Four Pre-Playing Warmup Stretches for Violinists and Violists

By Eva Stern: Musicians are all in the same boat in the need for our bodies to work well to play our instruments. In my life as a violist, I’ve experienced my share of tightness and at times, pain. I became interested in movement techniques as an undergraduate music student with repetitive strain in my arms and back. I discovered that learning about movement didn’t only help recover from and avoid further injury. It became an integral part of my education as a violist, and gave me the physical tools to play how I wanted to play. I now teach Pilates and a variety of fascial movement techniques, and it has become my mission to help musicians play how they want to play through movement. When considering what movements will help you as a string player, a good pre-playing warmup is an excellent place to start. First, a few thoughts on how to think about the body. Our bodies, when healthy, are meant to have a buoyant and springy quality. Think about how you feel when you’re having a great day, walking down the street with a spring in your step. That spring is quite literal! The fascia, a connective tissue that is found throughout the body, has an elastic quality when it is properly trained. This is helpful to know not only in terms of addressing tightness and pain. To transmit sound and rhythm without strain and rigidity, it’s very important to get in touch with our buoyant springiness. Pilates exercises do this by moving the body in a variety of directions and combinations of movement. If you’re wearing stretchy clothing, you can think of how your clothing stretches and contracts as you move. As the fabric of your clothing moves and stretches, so does your fascia. You don’t need to be an expert in anatomy to move well, but a few key pieces of knowledge can help. A complete warmup moves the body in all planes. You’ll want to include forward bending (flexion), side bending (lateral flexion), backward bending and toning (extension) and rotation. Coming back to the fabric analogy, when you move your body in all planes, you’re giving the tissues of your body an opportunity to move in a variety of directions. This is important for retraining any imbalances that may have developed in your body over time. Here’s a closer look at how warming up in all planes can help prepare you to play your instrument:

• Forward Bending - This can either be done with a rounded spine, or a lengthened or neutral spine. Rounding forward lengthens the back of the body and tones the abdomen. Bending forward with a neutral spine involves hinging at the hips. This is a great back strengthener and will help you sit/stand tall when you play.
• Side Bending - This is an excellent movement for opening up your breathing and developing a flexible rib cage. A moveable, pliable rib cage is a wonderful antidote for shoulder tension (see video).
• Backward Bending and Toning - This is all about balancing out the forward arm positioning of string playing. Most string players develop some degree of tightness in the pectoral muscles and roundedness in the shoulders- it comes with the job! Back bending and toning will help balance out your posture (see video).
• Rotation - most string players find themselves in somewhat of a rotated position when playing. How much depends upon the player- all of our bodies are different and special. Even if your torso is generally squared to the front when you play, you might have to adjust this when you play in an orchestra. For quartet violists seated on the outside, turning out toward the audience is sometimes a must! Rotation exercises through the spine help balance out our left/right differences. Don’t be surprised if you rotate more easily in one direction than the other, particularly as a string player.

Here are a couple of brief demonstration videos of side bending and upper back toning (goalpost arms). There are a wide variety of ways we can get our balanced diet of movement. A good rule of thumb is this: if your body wants a certain stretch, do it. You know when you have that irresistible urge to stretch your arms overhead, or to hug your knees to your chest when lying down? This is your body saying, "I know my fabric needs to be pulled this way right now!" The more you make pre-playing warmups a part of your routine, the better you’ll feel and and the more possibilities you’ll find for movement in your body. As your movement possibilities expand, so will your possibilities for musical expression. You might also like:

• How Violinists Can Use Yoga for Health and Performance
• 5 Things to Transfer from Yoga to Violin Playing
• Violinist.com interview with Simon Fischer: Warming Up