Is there any tips out there to stop pain in my left wrist?

Im a grade 2 player and have always have a problem with gripping my violin,
as i get comfortable with a piece this does go away, but learning a new piece can be really painfull!

Any tips out there to stop me gripping the vioin?

Cheers

Don't grip it?

Lol aside from consciously forcing yourself to relax every time you feel yourself tensing up, I dunno what else you could do.

lol thanks

thinking about keeping relaxed helps (and if you become tense, stop and relax the hand)

I do this too. One tip I've found useful is to rest my violin scroll on a bookcase and to finger the piece with my thumb held off the neck. You could do it just holding your violin with the weight of your head but I like the reassurance that the book case gives. Of course you have to get the right position or you end up bowing your books! LOL!

I agree, you just need to learn to relax ----easier said than done sometimes!

When pracrising today I noticed I occassionally gripped the violin. It did just take conscious thought to loosen the grip. It sometimes happened again but I just made myself stop. I think eventually it won't become a problem.

A glass of wine before you practise?

If you are a Grade 2 standard player, your pieces will mostly not be very long. Just stop for a moment in between each piece / scale / study and consciously make sure that everything is still relaxed. You could even stop mid-piece if you feel tension creeping in. You might also find it helps to practise in front of a mirror as this might help you to see when you begin to get tense. You might begin to notice a pattern to when it happens (especially tricky bits, for instance) and then you can make an effort to relax more before you reach them.

As well as the good advice here do you have a teacher who can observe you and advise?

I do have a teacher, but I've never brought it up with her.
This may be fear of sounding stupid

Tell your teacher!! There is no way she'll think it's stupid, and it may get worse if you don't get it sorted! Ask, I'm sure she'll be able to help

I have recently had to change teachers as well, and I'm a bit confused at contrasting ways of doing things. Another reason why I have not discussed it with her.

I would agree, it would still be a good idea to mention it to your new teacher, because the sooner you get it sorted out the better. Best of luck!!!

If you have any anxiety at all about dropping your violin, this could be a good idea. Alternatively you could wrap the scroll in a duster and hold the scroll against a wall as you play. You should be able to completely let go with no fear of dropping the instrument.

As others have said, I would definitely raise this with your teacher. If it's any comfort I raised a technique issue with my teacher recently. I too was worried that it would sound silly, and said I wished somebody had told me 25 years ago when it would have been much easier to fix. The reply? It's never too late to fix it!

The only other thing I would add is to be aware of your wrist when you play. Make sure there is no tension before you start to play. Whenever you notice any tension building up, stop playing. Give your arm a bit of a shake, and rest if you need to, and then start playing again making sure there is no tension when you re-start.