Here's another TED-Ed video about practice.
Well explained!
Jul 30, 2017
Jul 11, 2017
Shoulder rest? Or no shoulder rest, that is the question.
Shoulder rest is always a popular topic in violin playing.
I, personally, have been experimenting with it for quite a while. I was suffering with chronic neck pain and shoulder stiffness, sometimes even headache, plus I always felt the need of stretching the body all the time after I played violin for some time. It was a big problem. Because I needed to play for long time, practicing and performing, as a professional, but it was coming to the point that I couldn't pick up the violin, feeling inspired to do the musical work with joy and excitement. I needed to do something about it.
So, I did a lot of research. I tried many different kind of shoulder rests and chin rests with all sorts of combination. I even made a custom made chin rests for myself, working with the specialist.
Those research was good, but it never really solved the problem completely.
Then, I decided to try "No shoulder rest".
I read the book called: "Play the Violin without a Shoulder Rest (and save your neck)."
And it showed me how to transition from with to without.
I did the transition gradually. It took for a while. First, I used the shoulder rest called "Play On Air", inflatable shoulder rest acts like a pillow. It was very comfortable. But, it muted the sound a little.
Then, I changed to a small red circular sponge, which I still sometimes use with a non-slip woodworking mat.
And now, I mostly play only with the non-slip mat attached under the violin.
And I never get that fatigue anymore. No neck pain, no shoulder pain, no stiff body, no headache. I can play for quite long time. The violin feels very light. It's closer to my body and it feels very natural. The violin is very movable, so I feel physically more flexible. Plus, I don't have to install the shoulder rest each time to the violin and no more worries for the slip-off and no need to store the clumsy shoulder rest in the case.
It did make me work on it for a while. It needs a little different approach from when you have a shoulder rest. Also, your body needs to adjust to the new way of playing and it takes time and focus.
I was also trying to find the best chin rest for this setup. I ended up not using the custom made chin rest. The one I picked finally was Guarneri chin rest which the specialist pointed me out at one point that no one's facial shape fits with the style.
The reason Guarneri chin rest works for me is that I can hook my chin onto the middle part (which is the right thinner side of the chin rest) and support the violin by my head weight more easily. If the surface of the chin rest is flat, I cannot really catch the violin the same way. By hooking the chin, the violin body can go higher or lower and side to side without doing it with your neck. It's very flexible while you can maintain your spine straight. And this is very different concept from "filling the gap". Many people say you have to fill the gap in between your chin and collarbone, so select the height of the chin rest and the shoulder rest accordingly. But you don't need to fill the gap entirely. By filling the gap, it actually disable you to have more freedom in the movement, you get locked up in one position and it is exhausting to play in one locked position for hours. Our body is not naturally designed to do that.
I recently found this great web page that explains very well about the benefit of no shoulder rest playing with great excercises and it has some videos, too. So, check out via the following link!
"Rest No More? (The shoulder rest, that is)" by Jonathan Swartz
Also, there are many great violinists who doesn't use shoulder rests and checking their performance videos would be helpful.
Itzhak Perlman
Aaron Rosand
Anne Sophie Mutter
Leila Josefowicz
Julian Rachlin
to name a few...
Also, great violinists in the past,
Heifetz
David Oistrakh
Mischa Elman
Joseph Gingold
Nathan Milstein
and many more..
If you're having a chronic pain, it's worth considering this. And I hope this helps you to have more enjoyable playing experiences and healthier body and mind.
Happy playing!
I, personally, have been experimenting with it for quite a while. I was suffering with chronic neck pain and shoulder stiffness, sometimes even headache, plus I always felt the need of stretching the body all the time after I played violin for some time. It was a big problem. Because I needed to play for long time, practicing and performing, as a professional, but it was coming to the point that I couldn't pick up the violin, feeling inspired to do the musical work with joy and excitement. I needed to do something about it.
So, I did a lot of research. I tried many different kind of shoulder rests and chin rests with all sorts of combination. I even made a custom made chin rests for myself, working with the specialist.
Those research was good, but it never really solved the problem completely.
Then, I decided to try "No shoulder rest".
I read the book called: "Play the Violin without a Shoulder Rest (and save your neck)."
And it showed me how to transition from with to without.
I did the transition gradually. It took for a while. First, I used the shoulder rest called "Play On Air", inflatable shoulder rest acts like a pillow. It was very comfortable. But, it muted the sound a little.
Then, I changed to a small red circular sponge, which I still sometimes use with a non-slip woodworking mat.
And now, I mostly play only with the non-slip mat attached under the violin.
And I never get that fatigue anymore. No neck pain, no shoulder pain, no stiff body, no headache. I can play for quite long time. The violin feels very light. It's closer to my body and it feels very natural. The violin is very movable, so I feel physically more flexible. Plus, I don't have to install the shoulder rest each time to the violin and no more worries for the slip-off and no need to store the clumsy shoulder rest in the case.
It did make me work on it for a while. It needs a little different approach from when you have a shoulder rest. Also, your body needs to adjust to the new way of playing and it takes time and focus.
I was also trying to find the best chin rest for this setup. I ended up not using the custom made chin rest. The one I picked finally was Guarneri chin rest which the specialist pointed me out at one point that no one's facial shape fits with the style.
The reason Guarneri chin rest works for me is that I can hook my chin onto the middle part (which is the right thinner side of the chin rest) and support the violin by my head weight more easily. If the surface of the chin rest is flat, I cannot really catch the violin the same way. By hooking the chin, the violin body can go higher or lower and side to side without doing it with your neck. It's very flexible while you can maintain your spine straight. And this is very different concept from "filling the gap". Many people say you have to fill the gap in between your chin and collarbone, so select the height of the chin rest and the shoulder rest accordingly. But you don't need to fill the gap entirely. By filling the gap, it actually disable you to have more freedom in the movement, you get locked up in one position and it is exhausting to play in one locked position for hours. Our body is not naturally designed to do that.
I recently found this great web page that explains very well about the benefit of no shoulder rest playing with great excercises and it has some videos, too. So, check out via the following link!
"Rest No More? (The shoulder rest, that is)" by Jonathan Swartz
Also, there are many great violinists who doesn't use shoulder rests and checking their performance videos would be helpful.
Itzhak Perlman
Aaron Rosand
Anne Sophie Mutter
Leila Josefowicz
Julian Rachlin
to name a few...
Also, great violinists in the past,
Heifetz
David Oistrakh
Mischa Elman
Joseph Gingold
Nathan Milstein
and many more..
If you're having a chronic pain, it's worth considering this. And I hope this helps you to have more enjoyable playing experiences and healthier body and mind.
Happy playing!
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