Practicing violin without a violin
I've had a pinched nerve in my arm for almost a week now that makes it completely impossible to play and missing practice for that long is going to really set me back. Are there any exercises/techniques that you can do without your right arm to keep your skills sharp? If it had been in my left arm I would've been able to practice bowing at least...
Posted Mar 28, 2021, 1:12 AM UTC
14
As far as actually playing the instrument, you can practice fingerings, shifting, posture, vibrato.
I know it might not sound as fun, but there are tons of non-technique aspects of being a good musician that you can be working on which I would HIGHLY recommend:
-Musictheory.net or their app, Tenuto, is great for working on theory and ear training. You can practice recognizing notes, key signatures, chords, intervals, and customize your practice to what you want to work on.
-Listen to recordings of your music and other violin music. It subconsciously develops your concept of rhythm, musicality, and tone.
-Read some pedagogical or historical books. I would definitely recommend “Principles of Violin Playing and Teaching” by Galamian, but there are tons of good educational books out there
-It might sound a bit weird, but practice singing. Singing can help your perception of pitch and phrasing especially. Usually students who are able to sing parts of their music are better at fixing intonation and perceiving the rise and fall of a melodic phrase.
-Perhaps even weirder, practice stretching and breathing. My teacher always called it “constructive rest”, but it’s essentially just stretching and meditating. It’s good for your body, mind, and it’s important to recovering from injury.
Doing any of these extra things would be a great supplement to your practice while you can’t fully play.