Violin stand with shoulder pads
When playing violin, shoulder pads are perceived by most musicians as an important auxiliary instrument. Especially beginner violinists can count on help of a shoulder pad to relax their left shoulder, find a reasonable foothold, and free their left hand. Also, due to stability of reference point of support, smoothness of plane for right hand when moving bow is ensured. The shoulder pads became basis for smooth completion of technical movements of left and right hands. Players who are accustomed to using shoulder pads may not be able to perform basic technical moves after losing them, this is so important.

Early people played violin without shoulder pads. At time, let alone shoulder pads, there was no chin rest. The fretboard is also very short, about three or four positions. The violin maker Wyom improved sound brace and neck of violin by increasing length of neck, so that Paganini's skills got stage. According to previously preserved records of words and pictures, Paganini played without shoulder pads and chin rests. He put violin on his shoulder, held it lightly with his left hand, and began his amazing performance, his fingers flying across fretboard like a jumping elf. His diabolical skills can always easily captivate public and impress all peers. Which of modern technical masters can perform a Paganini work without help of any auxiliary equipment?
The importance of chin rest is obvious, it's indispensable, and in most people's hearts, shoulder pads hope to remove it. Firstly, to avoid trouble, and secondly, prolonged use of pauldron legs wears out surface of piano's paint. Almost every player strives for a free and free play state, and removal of shoulder pads, as it were, proves that he has taken a step towards this state. Of course, whether or not to use shoulder pads is a technical issue that has been discussed for a long time. Some advocate its use, some advocate not using it, and some advocate it differently from person to person, making choices according to each individual's different physiological states. The author believes that main function of pauldron is to avoid straining left shoulder, but if left shoulder can find a relatively calm state during performance, pauldron can be used or not. Hefies can do this without shoulder pads. While some may not like his musical appeal, there really is no one else in realm of pure technique, and height of his control over instrument is universally acknowledged. The reason Hefis was able to do this has a lot to do with his good piano skills. Let's look at difference between way he holds piano and others.
Most people seem to ignore importance of holding violin, but in fact it is basis for successful execution of all violin playing techniques. The standardized and reasonable holding of violin can keep angle of violin head and violin body relatively stable during constant movement of hands, and this stability provides strongest support for all technical movements. We saw that Hefis did not shrug his shoulders when he held piano, and his shoulders remained calm throughout performance. Even when playing complex pieces, balance of his shoulders, neck and body always maintained a high degree of stability. His precise intonation and incomparable timbre are best displayed in this stable accompaniment.
A stable anchor point can be found in seven judicious use of two joints of mandible and collarbone. We try to stand with our feet naturally, toes forward, shoulders naturally relaxed, and head turned to left. At this time, let's measure whether distance between collarbone and jaw is more or less, usually 7 to 10 centimeters, and height of piano body plus chin rest is usually about six or seven centimeters. Seems right, but most people can't hold a guitar without shoulder pads at all, why? We can look at it from two sides: one is direction of piano head. When most people hold piano, piano head is towards front of body, or in same direction as left toe, that is, piano head is tilted more toward right side of body. This way of holding piano causes a lot of trouble during performance: firstly, it affects pitch of left hand, since farther to right piano head is, more elbow swings from side to side. sides when moving to a higher position. Elbows are even close to body when in position. The narrow space for arm and elbow movement makes people worry a lot while playing, and artificially adds a lot of adjusting movement, such as shrugging when changing handles, etc. In addition, movement of bow with right hand will also be limited, and deflection of headstock to right will result in to need to retract or raise right shoulder in order to maintain vertical movement of bow. If shoulders cannot be kept in a natural and calm state, timbre, volume and flexibility of bow will be hindered to some extent, and even occupational diseases such as arthritis will occur in long run. Many middle-aged and older players experience needle-like pain in joint between shoulder and shoulder, or pain and weakness in wrist when playing piano, which is actually due to an abnormal condition of shoulder causing unreasonable playing. other parts caused by stress. We tried to use a method to solve these problems - open headstock to left and direct headstock to left side of body. If left toe is pointing forward, piano head can be adjusted so that angle with left toe is 90°. It seems that headstock at this angle is forbidden by most teaching principles, but here we are trying to explore its rationality.
