Staying Relaxed While Playing Fiddle

This past weekend I performed a show in Miramichi, NB with my band Fingal’s Rant.  We were booked from 11am-4pm, and had lots of breaks planned.  In the end we played for about 4 hours of the time and only took two breaks because our audience was engaged and we were having fun!

So, how can I play for that long?  

I am very relaxed when I play!  

Here are a few exercises that my teachers (I have had a lot of teachers) have given me through the years to help stay relaxed while playing fiddle:

Exercises for Relaxation

Here are a few of my favorites. Try each one while playing scales:

1. Wave your left arm back and forth.
2. Wiggle your left wrist around, back and forth, side to side, in circles.
3. Tap your left thumb on the neck of your violin.
4. Do lip trills. Keep your face relaxed and blow out with your lips touching.  Your lips will vibrate against each other while you do this.
5. Lean back slightly while you play.

I can promise you that while you do these exercises your tone will not be great, and also particularly when you hit exercise number 4, you will look ridiculous, but it all helps!

The Marionette Trick

When it comes to feeling relaxed overall, my favourite mental trick is to imagine myself as a marionette while I play.

I imagine that I have strings coming out of my left and right wrists.  In that way, I think about my arms hanging in the air.  I don’t feel like I have to hold my arms up, they are actually relaxed being held up by these imaginary strings.  

Staying Relaxed Matters

Being relaxed is key to being able to play for long periods of time, and also for being able to play fast!

Happy fiddling!