After being so happy to have purcased a violin i got lessons and was enjoying playing it apart from one thing the so called correct position really hurt my arms not just aches but i'd get pains so bad i'd be in pain like all day! My teacher told me i was playing in the correct mannor and the only thing i could do is give up for a while!

So i'm not a string player anymore and can't me ever being if i can't play violin!

Have you been over practising? The position is so alien that when you start you should only practise for about 15mins, until your body gets used to it. You will be using your muscles in a very different way.

Maybe you do not need to give up forever, just to give your body a rest and then when you restart build up very gradually.

To start with i was practising too much but recently i cut it down to only 10 mins even that was too much

If the damage had already been done then possibly the cutting down was too little too late. Violin does use a very strange and unnatural posture. Lots of people get problems, and any bad habits however small can cause aches and pains. It might be worth considering investing in a few Alexander Technique lessons, many people on here and string players in particular have commented how helpful they can be. Maybe give it a rest for a while until your aches are better, and then start again but start very gently. As Jane has said elsewhere, I believe, stretching exercises to loosen and relax your muscles before you start would help a lot too.

Thankyou for the advice may well try the alexander technique lessons! I'll leave it bit and then come back to it later.

Poor you...I'm not a violinist...but I know that on courses that I've been on (with much more experienced violinists) that when people are out of practice and they start using their muscles again to play the violin they can be in a lot of pain - we play for up to 6-8 hours a day! So maybe taking a break and building it up slowly will help...

Definitely get AT lessons I did when I was in real pain from violin. Now I can play for up to 6 hours a day without much pain. Maybe if you take 2/3 weeks off, if you feel that is right, then during those weeks take a few AT lessons and really focus on your posture all the time. Then ask your teacher to show you how to hold a violin in a good way, without actually playing anything.

You know, Menuhin apparently used to make his new pupils start by learning to hold a small piece of wood under their chin corectly. They were not allowed to move on to a violin, let alone bow, until they were holding the wood in a satisfactory way. I think there might be something in that!

Oh, I feel sorry for you. Have some rest and get back on it when you feel better. Just remember giving up is not the best option.

What a shame. It really is fun when you know how to play it. I thought I would have to give it up after my first lesson because it was so difficult to just bow straight! But I'm in Grade 5 now in the blink of an eye. I think my starting yoga lessons has reduced the pain I once got in my arm. And also enough rest, sleep and a proper diet. Yoga is good for stretching those taut muscles in your arms. Especially the table pose and quad-stretch exercises.

Sorry if this offends anyone, nut the violin is a pig of an instrument to play. I've been playing 6 years and am still stuck on grade 4 pieces. I can't get it to sound right. I can't get the position right, i can't get the hang of third position. And i practice loads. It's just a complete pain.

Oh isn't that just what makes it so wonderful. The challenge.

Something doesn't sound right here. Is your teacher really any good? Has he/she taught anybody to a high standard? If not, change teachers, and if you haven't got a teacher I really recommend you get one because teaching yourself to play the violin is just too hard for most people. There are so many subtle aspects to the correct posture and it's so easy to go wrong on your own. I've rarely met a self-taught violinist who plays well with a nice relaxed posture.

If you do have a teacher and a half-decent violin a good teacher should be able to enable you to get the best out of its tone. They should also definitely be able to help you to get the position (I'm assuming you mean posture here) right. Third position isn't that hard to teach if you have a good method. If you're practising loads you may be practising everything wrong so at the very leats I suggest you go to a good (or another)violin teacher and ask them to point out where you're going wrong.

I promise you, it's all sortable!

Violinia

Hmm same, im stuck around that standard and ive been playing even longer than 6 years. But however, my violin teacher is VERY good, best ive had (and ive had loads!) Some people are just naturally better, methinks.

Yeah, my violin teacher has got a lot of people to high levels, shes just VERY fussy about making sure things are perfect which i suppose is good. The fact that im totally tone deaf probably doesn't help with violin though.

Wow, congratulations! I've hardly ever met anyone who's tone deaf who could get to Grade 4 standard. You must work harder than the rest of us with a naturally good ear. I would say that is a great achievement really.