The first concern, of course, is problem of holding piano, fearing that piano will not hold firmly. The solution is that we can turn our head to left on violin, and rotating neck can shorten distance between lower jaw and collarbone, making anchor point more stable. Another problem is that if headstock is too open it will affect vertical trajectory of bow, but it just doesn't happen. Since rotation of piano head to left and rotation of neck to left can cause us to naturally lowerShoulders are pulled in and pulled in during performance, range of arm control can be effectively expanded and tip of bow becomes easier to control. . The left hand can also get more freedom, when moving to a higher position, range of swings of elbow from side to side will be greatly reduced, which will increase mobility of left hand and improve accuracy. Another point of view is that turning neck to left creates tension. The problem is that correct and reasonable local force will not interfere with performance, but on contrary, it will help a lot. How reasonable is play method in which whole body is so soft that it is close to sleep? Of course, our hands should and should maintain a relatively free hand shape. The freer our hands are, better we can control them. This is similar to method of vocal music: when a singer sings, they rely on vocal cords to produce sound. The method of pronunciation of string performance is also similar. We play with both hands, and power is released through hands, but power is not in hands, but in other parts of body. The fulcrum of lower jaw and collarbone is one of most important fulcrum in combination of play movements, to keep this fulcrum in a stable position, it is absolutely necessary to apply moderate force. Of course, shoulders cannot be arched upwards, on contrary, a slight downward pressure on shoulders gives good results, and cooperation of lower jaw makes piano's fulcrum more stable. When shoulders are pressed in, there will be a feeling of strength being given to scapular bone, and there will also be a feeling of heaviness in upper arms, but what is strange is that fingers become lighter and more flexible, and pitch decreases. more precisely, it is more diverse and, above all, has a direct impact on pronunciation.
As we all know, combination of string and bow is most difficult to coordinate and is most important combination in game. Ultimately, all game theory must improve bow-string relationship. The violin is a singing instrument, and pronunciation is not good, and all our efforts are in vain. When we practice bowing on a longbow, we all strive for a natural and relaxed tone, that is, using weight of bow itself to pronounce. But in real performance we often cannot get timbre of our bow practice, why? The author believes that problem lies in how to hold piano. Let's take a simple example. To put a spherical object on a table, two conditions must be met: first, table must be flat, and second, ground must be flat. One of them is unstable, and if it tilts or wobbles, objects on table will inevitably be disturbed. The shoulders are like ground, and qin is like a table. The closer angle of qin's body to horizontal, more fully and naturally weight of bow and arms will be lowered. If angle of inclination of surface of piano is too great, right hand must artificially apply force to left when pulling bow. In case of unnatural effort, it is necessary to achieve large volume. sure effectit won't be very good. Therefore, when we practice natural hand weight release and achieve a relaxed and transparent pronunciation, it is important that angle of piano surface be as close to level as possible. Pushing shoulders down can do just that. With right body tilt, surface of piano can be brought as close as possible to horizontal angle during performance, and most immediate benefit is that right hand can string. The point of contact remains very stable, and timbre and volume can be improved to varying degrees.
The author has always believed that main function of pauldron is to keep left shoulder in a relatively calm state during performance, and this calm state is most dependent on accuracy of left hand technique and pronunciation. right hand bow. By relying on quietness of left shoulder, a reasonable combination of hand movements can be formed, and by relying on reasonable strength of left shoulder, one can allow hands to gain more effective and freer control over instrument. But if problem of shoulders and holding piano can be solved, a shoulder pad can be used or not, it is no longer mandatory.
Violin stand with shoulder pads