This master’s thesis examines the development of somatic awareness as a foundation for free, functional, and artistically open violin playing. It is based on the question of how internal bodily perception, the holistic state, and the quality of movement can be connected with violin technique without reducing technique to a mere set of external rules. Violin playing is understood as a holistic process in which musical thought, bodily organization, breath, balance, and the relationship with the instrument are continuously shaped. The theoretical part presents the foundations of somatic theory with particular emphasis on the understanding of the body as a subject of experience rather than merely as an object of external control. Special attention is given to the body schema, internal perception, and self-regulation, because these concepts make it possible to understand technique as a living and adaptable system. The thesis then
discusses the role of sport and movement experiences in the development of bodily awareness. Sport is presented as a space in which musicians develop a sense of load, stability, coordination, endurance, and trust in the body. The following part examines selected awareness-based methods: the Alexander Technique, the Feldenkrais Method, Body Mapping, Somatic Experiencing, qigong, yoga, and tai chi. Although these approaches differ in origin and method, they are connected by their focus on perception, ongoing adaptation, and the gradual transformation of movement patterns. In its central part, the thesis transfers these insights into concrete violin practice. Through Hoppenot’s philosophy, Dounis’s exercises, and personal reflection, it shows that
functional movement is not opposed to artistic expressivity, but is one of its essential conditions. The thesis concludes that the development of violin technique and the development of self-awareness are not separate processes, but mutually dependent ones: only a body that the violinist can listen to and not merely use allows musical thought to flow into sound without loss.
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