Відео

Hello! I hope you found the video helpful...Do you mean thin flat fingers? Mary💗

@violinstudiowithmaryv yes the flesh is so thin and flat that even after you trim the nail it's still hard to play because the nail looks more protrude than the flesh

Thank you very much! Mary💗

Hello! Thank you very much for your wonderfully poetic thoughts on this lovely piece. I agree, Fauré captures perfectly the rocking of the ship and the cradle...so sad, yet comforting. Mary💗

Thank you! Mary ❤

Hello, thank you very much! Mary💗

Hello Letitia! Thank you very much for your kind words! Mary💗

@@violinstudiowithmaryv You are very welcome! ❤

Hello! I'm delighted you liked it; thank you very much! Mary💗

Hello Mary! Thank you very much for your kind words! Mary💗

Hello Lola! Thank you very much; Fauré is so lovely to play! Have a great weekend and a big hug to you! Mary💗

How lovely of you to say those kind words, thank you very much! Mary💗

Thank you very much dearest Marta! Mary💗

Hello! Yes, you have described this piece perfectly...so lovely to hear from you in Iran!! Take care. Mary💗

Hello! What a lovely thing to say - thank you very much for your kind words! Mary ❤

PS thank you for your note about sending a comment - of course I always want to know how you are getting on and I rejoice when you make discoveries, so let's keep our fingers crossed that the comment section behaves itself next time! Take care. Mary ❤

Hello Shin! Thank you very much! It's wonderful that you are making progress and enjoying practicing! Perhaps you are enjoying being more pain free? Being pain free brings forward the physical pleasure that playing the violin can bring, which in turn dissolves those barriers we all form in our minds. You are continuing to achieve great things! Take care. Mary ❤

Hello! If the bow feels heavy on the D string then try putting the bow on the D string, then lifting it straight off and waggling it in the air for a few moments. Keep on repeating this until you feel more comfortable both with the bow weight and also putting the bow on the string with precision... When you feel ready your catch & release should be easier to perform. Good luck! Mary💗

Hello! My chin rest is so old I cannot remember what kind it is. It's rosewood which is very comfortable. Mary ❤

@ How nice to hear from you. Thank you for responding. I sure enjoy your playing and your videos.

@@reneekollars6767 Thank you very much for your kind words! Take care. Mary ❤

Thank you very much! Mary💗

Hello Frédéric! What a great insight - you're right, it's just as rewarding and pleasurable to play nice and slowly...Take care and thank you! Mary💗

Hello! Thank you very much! Mary💗

Hello Lola! You always display the greatest gifts of all - enthusiasm, dedication and LOVE! What a marvellous inspiration you are, Lola! I'm sure you have noticed that when we make a lovely sound our left hand relaxes a bit and everything feels easier, without strain. Catch and Release is a techniques that makes the biggest, most exciting difference... Sometimes I call it 'Catch & Relax'... Take care Lola! Mary💗 (Florence starts snoring loudly as soon as I start playing, which you have probably heard in the videos!)

Hello Rhonda! I'm delighted you found the video helpful, thank you! My chin rest is decades old and I'm afraid I cannot remember the make. It's made of rosewood which is very comfortable. Mary💗

Hello! Thank you very much - I wish you all the best with your violin experiments! Mary💗

Hello Stephen! I'm delighted you like my videos, thank you very much for letting me know! I've seen people on UA-cam using these straps and I must admit that personally I'm horrified as it seems to me that it's just a bad substitute instead of learning how to hold the violin properly... There's a balance that's needed between the head and the left hand that once achieved, gives a touch and feel to violin playing that is unsurpassed. For centuries as the violin has developed and changed, the relationship of the head and the hand has remained the foundation for the violin, and you miss out on this basic technique if you simply strap the violin to you instead of learning how to hold it and experience the freedom and subtlety of achieving balance. BUT you did mention a lot of pain from squeezing, and I agree that any pain is extremely aggravating and unwelcome...but again squeezing and pain are not necessary or predestined on the violin if you patiently spend time learning good techniques. I hope you don't mind my response, but of course I'm certain you will do exactly what feels right for you, as you should! Take care. Mary💗

Hello Malcom! Thank you very much, I'm delighted you have found my videos helpful! Please let me know if there's anything I can help you with, ok? Mary💗

