Stretching

Most violinists have longer careers than any athlete. That’s because the risk of serious injury is much smaller, and strength is not much of a requirement. However, our risk for career-threatening injury is higher than most people think, even if this type of injury would not interfere much with normal life. In addition, many players’ skill deteriorates much sooner than it should, because of some form of repetitive stress injury. Therefore, you always have to find a way to play tension-free. That’s a major focus of all of my playing articles. It’s a bit of an uphill battle, since the position of the upper body is quite unnatural while playing violin. You can help yourself by stretching.

I’ll be honest: I stretch more than most musicians do. I have a routine that I go through each time before I play. It might look funny to some! Those who work with me a lot have just gotten used to it, and a few have even adopted some form of my routine. I don’t mind being teased though, as long as the stretching helps me to do what I love longer than I would otherwise be able.

The point of stretching as a violinist is the same as it is with athletes. Short-term, you raise the temperature of your muscles so that they are ready to perform at their peak without injury. And long-term, you build strength and flexibility. That lets you weather some storms, such as 8-hour playing days or new technical challenges. You want to warm up every part of your body that moves while you play. Start with the biggest muscles, and work to the smallest.

I have to thank two of my teachers, Dan Mason and Ida Kavafian, for my intense interest in the physical aspect of violin playing. Both went through physical crises in their playing careers, and came out wiser and tougher. When I was about 14, Mr. Mason gave me a sheet of stretching exercises, which I promptly filed away. I was 14, and didn’t need stretches, right? When I was 21 and in pain, I went to Mrs. Kavafian for help, and along with several lessons focusing on my physical setup, she gave me her stretching routine, typed on a piece of paper. Curious, I dug through old music to see if I could find Mr. Mason’s routine for comparison. I did, and eerily, the two routines were exactly the same! I don’t know where this routine came from, but it works for me and seems to warm all the necessary muscles. Here it is.

Note: All exercises should be performed slowly and smoothly, with an even speed throughout the entire range of motion. For the exercises that work large muscle groups, let your breathing correspond to the motion. Stretch as far as possible without causing pain. By definition, there will be tension at the far point of a stretch, but there shouldn’t be pain. If you’re not comfortable with the stated amount of repetitions, start with a lower number and work gradually up to my recommendations. Also, feel free to modify this routine, either the exercises or the reps, for your own purposes. It takes me about 10 minutes to perform this routine.

Front arm-raises (20 reps): Start with arms at sides, and raise them in front of your body, all the way over your head, then back down. Create as wide an arc as possible.
Side arm-raises (20 reps): Start with arms at sides, and raise them out to the sides of your body, over your head, then back down. Create as wide an arc as possible.
Shoulder shrugs (20 reps): Start with relaxed shoulders, arms at sides. Raise your shoulders straight up, then back down. Use a mirror to make sure you’re not “hunching” your shoulders forward.
Chest expansion (20 reps): Assume a “chicken-wing position”, with elbows sticking out at 90-degree angles to the body. Bring arms back, keeping them parallel to the floor. Feel the shoulder blades move closer together at the end of the motion. Bring arms back to front. Please do this one slowly! If you feel pain in either shoulder while bringing your arms back, then don’t worry about keeping them parallel to the floor. Let them fall a little closer to your sides as you do this exercise.
Bicep curls (20 reps): Arms at sides, with hands in loose fists. Palms should face each other throughout this exercise. With upper arms still, bring hands up by bending at the elbow. Give a little arm squeeze at the top of the motion, then extend arms back to starting position. Extend them as far as possible, so that you feel a little squeeze in the triceps.
Shoulder circles (7 reps each direction): Start with relaxed shoulders. Do 7 slow shoulder circles in one direction, then 7 in the other direction. Go slowly enough that you can feel the entire range of motion.
Forearm rotation (10 reps): Start with upper arms at sides, elbows bent and flat palms facing floor. Rotate forearms so that palms face ceiling, then back to starting position. Careful with this one! Don’t worry if your palms won’t completely face the floor. The idea is to go as far as possible at both ends of the exercise.
Vertical wrist bends (10 reps): Same starting position as previous exercise, but with hands in loose fists. Bring wrists up as far as possible, then down as far as possible. Same warning as previous exercise too!
Horizontal wrist bends (10 reps): Arms at sides, palms facing each other, fingers pointing toward floor. Bend wrists so that fingers point as far behind you as possible, then as far in front of you as possible. The range of motion is fairly small with this exercise. Just go as far as you can.
Finger spreads (10 reps): Fingers stay straight throughout this exercise. With arms and hands in a comfortable position, spread fingers as far apart as possible, then squeeze as close together as possible.
Finger bends (10 reps): Start with fingers extended. Curl fingers (and thumb) inward, while keeping knuckle closest to hand still. The curled position will resemble a claw. Then extend them as far as possible.

Now, be intelligent when you start playing. Even though your muscles are mostly warm, don’t jump into the most virtuosic passages.

I use an abbreviated form of this routine (all the exercises, but fewer reps) for subsequent playing sessions during the day.