Violin Practice Guide

Welcome to the TMES Violin Practice Guide for Students and Parents.

This page has been provided by Ms. Canice with the goal of helping students and parents to recall the key details during violin practice at home.

Be sure to send any comments you may have for additional content or the usefulness of this page to Ms. Canice or MJ at msams@tmesnm.com

Basics

Parts of the Violin

Parts of the Bow

_______________________________

Body Position

Rest Position; Feet/Violin
Playing Position; Feet/Violin
Shoulders over Hips
Knees Slightly Bent

Shoulders Over Hips

Correct

The head and shoulders are directly over the hips.

Incorrect

;

The head and shoulders are not over the hips. Note how the whole upper torso is twisting or turning to the left.

_______________________________

Violin Position

Jaw in Chin Rest
Head Tilted Toward Violin
Violin on Shoulder

Jaw in Chin Rest

Correct

The jaw is correctly placed in the chin rest.

Incorrect

The chin is placed in the chin rest.

Head Tilted Toward Violin

Correct

The head is tilted towards the violin or to the left.

Incorrect

The head is tilted towards the right, away from the violin.

Violin on Shoulder

Correct

The entire portion of the shoulder is covered. The violin is all the way to the left instead of to the front.

Incorrect

The violin is placed on the chest and the shoulder is not covered.

_______________________________

Left Hand Position

Soft Finger Tunnel
Finger Angle on Thumb Side
Rainbow Fingers (Bunnies)
Slightly Bent/Relaxed Wrist

Soft Finger Tunnel

Correct

The fingers are relaxed and curled over the fingerboard. They are also “in the house” versus “the basement.”

Incorrect

The fingers are curled under the fingerboard. The fingers should always be in the house, not the basement.

Incorrect

The fingers are in the house, but they are not curled.

Finger Angle on Thumb Side

Correct

Text to be provided here.

Incorrect

Draw a line down the middle of your left index finger—to the left of the line is the thumb side, to the right of the line is the finger side. The point where the tip of the finger is contacting is on the finger side.

Rainbow Fingers (Bunnies)

Correct

The fingernails (bunnies) are looking at the violinist. The first knuckle isn't collapsed, which allows the fingers to form a rainbow shape.

Incorrect

The fingernails (i.e., the bunnies) are looking at the ceiling, which is incorrect. The bunnies should look at the violinist.

Slightly Bent/Relaxed Wrist

Correct

From the fingers to the elbow there is a straight line. Note how the wrist isn't bent towards the scroll or body of the violin.

Incorrect

The wrist is collapsed or bent towards the violin. This is a pizza pan; no pizza pans!

Incorrect

The wrist is bent towards the scroll, which is incorrect.

_______________________________

Right Hand Position (Bow Hold)

Curved Pinky
Thumb Bent
Pinky Stays on Bow
Middle and Ring Fingers (Huggers) Over Bow

Curved Pinky

Correct

The pinky is curved and contacting the bow above the frog.

Incorrect

The pinky is straight instead of curved. It is contacting the top of the bow in between the winding and the nut, which is correct [might be confusing – should just focus on the pinky in this picture?]

Thumb Bent

Correct

The tip of the thumb is contacting the bow. Notice that the first joint is bent (creating a “tummy” for the thumb). Also, the thumb is contacting where the bow hair and silver part of the bow meet.

Incorrect

The pad of the thumb is contacting the bow instead of the tip. The thumb doesn't have a tummy.

Pinky Stays on Bow

Correct

The pinky is curved and contacting the bow above the frog.

Incorrect

The pinky is not contacting the bow. It should never be in the air.

Middle and Ring Fingers (Huggers) Over Bow

Correct

The middle joints of the middle and ring fingers (or the "huggers") are touching the winding part of the bow. The tip of the ring finger is touching the frog. The tip of the middle finger is touching the thumb fingernail.

Incorrect

The tips of the two huggers are touching the winding. The middle joints are not touching any part of the bow.

Placement of Entire Hand on Bow [not on report card]

Correct

The thumb, pinky, and huggers are all placed correctly. The thumb is contacting the hair and silver part on the bottom of the bow.

Incorrect

The entire hand is moved to the right of the bow. Note that the thumb isn't contacting the silver or the hair of the bow.

_______________________________

Bow Stroke

Bending from the Elbow
Relaxed Right Shoulder
Elbow Level Aligned with Wrist
Stays within Bow Tapes

Relaxed Right Shoulder

Correct

The right shoulder is down and relaxed.

Incorrect

The right shoulder is hunched and not relaxed.

Elbow Level Aligned With the Wrist

Correct

The right elbow should always be relaxed and aligned with the wrist. The elbow should never be higher than the wrist.