The Many Sides of SetupPart II: Instrument Setup Related Issues

Introduction
Setupthe solitary word often credited with much of a string players technical success
and failure.1 The simplicity of the term can betray its complex role in string and orchestra
pedagogy. In the second part of this two-part article we will focus on the setup of individual
student with the instrument. In the first article2 we concentrated on the larger picture, discussing
some of the common challenges affecting student setup in the ensemble setting. Examining the
changes in traditional string ensemble setup throughout history illustrated that there is not a
singular correct approach, suggesting that we consider being open to creative solutions to
everyday problems, as long as those solutions support our greater musical purpose.3
Optimal student setup on an instrument is crucial to injury prevention andperhaps most
importantly can grant lifelong access to an exhilarating world of musical experiences. In this
second part of our series we will focus on elements of individual student setup, including personal
space, instrument considerations, and physical setup objectives.

Injury awareness
Excellence in string and orchestra programs can be found throughout the United States at
all levelselementary to high school and beyondbut it has become clear that there is also an
epidemic of injury among instrumentalists.4 It is important to consider, however, that the
epidemic of injury is likely not the new phenomenon, but rather its visibility, which is a positive
byproduct of our willingness to openly acknowledge it, study it, and to address it proactively.5

In 2014, the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), in collaboration with the
Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) authored a collection of documents and a resource
toolkit for Administrators, Faculty, Staff, and Students, outlining the scientific and practical
information dealing with neuromusculoskeletal and vocal health for musicians. They listed
overuse, misuse and postural factors as some of the major elements responsible for injuries in
musicians.6
What complicates the issue is that the serious problems and injuries in musicians usually
appear in the teenage years and beyond (or whenever a student decides to become serious and
dedicated to music study), but the causes of these issues can often be traced back to physical setup
mistakes made in the very beginning. However, in the beginning the body is young and in good
health and often so little time is spent with the instrument anyway that problems may not be
apparent. When problems do show up, the body has already devoted many years to memorizing
improper postures, motions and habits.7 Here is where those of us undertaking the responsibility
of the early stages of string instrument instruction must figure out a way to provide the most
optimal physical setup to all of our beginning students. In a way, we hold their future in our hands.
If our students decide to pursue music more seriously, will they be free to develop to their full
potential? Or will they be forced to first unravel years of bad habits and battle physical ailments
before being able to progress? Much like working to develop healthy eating habits at a time when
the young body seems resilient to dietary abuses and excesses, we must strive to develop a physical
playing foundation that will support our student musicians well into old age.

The issues
If one were to picture the caricature of the bad student orchestraheads down, violin
scrolls sagging, shoulders slumped over, bass bows moving on the diagonal, collapsed bow arm
elbows, and squeaky soundswhat elements converge to form such a spectacle? We would
suggest three areas of concern: the students personal space, the quality and size of the instrument,
and finallythe physical setup with the instrument, acquired through instruction. As educator
Clifford K. Madsen writes: We control the environment that in turn controls us.8 A lack of space
naturally results in crowding of students, which often leads to poor posture. At the same time
crowding makes it difficult for the teacher to move around the room and make corrections to those
bad postures. Bad posture can affect the placement of the instrument on the body and usually
translates to an incorrect relationship of the bow to the instrument, resulting in a poor quality of
sound. In addition to the distorted sound and the uninspiring visualand audiences tend to listen
with the eyes as well as the ears9on the physical spectrum, these postural issues lead to tension,
pain, and possibly injury.10 In total, this is a poor experience for the player and the listener.
However, the teacher may alter the performance environment by rearranging the ensembles
seating formation; she might mark the chair locations with pieces of tape to retain an optimal
distance between students in the ensemble; she may liberate her students bow arm simply by
rotating his chair, correcting the bow trajectory in the process. Or she may ask the upper string
students to stand, automatically improving their postures while at the same time decreasing the
square footage required by the individual students to play. A teacher might also control the
environment by ensuring that instrumentalists who must sit, do so on appropriately sized and
profiled furniture. For example, cello chair height should allow for the students feet to rest flat
on the floor and not hopelessly dangle several inches above it. The hips should be level or slightly

