• Posture and Balance
• Steps for Establishing the Proper Violin and Viola Stance
• Typical Problems with Standing Posture
• Addressing Posture Problems with Students
• Standing Posture for Double Bass
• Sitting Posture for Cellists
• Sitting Posture for Violinists and Violists

Steps for establishing the proper violin and viola stance

Step 1: Stand tall with feet together (Frame 1 of image at left).

Step 2: Place the feet in a "V" position (Frame 2 of image at left).

Step 3: Move the left foot slightly forward and to the left. Rock back and forth between the two feet and feel the transfer of the weight (Frame 3 of image at left).

There are several string pedagogues including Shinichi Suzuki who advocate this approach, with the left foot very slightly in front and bearing the larger share of the weight:

Paul Rolland advocated "weight transfer" between the two feet while playing.

Some pedagogues like Kato Havas prefer the feet to be on the same plane (4th frame of image at left), shoulder width apart, with the weight evenly distributed between the two feet:

Both approaches can be effective.

PREV |1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | NEXT