Hello Margaret! I'm delighted you found the video helpful! As you know, there are a number of ways to get our vibrato movement started and they all involve using the thumb as a pivot and getting the hand to move, rather than concentrating on the fingers. Without the hand movement the fingers will not roll etc... Remember, vibrato is not about speed at this stage, but instead, it's about ensuring that the mechanical movements are well established and comfortably in place, so take your time, ok? So rather than trying for speed straight away, instead be content to re-establish the basic movements for your hand, especially as you have formed habits for many years, requiring awareness and determination to give yourself healthy new habits. Then when your hand is ready and stays relaxed you will be able to pick up a little speed without forcing or getting out of shape. 20 years is a nice long time playing the violin and I congratulate you for your continued passion and determination. Just remember that replacing old habits with nice fresh ones takes quite a bit of resilience and thoughtfulness. If there's anything I could help you with, just let me know and I'll do my best ok? I wish you all the best! Mary💗

Hello! Thank you! Mary💗

Hello Lola! How wonderful that you can actually use your 4th finger! You can tuck that advantage into your treasure box... I've got a private, imaginative way of feeling what it's like to play with no left hand restrictions or compromises whatsoever. By holding my left hand tightly with my right hand I can prevent myself feeling the habitual responses in my hand, including what my short 4th finger feels like when I play... So I go through a piece in my mind and 'feel' my left hand playing it but wonderfully free of my normal sensations and restrictions... It's a wonderful feeling to go beyond what my left hand habitually wants to do and instead feel what it's like to play freely as if my hand was really big and powerful. The violin is certainly a wonderful world!! A hug Lola! Mary 💗

Hello, I wish you all the best! Mary💗

Thank you! Mary💗

I'm glad you found the video helpful, thank you! Mary💗

Thank you! Mary💗

Hello! Yes, Augustin Hadelich has a very refreshing and practical outlook about violin playing, doesn't he? His approach could be described as 'do what works' which I thoroughly agree with. (Galamian for example had extraordinarily long 4th fingers!) At college I remember being in such difficulties playing a study for an exam with the 'proper' fingerings of 4th fingers high up...but which I could play much better (and painlessly) with my own fingerings, leaving out the 4th finger. Everything was so much better for me when I broke free of the rules and started finding out what really works for a small hand and short pinkie... I think we should all break free and search for what works for us individually, hopefully without having to endure years of pain because we believed the myth that violin playing has universal 'rules' everyone must follow, no matter their individual shape and size! Mary💗

@@violinstudiowithmaryv It's my third year with the instrument, and more and more I'm convinced that "becoming good" at the violin is almost synonymous with "becoming comfortable" with the violin. I'm glad that you followed your own intuition for a better outcome in the face of adversity. It's a beautiful thing when we become confident in our own ability and are able to make decisions for ourselves successfully, I believe that that is only beginning to happen to me in my violin journey. Cheers!

@@fedegroxo I couldn't agree more with your comment about being comfortable! What an invaluable insight! I wish you all the best. Mary💗

Hello! I'm very glad that you feel reassured that you're not 'cheating' by using alternative fingerings etc. It's absolutely necessary to tailor all technical issues to fit our individual physique. The issue of small hands and short pinkies is very neglected generally and most violin teachers are just not aware of the technicalities. However, never fear, you will find plenty of practical advice about setting up and using a small hand on the violin on this channel, such as in the following videos; ua-cam.com/video/sMh3W2CFv7M/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/DZEq8Z6fvLI/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/FK_aFRO73CE/v-deo.html As for your bow hold, actually despite having a very small hand, it's relatively in proportion, right, so I would advise you to slow down go back to the beginning and take your time to create a comfortable bow hold. Simply arrange your fingers and thumb on the bow while holding the middle of the stick of the bow with your left hand. Then for a few seconds waggle the bow gently to get used to the changing weight, then quickly hold it again with the left hand. If your fingers have become displaced then rearrange them and repeat the whole exercise until your bow hold stays in place for those few seconds. This could take days or weeks depending on how you regulate any tension...a few seconds at a time should be your method, ok? There's a good reason the pinkie should be curved and it's to prevent the finger locking at the base joint, although your pinkie joint is cramping, but I think it's because you need to slowly build up familiarity with the changing weight. Your solution of playing beyond the wrapping takes you to the position that baroque players use with a baroque bow...go back to the wrapping area for now while you carry out your waggling experiments and then we'll see. Please also consider the possibility of using a lovely 1/2 or 3/4 size instrument and bow. A couple of my students are much happier and much more comfortable with their smaller instruments... Take care, Mary💗

Thank you for your very helpful reply, Mary.

