Hi all,
I am new to playing and to the forum, but very enthusiastic. I spent a couple of hours practising yesterday and woke in the night with an extremely bad head. Didn't make the connection until I picked up my violin to practise today and felt achy stiffness in the neck and shoulders. Has anyone else experienced similar problems and if so is there something that i'm doing wrong. I am teaching myself at the moment. Any advise would be appreciated.

You're probably keeping your shoulders tense while playing - try to relax them and it should help with the stiffness

<Added>

Edit - oh, and you might want to cut down your practising, you're doing a heck of a lot for a beginner - take it easy!

Maybe if you are holding your breath while playing, that might cause a headache; at first while practicing I had to make a constant effort to keep my breathing regular. Are you using a shoulder rest? You could try adjusting it to fit better, so that your neck isn't cramped down to reach the chin-rest. Good luck

Yes your headache could be related to playing your violin. If you are scrunching too much , and/or twisting you could be aggrevating your neck muscles and vertebrae. They then swell up and you have the famous "tension headache".

You really should find a way to be sure you have the correct position - even if it means spending money on a couple of lessons. As mentioned above you might also be playing too much. You should increase your practice time slowly. Too much too fast and your body is not ready for it.

Thanks for the advice all. I have a shoulder rest but I find it problematic. I might have to look at alternaives. I have sent off for a book and DVD which will hopefully show correct holds. Failing that I may well book some lessons as I don't want to form bad habits.