Exerting Power

When you play the violin, it is important to relax your muscles. If you can relax your muscles properly, your fingers will move freely and you will be able to play a lot more. Your enduring capability will be enhanced, and your sound will reach further .

Does this mean that you don't need strength to move your fingers? Don't you need muscles when you play a lot? Which muscles do you use when you hold a violin, lift a bow, and play the violin at various tempi, all of which mean that you are running just like in a marathon?

When you play Beethoven, how can you pour your feeling of appassionato or espressivo, with your muscles relaxed?

Can you convey any serious message to your counterpart, when chatting with your muscles relaxed?

"Putting strength in your stomach (Tanden)" is an old saying in Japan. The current trend of playing easy might run counter to this Japanese tradition.

However, playing the violin is not at all easy.

The outstanding cellist, Piatigorsky, was once asked by his student,
"I cannot play the cello comfortably. What should I do?"

"If you wish to be comfortable, go home and sleep in bed."

If you could grasp where you need to exert power, then you would naturally understand where you have to relax. Exerting full energy does not mean exerting power all the time. A breath of fast and slow! Yes, breathing is really a repetition of inhaling and exhaling.

However, I would like to emphasize that there are many other important things to pursue than struggling at that dimension.

If one doesn't agree, he can go home and sleep in bed, but I don't know what to say to many of those who go to bed and cannot sleep well with their muscles tensed these days.

There is a wise remark in recent years.
"I cannot sleep well. What can I do?"
"Stay awake, if you cannot sleep."