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!

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!