Get rid of your violin death grip!

Violin "death grip" is the result of too much tension in your left hand. This is vital to get rid of quickly, as it could eventually lead to injury.

Exercise 1

The first step in releasing your death grip is to understand just how much pressure you need to put into the strings to get a solid sound, which is exactly the point of this exercise. Start by placing any finger on the string with "harmonic pressure". Harmonic pressure actually means no pressure at all! You're just lightly laying your finger on the string, which should result in a harmonic-like or unclear sound. Then, gradually add pressure until you hear a solid sound. It's likely that you'll find you don't need to press nearly as hard as you thought in order to get a solid sound!

Exercise 2

This exercise is aimed at releasing tension with your left thumb. The premise of the exercise is simple: stop between every note or every phrase and wiggle your thumb. When your thumb is mobile, it is virtually impossible for it to be tense.

Exercise 3

This is similar to the previous exercise, but takes it up a notch. For this exercise, play with your thumb completely off of the instrument. Since you are taking away a bit of support, you likely will feel a bit more tension in your neck and/or shoulder, which is to be expected. This exercise should only be done for a few minutes at a time, and when you put your thumb back on the violin, try to mimic the feeling of having it off. If your thumb isn't on the instrument, it's impossible to have a death grip!

Exercise 4

This exercise will help give your violin more support so that you can feel safe to release your violin death grip. The exercise is simple: place your scroll against the wall. If you're worried about damage to your violin or the wall, place a small cloth between them. This is also a great practice technique for vibrato.

Exercise 5

Play everything with harmonic pressure. If you hear any solid notes, you know you're pressing too hard!