It's no secret that in order to play the violin to the best of our abilities, we need to stay relaxed. However, that is much easier said than done! In this post, I'll share 5 different practice techniques you can employ for various spots of tension.

Mouth/jaw tension

I personally have a ton of mouth and jaw tension when I'm playing particularly difficult pieces, so this one in particular is near and dear to my heart. The practice technique to relieve tension in your mouth and jaw is to play with your mouth open. It is impossible to clench your jaw with your mouth open. When doing this, you'll probably find that it wants to close right away! If you're having trouble with this, put a chip or a pretzel in between your top and bottom teeth. This will force your mouth to stay open, and become super obvious when you close it because you'll have bitten the snack! 😂 Another practice technique to relieve mouth and jaw tension is to smile as you play. It's much harder to clench your jaw when smiling with your teeth showing.

Right shoulder tension

If you find yourself raising your right shoulder as you play, a great practice technique is to have someone else rest their hand on your shoulder as you play. What's tricky about right shoulder tension is that it can be super hard to physically feel when you're raising it, especially if you've gotten in the habit of doing so. Having someone else's hand on your shoulder is a good reminder not to raise it and makes it more obvious when it does actually tense up. Alternatively, you can try placing a small object on your shoulder as well.

Upper arm tension

If you tend to play with your upper arm and elbow higher than you should, a great practice technique is to play with a backpack or purse hanging from your arm. You can make the bag as heavy as you need to by placing items inside. This will force your upper arm to stay lower and help you learn to better feel your natural arm weight, which will improve your sound.

Neck tension

Typically, when students are gripping the violin harder than necessary with their neck, there are two main reasons. First is that their set up is uncomfortable. In this case, experimenting with different shoulder rests, different heights of shoulder rests, and potentially even different chin rests until finding one that works is the solution. Second is the subconscious fear of dropping the instrument. First, realize that this is highly unlikely. Next, to practice alleviating this neck tension, practice with the scroll of your violin against the wall. This will give you a bit more support and allow you to release the tension in your neck.

Left hand tension

If you struggle with "violin death grip" you are certainly not alone! Unnecessary left hand tension causes a myriad of problems, such as the inability to play fast, inaccurate intonation, and potentially pain and injury. One of the best practice strategies for reducing left hand tension is to wiggle your thumb. Take a slight pause every measure or so and briefly move your thumb up and down. It's much harder to squeeze your thumb when it's mobile. If you'd like to learn more about reducing left hand tension, check out my post Get rid of your violin death grip!

Where does tension manifest for you? How do you address it?