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I guess everybody who plays violin knows the feeling of uncomfortable chin-rest =/... Yesterday my one made me really mad (
) at last and i lost my patience! I took it off and adjusted with knife and nailfile (?)... so:
The first picture is the chin-rest from the EV which looks more ebony (!!!!!! "more ebony" - nonsense XD).. Second - the one from the acoustic (i just wonder WHY did they painted it in black?? XD LOL!
).
Well, now i'm satisfied with them.. But while they were taken off, i was curious to try it without a chin-rest at all 
And know what? IT FEELS PERFECT 
!! well, except it is really low ... =/
So here is my questions:
Maybe here is someone who tried that either? Or knows someone who plays without a chin-rest? Or maybe there are chin-rests shaped like violin's body (in the chin-spot (?))? - that one could be perfect for me! 
Thank You! =)
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Great post Mad-Wed. I have been getting back problems during a practice sessions and am wondering if a slightly raised chin rest will stop me trying to grip so hard and therefore reduce my back pain
I am amazed at how old people of my age are.....
King
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I played without a chin rest for a while and then I fashioned a very low chin rest to try out. I was surprised that both were mostly comfortable.
However, I found that my violin wanted to point way below the horizontal which became unacceptable for other playing styles I was trying out. That's another story. Also, I realized that my chin/jaw often touched the violin and robbed some sound.
I finally went back to my old reliable Berber chin rest, the best of 5 or 6 I have tried over the last 6 years.
PS My nomination for worse chin rest ever made is the Guarneri.
When you come to a fork in the road, take it.
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Hi
I'm new. So glad I discovered this community of violin/fiddle players. I'm only just finishing the end of the first instruction book, about half on my own, and I am a very late starter, so there is no musical career in sight, only enjoyment of learning and discovery of this incredible instrument.
For over 2 years, I accepted the chin rest that came with the violin. That would be a Guarneri. I did wonder why my chin always landed just over the extension over the tailpiece, leaving the actual chin rest part to the left unused, but no one else was concerned, so I thought it was a normal condition. When I did begin to look into it on a violin forum, I found out that my problem was in no way unique. Since then, I've tried 4 others, and am presently using a Berber, like Oliver. So far it is the best for me, but I still feel that I could be more comfortable. I'm considering getting on Fiddlerman's list to try 5, but haven't yet decided.
Thanks for listening, folks, and I look forward to learning of others' experiences with chin rests and other violin stuff, and especially Fiddlerman's helpful videos. 
Dee
King
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a la Berber ..... make sure that your violin DIRECTION agrees with the fit/feel of the chin rest AND you don't lose your best hold/direction when you start to play.
Most chin rests want to play the violin more "left" than users want to play. See FM videos for a dedicated "left" player. ( I think there's one major video on how to hold the violin. )
When you come to a fork in the road, take it.
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http://www.ebay.com/itm/Violin.....1c21f19fa8
This is the chin rest I use. I like it because you can place your chin right over the tailpiece or slightly to the left and the height is just right for me with a very low shoulder rest.
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Naska, Can you send a pic of where you hold the violin. I have a lot of old style chinrest and might have one that will work for you. I'll go through some of your videos and see if I can pick out how you hold it. If I think one will work I'll ship it to you direct or I can ship it possibly to FM and have hime ship it to you.
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Oliver, thank you very much for your suggestion about violin direction agreeing with the fit/feel of the chinrest. I will keep that in mind as I consider the best model for me. 
Kevin, I checked that chinrest out. It looks interesting, and I like the hump to help secure it with the chin. Thanks much.
Dee
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Welcome to the forum Dee,
@kevin - that looks a lot like the Guarnieri model with the hump.
@Naska - I believe it is better to have a comfortable chinrest that keeps the violin from moving when you shift without squeezing.
One of the problems with not using a chinrest is that your chin touching the top, dampens the sound. The clamps that hold the chinrest clamp the edge of the violin by the blocks affecting the sound very little. A lot of people use the same argument for shoulder rests.
I have experimented with and without and shoulder-rests and have not noticed much difference.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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I took a look at your Guarnieri chin rest and I think I like that one better due to the Hill hardware. I can't tell from the picture however how large the chinrest is where it goes over the tailpiece. On the one I use it is about amost 1 1/2 to 2 inches.
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Terry said
.. and am wondering if a slightly raised chin rest will stop me trying to grip so hard and therefore reduce my back pain
Yep! It might be! I've already noticed changes in my health with this little adjustments.. so i just can say Good Luck to You!!!
Kevin M. said:
...I have a lot of old style chinrest and might have one that will work for you. I'll go through some of your videos and see if I can pick out how you hold it. If I think one will work I'll ship it to you direct or I can ship it possibly to FM and have hime ship it to you.
Waaa! =3 , Kevin, You are so awesome!! 
But, please, dont worry about it.. I guess the shipping will kill both of us (or Fiddlerman and me if You send it to him )... I have already another idea how to make that junk the chin-rest of my dream... BTW what glue do You use to stick wood to ... the wood =) or gyps to the wood ? I'm not handy at all so i guess that it will be fun for You to see what happends next..
@ Fiddlerman: I didnt thought about the sound Thank You!
@ Oliver and @ Dee Major: Thank You! I guess You're right. I might make some experiments without one.. and return to research chin-rests's forms and maybe find one that fits good...
Thank you, gentlemen!
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Any kind of milk based wood glue will work fine for what you want to do. Here we call it Elmers carpenter glue. It's kind of yellow or you can use the white stuff.
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Thanks, Kevin =) !!
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