Hello! Well done indeed for trying something that is supposed to be 'wrong!' I'm delighted you have found more relaxation and freedom in your hand by doing something that world class violinists from Anne-Sophie Mutter to Augustin Hadelich do as a matter of course! Who knows what you'll be trying next... Take care and thank you. Mary💗

I'm delighted you found the video helpful - thank you very much! Mary💗

Hello Lola! Thank you so much for your wonderful, thoughtful words and your compliments! I agree with you that it's an amazing phenomenon to join musical notes in such a way as to produce such beauty that touches us so deeply...and Beethoven was only 27 when he wrote this Sonata! I've been (trying to) play this movement on the piano and I've discovered that his hands were much, much larger than mine, so happily, being able to play this divine tune on the violin is much better for me! Lovely to hear it's sunny in Madrid after your cold and wet spell! We had sun all day today and a deep frost which sparkled on every blade of grass - absolutely gorgeous ...Florence runs around like a puppy in the frost and I love the crunch under my feet - so lovely! I hope you are continuing to enjoy your violin and your beautiful, beloved Madrid. Take care and a big hug! Mary💗

​@@violinstudiowithmaryv 💚🎶🧡🐶

Thank you very much! Mary💗

Hi Shin! Thank you very much for your kind words - it's such a wonderful piece, written when Beethoven was only 27 years old - what an inspiration!! It was very interesting taking an overall impression of your description of your practice and experiments... The fact that your left arm is sometimes tensing up tells me that you should look at your set up, that is, your shoulder rest, chin rest and the position of the violin very carefully and see if you can make adjustments so that the violin is sitting comfortably in it's place using mainly gravity and then the head and then a tiny bit of the left shoulder. I love what you said about tucking in your chin and stretching the back of the neck. Stop at the point of simply holding the violin between the head and the left hand and it should feel balanced and pleasurable. You should be able to bounce the violin up and down a bit and also be able to move your head. Make absolutely sure there is no tightness in your left arm at this point. Now let your elbow be underneath the neck and start wiggling your fingers up and down randomly in 1st position on the d string. This will help you to identify the moments when needless extra muscular activity is intruding habitually into basic functions. For example, the elbow should not even be a factor here, as it should simply be underneath the neck... This kind of neutrality and examination of the fundamentals every time you lift your violin is essential for someone who has formed habits of tensing up as you have, you see? All my students perform this basic examination of fundamental positions and movements to their great advantage. It's incredibly helpful to have such a wonderful goal as playing the Adagio from the Pathétique - of course you will do it! Take care. Mary💗

@@violinstudiowithmaryv Hello Mary. I tried the left arm neutralisation method you taught me for four days. I feel so much better and my left arm is no longer in pain. Thank you for your advice, it has helped me a lot. My vibrato is still slow, but I can now do it consistently without effort. I enjoy playing ‘Wild Rose’. Shin😊

@@s8299shin Hello Shin! I'm so glad that your left arm is no longer in pain. It's a good idea to start with this freeing of the left arm and fingers every time you practice so you can replace tension with relaxation and pleasurable feelings. It's fantastic that you can now do vibrato consistently without effort, but please don't try too hard to speed up your vibrato until your left arm and fingers are relaxed and ready - we want to be sure you can actually put your fingers up and down on the strings without tensing up your left arm, so please work on that goal and when your body is ready your vibrato will speed up without forcing - vibrato is something that develops over time, so the goal is relaxation before speed, ok? Wild Rose is a gorgeous piece to play! I'm so glad you're enjoying it. Take care. Mary💗

Hello! Thank you very much and I'm delighted you like my vibrato! My very old Italian violin (1760) loves these strings - they are 'Obligato' by Pirastro, which are perfect for older, more mellow instruments like mine, but I don't think they'd suit a more modern violin which may need something brighter...there are so many to choose from, aren't there? Mary💗

