Playing the viola pain-free: Strategies applied to Schumann's Märchenbilder, Op. 113
Elizabeth Trower · Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) · 2019
Many violists live with the notion that the instrument causes pain. Using the second movement (Lebhaft) of Robert Schumann’s Märchenbilder (Fairy Tale Pictures) for Viola and Piano, Op. 113 as its center, this project provides a tangible, practical approach to avoiding unwanted tension while playing the viola. This document discusses issues of instrument size, posture, pedagogy, and anatomy, and then provides strategies for techniques as applied to the Schumann. This guide is for violists who either live with pain while playing or consider quitting because of it, with detailed technical solutions and approaches including set up, positioning, double stops, shifting, right arm weight, and wrist flexibility.