above the knees; back chair legs might be raised with blocks to provide for the appropriate seat tilt
for a cellist. Bassistsif sittingshould be able to place their feet on the floor. Bassists and
cellists need to be able to comfortably reach first position on the instrument with one hand, while
bowing with the othertheir instrument hand able to span the notes of the first position.11
This brings another element to the forefrontnamely instrument sizing. Despite teacher
efforts to pre-emptively educate parents about how and where to buy string instruments, string and
orchestra teachers frequently encounter the well-intentioned purchases made by loving family
members of much-too-large instruments.12 Often parents do not know what size of instrument the
student needs. Or possibly they do, but they are convinced that the student will eventually grow
into it. Except that unlike too-long pants that can be temporarily hemmed, too-large instruments
remain the same size and are likely to lead to discomfort, pain, quitting (long before the student
grows into the instrument), or injury. It is also difficult to turn away donations of free but illfitting instruments from supportive community members whose assistance often allows many
programs to exist in the first place. Yet this deliberate control of the learning environment is
intended to create conditions most conducive to student success.
Instrument Setup
The third issue of concern is the actual setup of the student with the instrument. Let us first
look into string-specific arguments in Paul Rollands ideology of action (or movement) in string
playing presented in the monumental account of The Teaching of Action in String Playing (1974).
Rollands description of his fundamental Action Studies principle is as follows:
It is difficult or impossible to control all of the details of movement during
performance, because skilled movements are the result of a series of coordinated
actions (synergies) which are subconsciously organized and controlled.

He further explains the employment of his principle in the University of Illinois String
Research Project:
[G]ood forms and basic motion patterns are habituated through the application of
Action Studies. These studies present a varied and rich background of sensory
and motion experiences that eventually lead to good habits and the correct use of
the body in string playing.
With an exceptional medical specialist, Frances M. Hellebrandt, M.D. on his side, Rolland
stresses the importance of involvement of the entire body, not merely the hands and arms.13
A) The Upper Strings:
Since we are discussing string playing in a heterogeneous public school setting, we will
focus on classroom string instrument setup. For the violin [and viola], standing posture is as
follows: Rolland prefers well balanced weight shifting between the both feet, Suzuki favors the
left foot [as does Joachim], while Havas prefers the third leg theory, where the balance is
maintained at the base of spine. When it comes to sitting position, both Rolland and Havas promote
well balanced weight distributioncomplete with the third leg expression of Havaswhere
Suzuki promotes forward sitting position and left-leg preferred balance (Perkins, 1995). 14 Sitting
down in an ensemble upper string players should strive to recreate the same kind of a foundation
for their instrument as they had while standing. This involves balancing the weight between the
hips and feet and sitting straight but not rigid.
B) The Cello
In avoiding setup issues, fitting care in selecting the correct size cello and a chair of the
proper height and flatness must be taken. Both feet on the floor, with the left slightly forward and
right slightly back [to accommodate bowing on the C string], with the student sitting up. Cello is
positioned with the end pin angled anywhere between 55 and 65 degrees. End pin adjustment is
made to allow the lower bout corners to be at knee level, and C peg to point to the back of left ear.

The cellos top right edge makes contact with the sternum, with a minor slant to the left (Lamb &
Lamb Cook, 2002).15 Similarly, Hamann and Gillespie offer a setup that is referenced to instrument
positioning and left hand, except they describe their instrument hold in four steps, only on the third
step bringing back the instrument into playing position, that is explaining and ensuring proper
sitting position, and instrument adjustment (Hamann & Gillespie, 2012, pp. 3940).16
It must be stressed that all instrument positioning must be done to allow for a free and full
movement of the bow arm. For example, it is possible for a student to have a perfect left-hand
centered cello positioning, while at the same time to be unable to reach the proper contact point of
the bow. This limitation may cause the students torso to remain rotated to the left, and bow arm
to straighten while playing the cello.
C) The Bass
Literature on the subject indicates somewhat similar instrument-hold references to the
cello. Lamb & Lamb Cook, base their instrument hold on the Simandl system (preferring it to
Rabbath and Nanny): with the left foot slightly forward in relation to the right, legs spaced shoulder
width apart, minute bend to the knees and equally balanced weight, with a slight forward lean onto
the balls of feet, medial left knee balances lower right bout, and the rib of instrument rests on the
torso (Lamb & Lamb Cook, 2002). Hamann and Gillespie, however, promote sitting position on a
stool for a beginner, to attain left hand freedom for vibrato and shifting. They describe the sitting
position in four steps: much like the cello process, the first two steps are devoted to seat selection,
proper stance, instrument adjustment and balancing, and leg and feet positioning. On step three,
instrument is placed with the proper tilt and rotation. Last step is to ensure proper space between
the instrument and neck and shoulder of student, and arm freedom (Hamann & Gillespie, 2012,
pp. 4042). Hamann and Gillespies described standing position is mainly comparable to Lamb

and Lamb Cookwith the exception of Hamann and Gillespies four-step procedure. Much like
in the earlier cello discussion, inability to reach the proper contact point of the bow is a concern.
Also much like with the cello hold, this imperfection might result in students body to rotate to the
left, and bow arm to straighten.
The book Strategies for Teaching Strings provides video clips in the accompanying DVD
to aid teachers and students in their setup efforts. Additionally it would be advisable for teachers
especially those with non-string backgroundsto obtain solo performance DVDs of each string
instrument, and to fully utilize the internet in observing setup traits of great artists.17

