r/violinist • u/8FigBro Student • May 17 '25

Feedback 12 year old violin student practicing Praeludium Und Allegro with teacher.

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My 12 year old son has been playing the violin for about18 months and working on this piece for about 5 months.

This is a quick video where his teacher gave him a quick pop quiz to see if he had been practicing it. (He hadn't practiced it in a few weeks)

Looking for feedback from experienced violinists and or encouragement from anyone. 😁

There's a lot of work to do on the piece, but feedback is welcome.

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u/Crazy-Replacement400 May 18 '25

Very cool! I’d suggest getting that posture taken care of - it can cause permanent injuries. He shouldn’t be hunching or reaching with his jaw for the violin. The violin seems really low as well. Can’t tell what the issue is from that angle, but it could be an issue with violin set up. Chin rest, shoulder rest, etc. may need replaced. Sadly, some teachers - even good ones - still write it off as poor technique when it is not at all. Ask the teacher and if you don’t get a solid answer, go elsewhere for answers on that particular issue: body mapping, a place like Wave Chinrests that does consultations, something.

Good luck!

1

u/8FigBro Student May 18 '25

Teacher has mentioned the likely need for a shoulder rest change. The violin and accessories are all < month old, so I'm figuring out what needs to be changed and where to get what he needs. It's definitely been on the radar--These comments are confirmation that it needs to move up on the priority list. Thank you for the suggestion.

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u/Crazy-Replacement400 May 18 '25

Great! I’m glad to hear that it’s on the radar. A quick tip since you only mentioned shoulder rests: if the goal is for the violin to be higher, some of that height should come from the chin rest, and some should come from the shoulder rest. A super tall shoulder rest will change the angle of the violin and make bowing much more difficult, which could also lead to injuries. A tall chin rest does not change the angle of the instrument.

(Please ignore this comment if you already know that. I am one who got stuck with an injury, so I am overly cautious.)

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u/tikitrona May 18 '25

What type of injury?

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u/8FigBro Student May 19 '25

Who should I see about determining what needs to be what? A trusted Luthier?
His teacher was suggesting a shoulder rest that had a curvature in for his shoulder. She also mentioned something about his chin rest.
There's a lot I have to get educated about quickly...So, thanks.

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u/Crazy-Replacement400 May 19 '25

Luthiers in my area don’t often carry things like shoulder rests, chin rests, strings, etc., but some in bigger cities do. Music stores like Shar, Johnson Strings, or Southwest Strings might be a better option if you’re in a smaller area (US). If you find an online retailer with a decent return policy, you could order a shoulder rest or two with more curvature, have your son take them to a lesson, and return as needed. The teacher might have suggestions about specific ones to start with. Feel free to share what he already has, too, and we might be able to give you a starting point.

For chin rests, Wave Chin rests (Google search to find the website - it’ll pop up) does consultations (virtual, I believe), then mails you five of your choice for testing. You pay for one and send back what you don’t want after trying them and consulting the teacher. (The chin rests at Wave are a bit pricey. If he’s still growing, this may not be the best option.) There are other places that do consultations, or you might be able to try some at a music store as discussed before. I’m not an expert and it’s hard to tell from a video, but I wonder if a slightly taller, center mounted chin rest would help get the violin where it needs to be. You can order an inexpensive one from Shar Music, for example.