I recently began playing the violin, and I`m going to spend a few months getting comfortable with it (proper intonation and everything) before I take some lessons. But I`ve got a couple questions:

1) Right now I`m not using a shoulder rest, and it doesn`t feel to awkward. I do get a bit of a cramp in my neck after a while though. Should I be using a should rest to being with. Is it really just a matter of perference?

2) I can play a mean vibrato on the guitar, and I`m slowly beginning to develop it on the violin. I find that if I really REALLY relax my left hand, then it`s a lot easier. Anyone have any quick tips on developing a good vibrato?

Yes, get a shouder rest to get a better grip of the violin.

There are different ways to do vibrato but the thing i prefer is to put a little arm weight on the violin with your left hand and to not grip your thumb on on the side of the fingerboard really tightly

o yah also some people to get that slow vibrato what you have to do is either is to wiggle your fingers slowly to fast. or or do the bowing slow to fast ive been playing for 3 years so i dont really know

I picked up a KUN shoulder rest and it definitely adds to the stablity.

Three more quick questions:

1) I found today that when try to do vibrato, I had better luck by letting my thumb slide against the neck to steady my hand as it wiggles. Even a little pressure from the thumb helped. Is it usual to steady the neck with the left thumb during vibrato?

2) During vibrato (and even regular playing I guess), should the wrist be straight, slighty bent backwards, or slightly rolling fowards. Right now it feels natural to bend it backwards, but maybe that`s impairing my reach across the neck?

3) I found a really great site about a year ago and lost the link. It had some RealPlayer files with some pretty good violin tips for free. I searched google high and low without any luck. I found http://www.uvm.edu/~mhopkins/?Page=righthand.html , and it`s pretty good, but it isn`t the site that I had found before.

Thanks for all the advice!

about the vibrato you shouldn`t have your palm against the neck you want your hand to fall in a straight sraight line to the elbow or just push your wrist out a bit but don`t push your palm up this will help your hand and fingers strengthen and eventually vibrato will come naturally but if your already trying then the thing about a good vibrato is you shouldn`t know where its coming from (elbo, fingers, or hand) it should just be a suttle flowing movement...it`ll take a while before you can do that and i mean a while but just relaxe your hand and see how it hangs to get a good position

Thanks a lot for the great suggestions!

Phew, I remember when I first started and I was about 8, I woke up one morning and I couldnt move my neck, I thought Id broken it! It hurt so much that I went to the doctor, the doctor asked if I played the violin and i said yes. He said that the fact that I haven`t been using my shoulder rest ment that I was putting strain on my neck and I had torn some of the muscle fibres. I use it now and It might of just been cause i was young but i advise you to use it for a little while :P.

shoulder rest- This depends on your body type. If you have squared off broad shoulders and a shorter neck, like me, shoulder rests tend to be uncomfortable and make playing more difficult. If your shoulders slope down and/or you have a long neck a shoulder rest may be more comfortable

A vibrato "tutorial".
First learn 1st 2nd and 3rd finger vibrato in third position. It`s easiest to start in third position because the violin is a rest for your hand as you rotate your fingers and wrist( I use almost only my fingers). start with first finger third position on the A string ( The note D). Play this note solidly and get it in tune, check it to your open D string if you want to. Now VERY slowly roll your first finger back and make the note flat. Then roll it up to a sharp slowly. Continue rocking it slowly back and forth. This will sound bad, but all vibrato is is this technique much faster. Speed up the rolling and roll back and forth slowly about 20 times on that finger. You can use rythmes or just rotate steadily. Once you`ve done this place your second finger down and repeat the rolling slowly back and forth. do this for 1st 2nd and 3rd finger in third position on all strings. When you have perfected it you can use the fourth finger in third position, which is slightly more dificult. You should be getting a sound of vibrato in slow motion. every day speed this up more and more until u hear the desired vibrato sound you`d like. Then you`re ready for first position vibrato. Use the same exercises but progress faster as you`ve begun to train your fingers and wrists. Once you can play a nice clean vibrato on all strings and fingers just work on keeping your vibrato perfectly steady. Play scales and vibrate each note. This process may take a while but it will give u the best sounding vibrato. Start slow and train your muscles, speed it up and move to first position, then perfect it in songs and scale work. Learn to get a steady vibrato and learn which speed of vibration sounds good for whatever you are playing
reply to this comment if you have further questions.

I have been told to buy a shouder rest ( I have just recently began to learn the violin) What is the best shoulder rest to buy

As VIT said, using a shoulder rest is entirely a matter of personal preference, but most people prefer to use one these days.

They didn`t even exist before the 1950s, and playing the violin didn`t cripple people before then. They would just use a rolled up duster to pad their collarbone if needed.

There are numerous shoulder rests on the market and it`s hard to say what suits a particular individual. The best thing would be to try some out in a specialist shop, who should be keep to help you get a good fit. Kun, Mach 1, Playonair and others all have their followers. Chinrests also come in a variety of shapes and sizes to suit.

The easiest thing to do is to go into a violin specialist shop where there are lots of varieties of shoulder rests so you can try them on. They will have a spare violin for you to try it on as well. For me, I like a rest which is broad and not thin like many rests. The height should be adjustable to a large extent, and the screws shouldn`t be flimsy but thick and strong. And also the screw base must be tight against the rest so it does not swivel. Those are my preferences, meaning I feel comfortable in a rest fitting this description. It might be different for you, for example, if you want a thinner base or a smaller height (which is always adjustable) Ask your teacher what she uses, maybe she bought it for a reason.


Jay

I prefer the Kun Bravo Collapsable. It`s really stable and comfortable. But it`s really personal preferance. I guess no 2 pp will really feel the same.

I`ve never played with one before, but my teacher suggested I get one because I`m learning 3rd postion at the moment...and it helps stabilize the violin (hold it steady) as I move my hand around.

I have a basic Kun, and although initially I didn`t like it, I`m starting to find it more comfortable as I get used to it.

Someone I know just recommended a Wolf (Woolf?).