Conclusion
In the world of public school teaching, most teachers need to be triage specialists as their
students may or may not have access to a private teacherfor the argument of this article, let us
presume that they do not. Furthermore, the string teacher will most likely have his or her specialty
string instrument, and might feel less comfortable with the other three members of the violin
family. It may also be that the string teacher will be of non-string background altogether
anywhere from 25 to 30 percent of public school string teachers, to be exact (Gillespie and
Hamann, 2002).18
String teachers, especially those with non-string backgrounds, may feel timid in making
corrections of certain setup awkwardness in their students. The teacher, however, can and should
utilize a well thought-out room setup, optimize the students personal space, ensure that he or she
is matched with the appropriately-sized instrument, and focus on optimal student-instrumental
setup as part of his or her modus operandi. In sum, as well-prepared teachers possess successful
methodologies when it comes to class materials, method books, repertoire selection, lesson

planning, and all other essential aspects of teaching, they may also take determined and practical
steps in an integrative approach to setup considerations and enhance their success in this vital area.

1
Sonia Ranelli, Anne Smith, and Leon Straker, Prevalence of Playing-Related
Musculoskeletal Symptoms and Disorders in Children Learning Instrumental Music (Medical
Problems of Performing Artists, 23 (4), 2008): 178.
2
Kasia Bugaj and Selim Giray, The Many Sides of Setup, Part I: Rehearsal Room
Related Issues (American String Teacher, 60 (3), 2016): 4245.
3
Ibid, 42.
4
Rebecca Barton, Morgan Bushee, Julia Callen, Teresa Cupp, Clyde Killian, and Brady
Ochs,Occupational Performance Issues and Predictors of Dysfunction in College
Instrumentalists (Medical Problems of Performing Artists, 23 (2), 2008): 72.
Kristen R. Burkholder and Alice G. Brandfonbrener, Performance-Related Injuries
Among Student Musicians at a Specialty Clinic (Medical Problems of Performing Artists, 19
(3), 2004): 116122.
5
Alice G. Brandfonbrener, Musculoskeletal Problems of Instrumental Musicians
(Hand Clinics, 19 (2), 2003): 231239.
6
http://nasm.arts-accredit.org/index.jsp?page=NASMPAMA+Advisories+on+Neuromusculoskeletal+and+Vocal+Health (Accessed September 11,
2016).
7
Sonia Ranelli, Anne Smith, and Leon Straker, Prevalence of Playing-Related
Musculoskeletal Symptoms and Disorders in Children Learning Instrumental Music (Medical
Problems of Performing Artists, 23 (4), 2008): 178.
8
Clifford K. Madsen and Charles H. Madsen Jr., Teaching/Discipline: A Positive
Approach for Educational Development (5th ed.). (Raleigh: Contemporary Publishing Company
of Raleigh, 2016), 61.
9
David Pope, The Effect of Performance Quality, Audio and Video Performances,
Tempo, and Adjudicator Experience on Music Majors' Evaluations of String Orchestra
Performances (PhD diss., Florida State University, 2012).
10
Alice G. Brandfonbrener, Musculoskeletal Problems of Instrumental Musicians
(Hand Clinics, 19 (2), 2003): 231239.
11
In this particular instance the authors deliberately use the term instrument hand as
opposed to the left hand in order to use terminology inclusive of students who have had to
depart from the traditional instrument setup due to injury or physical exceptionalities.
12
School Orchestra and String Teachers Facebook page,
https://www.facebook.com/groups/OrchestraTeachers/.
13
Paul Rolland, Principles of Movement in String Playing (Instrumentalist, 27 (4),
1972): 4951.
14
Marianne Murray Perkins, A Comparison of Violin Playing Techniques: Kato Havas,
Paul Rolland, and Shinichi Suzuki. (Reston, VA: ASTA, 1995).


15
Norman Lamb and Susan Lamb Cook, Guide to Teaching Strings (7th ed.). (New York:
McGraw-Hill, 2002).
16
Donald L. Hamann and Robert Gillespie, Strategies for Teaching Strings (3rd ed.).
(New York: Oxford University Press, 2012).
17
Selim Giray, Interview of Eliot Chapo (The Strad, 121, July 2010): 69.
18
Robert Gillespie and Donald L. Hamann, Wanted: 5,000 future string teachers!
(American String Teacher, 52 (1), 2002): 7274, 7778.