Thank you very much ! Mary💗

Hello! Thank you very much for your kind words - I'm delighted you liked it! So wonderful to hear from you in Iran! Take care. Mary💗

Hello Samira! Thank you very much, I'm delighted that you have found the videos helpful! Please let me know if there's anything I can help you with, ok? Take care and keep going! Mary💗

.. forgot to say it’s easier on the e string so I’m going to keep practicing. Thank you for the video 😊

Hi Katie! This little gap you've been trying to get is actually something that happens along the way as we progress, except it's useful to help people who have a major tightness problem... The video was made to address issues you don't have! Getting into strained and exaggerated positions with your left elbow and your thumb is not a solution and not a good idea! You have such a lovely left hand on the violin and it fills me with dismay that you are spoiling it by adopting strained positions simply to achieve a little gap that will occur naturally with time and experience... Keep your thumb at the side of the neck and don't let it go underneath, and keep your elbow underneath and don't let it swing too much to the right! Forget about this particular video and instead, in order to free the hand without going into strained positions, I would recommend playing plenty of 1st finger trills between all the open strings and the 1st finger. You will find a lot of freedom in the left hand by regularly trilling fast with the 1st finger! I guess for you as usual this is all about vibrato,☺but speeding up vibrato and everything else on the violin, relies on adopting the most natural functioning our arm and hand can achieve within the necessary positions, so there's no strain and we're not working against being able to let go and speed up... Take care Katie! Mary💗

@ oh wow thank you Mary ! It did cross my mind that this could be something that happens later. Thanks for correcting me . I will do as you say 😀

@@katiemartin2428 Wonderful! Thank you very much Katie! Keep that lovely left hand of yours as relaxed as possible! Mary💗

@ I will, thanks very much Mary 😀

Hello Shin! Thank you very much for this information about your discoveries about habits and posture... You are correct that the feeling you have of security caused by pressure and pain is a habit and perhaps also a need and a belief that one must make an enormous effort to do something worthwhile and enjoyable, and so the effort and even pain are validated... But if you think about it, the effort it takes mentally and physically to learn how to deliberately let go and be natural and relax is also an enormous effort, but it's just in the opposite direction. So you need to continue proving to yourself in many creative, openminded ways that you can play in natural positions without clenching and straining. You're already doing a very good job of experimenting and convincing yourself bit by bit to trust yourself to play without that familiar tightness. Tightness contains within it much doubt and fear, doesn't it?... So tucking in your chin seems to be great for you! I'm delighted by what you said especially about your breathing and your vision; splendid indeed!! Sometimes a tiny thing can unlock a lot, including joy, which is so important and precious when it comes along... Thanks again, Shin, and take care. Mary💗

Hello! Thank you very much! Mary💗

Hello! Thank you! Mary ❤

Hi Shin, Thanks for alerting me to your previous post in the 'Trills' video which for some reason I missed, but I'm very glad I saw it...I hope that you will continue to experiment and make important discoveries that will bring you solutions and comfort. Take care! Mary ❤

Hello Shin! For some reason your comments have not appeared in the 'trills' video, so just in case you didn't see my reply, here it is...... Thank you very much for these details...it's clear to me from your description that your problems stem from more fundamental issues; whether your shoulder rest is correctly set up, and whether the violin position is correct in relation to your arm's natural function...you see, the left arm must be given the opportunity to act naturally at all times. If, for example, your violin is positioned too far to your left then that puts an immediate strain on everything in the left arm, from the shoulder to the tips of the fingers. Please watch these videos to see if you recognise these issues in your own set up; ua-cam.com/video/WgVPEJEK0fY/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/pHrZAd2uPjs/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/bnYVYUbpzgs/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/bmnGdGx8090/v-deo.html I think your difficulties in putting your fingers down easily and naturally stem from your over-extended arm position, which in turn stems from a violin position which doesn't relate properly to your shoulders and arms... Violin playing comfortably is just like a puzzle where all the parts fit together, but one part affects the others. Staying experimental, just as you are doing, is the best choice you can make, especially when you have long standing habits - they need to just wither from underuse as new, healthy habits take over, powered by your new and exciting discoveries... And it's a great idea to murmur to yourself to bring thoughtfulness and observation into your experiments...I love it! I wish you all the best and take care. Mary❤

Hello! Thank you very much, I'm delighted you found it useful. Mary ❤