Finding a comfortable and effective violin or viola chin and shoulder rest

[@hamwhacker]

I use a Bon-Musica shoulder rest since it allows me to keep my neck in a natural posture rather than clamping. Also I use a Strad Pad on top of the chin rest which makes playing the violin comfortable. I recommend trying one…you can always take it off.

[@laurelthomsen]

Thanks for sharing your setup. The Bon Musica works well for a lot of people.

[@kodama44]

(from a rather short necked guy) If not using very very low chinrest, I am now trying no chinrest with shoulder rest that fits or hooks well on my shoulder and collar bone, putting/rubbing your corner of your chin or jawbone softly on purfling, soft fabric in between .

[@laurelthomsen]

I've had a couple students over the years do what you're doing. And really, the chin rest is a fairly "new" invention. For a deep dive, check out Stanley Ritchie's book "Before the Chinrest: A Violinist's Guide to the Mysteries of Pre-Chinrest Technique and Style".

[@arfyf6314]

I recently changed to the Wittner Augsburg adjustable height chin rest plus Everest shoulder rest with one long leg on my shoulder side. This looks weird but feels good! Definitely better than last combo. Keep trying! Shoulder rest could still improve. One day… Such an individual thing and hard to work out when you’re new to violin. Thanks for explaining 👍💕🎻.

[@laurelthomsen]

Oh wow! It sounds like you really need some height for a longer neck! You might try a Kreddle chinrest? It's similar to the Wittner but can go a LOT higher, which might allow you to bring the shoulder rest foot down? It comes with two chinrest plates, one that's contoured more like the Wittner and another that's a bit flatter.

[@altolows7635]

For viola, the Wave 1 chin rest and the EFEL shoulder rest. The legs on the EFEL can be manhandled (takes strength) so that the viola sits up on my shoulder, the height and tilt can be adjusted and the hook contour. The Wave chin rest lets me look forward while I play. A secure, relaxing setup for viola. (At long last!)

[@laurelthomsen]

Thanks for sharing your setup! I hadn't heard of the EFEL before. It does look really bendable. It's so nice that more manufacturers are recognizing how important personalization is with these rests.

[@juliejules7780]

I use a center mount chin rest and no shoulder rest and feel comfy

[@danawolpe303]

Thank you for this video! I use the SAS but notice that I wish that the chin rest was tilted more towards my body instead of towards the body of the violin. Any chin rests you would recommend for that situation?

[@laurelthomsen]

They aren't cheap, but you might consider a Kreddle chinrest. They have a chin plate that seems really similar to the SAS, but are adjustable in all directions, including the tilt towards the player vs the violin. Let me know how it goes!

[@DivaDeb1234]

Getting comfortable is the actual frustration of my life on the violin!

[@laurelthomsen]

You're definitely not alone! It can take a lot of experimentation sometimes.

[@suedavis3525]

@@laurelthomsen Me too

[@sureshkumar-wc9jp]

Thanks ❤

[@DivaDeb1234]

I always have to crain my neck up and over again I think there's very little space between my chin and my neck. 😢😢

[@laurelthomsen]

That's never good. Do you use a shoulder rest? Or that's happening even without one?

[@DivaDeb1234]

@@laurelthomsen yes I have pirastro luna $250. I just now went back to my old one that looks a lot like the Hamburg . All of this might be a result of me squeezing everything I don't relax my shoulder. I don't relax my chin I squeeze my thumb !!! I just brought my shoulder rest down because the chin rest I just put on is a bit higher. I'm so desperately trying to relax my shoulder and my chin and stop squeezing my thumb. I'm at the point where if I do not do this I will be stuck at this level forever.

[@laurelthomsen]

@@DivaDeb1234 Yeah, the luna only goes so low... Craning your head up and over isn't good, and especially if the back of the violin is hovering above your collarbone I'd definitely see about adjusting it lower or switch to a lower profile shoulder rest. And left hand gripping often has at least a bit of a psychological component - we're nervous about playing perfectly and need to address that maybe, but regardless, it sounds like there are some setup factors to work through.

[@DivaDeb1234]

@@laurelthomsen so true. It's taking me a long time to figure this out. It's probably due to multiple reasons .

[@DivaDeb1234]

I think I have a small chin and very little space between my neck and my chin. I've tried so many oh my gosh. What would you recommend for somebody like me 😢

[@laurelthomsen]

Have you ever tried a Brandt chinrest? From a couple of your videos it seems like you have a defined chin, and the Brandt has some prominent sloping yet doesn't add as much height as a Hamburg or Teka would. I'd probably start there. They're not as easy to come by, but through a quick search it seems like there are a few options out there for sourcing one. Let me know how it goes!

[@vindknt]

Without a shoulder rest, there is basically another violin worth of a gap between the instrument and my chin... That may explain the discomfort, I suppose 😂

[@laurelthomsen]

Oh definitely! That's a lot of space your poor neck has to crunch down into otherwise.

[@Philip-hv2kc]

No shoulder rest needed . Otherwise you can't play true violin .

[@wordywordpecker]

And also no chinrest needed. Otherwise you can’t play truer violin