace your desk chair with an exercise ball

Every once in a while, ditch your desk chair and sit on an exercise ball instead.

You’ll probably get strange looks the first couple of times. But this exercise ball can reinforce your abdominal muscles while also fostering proper spine alignment.

Try some yoga moves

If you’re the kind of violinist who practices for hours every other day, yoga can offer you much-needed relief. More importantly, it helps you overcome bad violin postures. Routines like the mountain pose, cat pose, bridge pose, downward facing dog and child’s pose enable you to stretch your body the right way.

Set a reminder

If you had already gotten used to sitting in a particular way, sit directly opposite a mirror and check your posture every 20 to 30 minutes.

While it may take up a lot of time, you’ll notice improvements over time. Besides, you’ll feel way more comfortable playing your favorite instrument.

Avoid crossing your legs

You probably don’t think much about it when you cross your legs. Unfortunately, doing this works against good violin positioning. If you’re playing from a seated position, then place your feet completely flat on the floor.

Be accountable to someone

This could be your violin instructor, fellow violinist or even family.

So anytime you’re playing your violin, ask them to check on you regularly to ensure that you’re not hunching over.

Checklist for the Correct Violin Posture

There are a couple of things that you should check occasionally to ensure that you’re maintaining the right posture. Here’s a detailed violin posture checklist:

Head and Neck

If you’ve adopted the right posture, then your head should be as straight as possible or turned very slightly towards the left. However, this doesn’t mean that it should be tilted all the way to either the left or right side.

You should also check the position of your neck. If it’s aligned correctly, then you shouldn’t feel like you’re straining your neck muscles at any point. If you experience such discomfort, it’s likely that you’re not placing enough weight through the chinrest to support the violin.

Shoulders

Another sign of good violin posture entails relaxed shoulders. When it comes to your right side, your arm should be capable of swinging freely from the shoulder sprocket. And when it comes to your left side, your shoulder muscles should not be overly tensed up to support the violin.

Back and Spine

If you’re standing, then you should stand straight up. And if you’re playing from a seated position, you should also sit straight up.

You’re probably wondering how you can achieve this, considering spines have a natural curve. But what’s important is to keep your back and spine as erect as possible; without slouching.

Violin Position

One way to tell that you have a bad violin posture is to check your instrument’s position. As stated earlier, it should be in an almost-parallel position to the floor.

Pay attention to the violin scroll as well. It shouldn’t be pointing directly towards either the floor or the ceiling. While it might be inclined more towards the left, it shouldn’t be at a sharp 90-degree angle to the left.

Proper balancing

Some violinists like to play their instruments while standing. If this sounds like you, ensure that your weight is evenly distributed on your two feet. You shouldn’t put too much weight on either your left or right foot.

Flexibility

When playing a violin, rigidity is your enemy. The more you tense your muscles, the more fatigued you’ll feel. This can, in turn, cause you to lose interest in playing pretty fast.

To avoid this, ensure that no part of your body is too rigid or tensed up. If you’re using the right posture, then you should be completely relaxed and able to flow with the music.

Conclusion

While it may seem very time-consuming, learning the correct violin posture offers immeasurable benefits.

For one, you can play every string in tune because your fingers are positioned correctly. Secondly, you’ll find it easier to maintain eye contact with your instructor as well as read from the music stand.

If neither of these reasons sound convincing, then consider your long-term well-being. If you’re constantly sitting in a bad posture, you risk getting serious injuries that can cut your music journey short. With the correct posture though, you can play your violin for years.