Pain?!

Are you in pain from practicing? Then, it's time to check your setup.

(this is a collection from my past research)

Chin rest & Shoulder rest are the two things that support violin players hold the instrument in the right position.

As you know, we have so many different body features; the neck length, the arm length, the shoulder width, the shape of chin, etc.. Chin rests & shoulder rests also have a big variety. And it's very important to have the right kind of chin rest/shoulder rest setup for your instrument. If not, it causes all sorts of technical problems, pain in neck, shoulders, stiffness, soreness, headache..

So, if you're practicing and you're feeling pain or discomfort, consider your setup.

Here are some tips:

• If you're putting your neck down too much, then, your chin rest is probably too low.
• If you're raising your shoulders, maybe you need either more height on either chin rest or shoulder rest.
• If you have discomfort where the chin sits on the chin rest, then your chin rest is probably not the right shape.
• If you're having a difficulty reaching the tip of the bow, try using the chin rest that's center-mounted. For shorter arms, center-mounted chin rests help to have more control for the upper half part of the bow.
• Make sure that the instrument is touching your collar bone. If not, then maybe your shoulder rest is too high. Try higher chin rest and lower shoulder rest.
• Your head should be free to move. No tilting to support the instrument. If tilting, then that's not the right chin rest for you.
• Is your spine straight?
• There are things like, gel pads or suede cover for chin rests that help for discomfort or for more grips. It's easy to try; just put it on your current chin rest.
• If your chin or cheek look unusual (like making wrinkly shapes) against chin rest, the shape of your chin rest is probably not for you.

If you can go to a violin shop and can try a few different kinds, please do. Also, most of the shops understand if you want to try a certain kind of chin/shoulder rest for some times to try out at home for free return/exchange, so it's worth asking.

I'd say it's pretty long process for finding the perfect setup for you. Also, our bodies change overtime as we grow, so that should be also taken into consideration for the long run.

Also, it could be pretty challenging to find the right setup for yourself. There's a service called, Volute Service by Claire Stefani and she's based in New York.  I, myself, had a consultation with her and got a custom chin rest and a new shoulder rest through the session. I highly recommend this service.

Also, there's a web site that would be helpful: Violinist in Balance, explaining the process of finding the right chin rest/ shoulder rest.

It can be quite a journey to find the right setup, so don't give up, be patient!

And NEVER feel bad about yourself if you have discomfort or pain in your body or you're told to relax as much as possible to hold the instrument and it just seems so impossible. You probably don't have the right setup on your instrument yet.

Enjoy the process of finding the perfect setup for you!
When you do have the right setup, I promise that your violin playing will be joyful and you just can't wait to pickup the instrument!