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Chin Rest
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damfino
my own little world
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July 7, 2016 - 11:11 am
Member Since: July 23, 2015
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I've been trying to space out my violin purchases each month, and my next purchase I'm budgeting myself is a chin rest.. (the following month a new music stand, then a new shoulder rest... so on and so on, until I can allow for strings, lol)

So, my reasoning for a new chin rest.... the more I use my violin the more I realize the one currently on my violin doesn't fit me right. It feels like I have to try too hard to get it comfortably under my chin/jaw, and then while I play it just doesn't feel right, and before I know it my jaw is right on that hump, instead of in the curved part like it should be (took me a little while to put my finger on why it felt so weird and uncomfortable while I was playing, and why I was always readjusting in the middle of playing a song). 
 
On my cheap little outdoor fiddle I have a cheap plastic chin rest, a Glaesel ribbed plastic... I can't remember exactly what it's called, and I don't do that with that one. It's much more comfortable for me. I don't like the idea of a plastic chin rest for my good fiddle, though, or having plastic up against my skin, the way my complexion is I'd constantly have pimples from it, lol, and was wondering if anyone knew of something similar that is made in wood?
 
I used to have the right tool to just try shaving down the current chin rest, so the hump isn't so thick, but over the years it became my brothers and now resides at his house, lol. And in the long run I think it's just easier to swap out the rest than try to reshape one on my own. 

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Fiddlerman
Fort Lauderdale
July 8, 2016 - 6:57 am
Member Since: September 26, 2010
Forum Posts: 16429

Do you have the Guarneri rest? That is the standard rest that comes with most new violins. I know that you are wanting to get rid of the hump but I wonder if you need any height? If you are OK with a bit of thickness or reducing height on your shoulder-rest, perhaps the impressionist is the way to go. In the picture there is a huge indentation but that is because the person who imprinted it formed it that way with their chin. If your skin reacts to it I would take it back. You'll have to PM me on that one.
http://fiddlershop.com/the-imp.....orter.html
https://fiddlerman.com/forum/r.....comforter/

"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."

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damfino
my own little world
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July 8, 2016 - 9:50 am
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I'm pretty sure it's the Guarneri rest that came on mine... double checked the listing and that's what it says it has, and I haven't switched it out.

I'll take a took at the impressionist. I did try on a center mounted rest... I think it was the Flesch one, but it was too high for me, at least with my current shoulder rest. I might have to have my teacher look closer at what I might be doing that could be causing it, if it looks like I need more or less height. She likes the Guarneri style rest, so I know she'll try to make it work for me somehow, but something about it doesn't work with my chin/jaw... my chin rest doesn't like my face surprised, lol. :)

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Charles
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July 8, 2016 - 10:35 am
Member Since: June 7, 2016
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I ordered one of those Impressionist pads. I'm not super hopeful, but it might give me something.

I have a very short neck - so much so that if I position the violin properly (the bottom button snugly against my neck, the back part of my jaw (near where it starts sweeping up towards the ear) is touching the top of the violin (I took the chin rest off immediately - it was excrutiating unless I tilted the neck of the violin up at about a 45 degree angle.)

Without a shoulder rest, the bottom of the violin is pressing lightly on that spot on my jaw, and the bottom of the violin is pressing a bit painfully on my collarbone.

With a shoulder rest (I'm using an Everest right now, have a Bon Musica and gave up on it), the bottom part is ok, and I have the left side of the bottom of the violin against my neck, rather than the center. It's tolerable for comfort, but I don't have much a grip on the violin with any part of my head.  If I arrange things right, I can dig my chin into the tailpiece, and get a fairly good grip that way, but I have to bend my head rather far, and use a lot of pressure. Neither are good from what I've heard.

I usually put the shoulder rest out much further than most people, nearly to the waist. Closer in to my neck, it tends to raise the violin too much, and I get no support - the leverage is all wrong, and almost any pressure on the fingerboard tends to lift my head.

I just tried putting the shoulder rest more where most people do, and at first it seemed work ok. I got a reasonably good grip with my chin on the tailpiece. But after playing for a minute or so, I started getting pain in the right side of my neck and right jaw - so I'm having to use way too much force to keep it in place.

Some kind of chin rest would be very nice - having a solid grip on the violin with my head would prevent my current problem of holding it up with my left hand and slowly going sharp because I'm pulling it in toward my head.

I haven't been able to come up with anything yet, though. My luthier trimmed down a regular chin rest for me, but the lip was still too much. (Not a surprise, once I realized the bare violin was too high for me.

I don't expect any miracles, but if anybody has any ideas, I'd appreciate them.

Charles

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Fiddlerman
Fort Lauderdale
July 8, 2016 - 1:54 pm
Member Since: September 26, 2010
Forum Posts: 16429

If the chin-rest comes up higher it's possible to play without a shoulder-rest or with a round rubber pad. :)

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