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What chinrest do you have and why?
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RockingLR33
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September 28, 2017 - 12:11 pm
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So I was thinking last night that ALOT of people are always expiamenting with their chinrests  and I figured I'd see what people landed on and why they chose what they chose. 

After several different styles from the standard guarneri that comes on most fiddles, to a few side style chin rests I finally landed on the berber/ ohrenform style chinrest. For me I decided on it because it's slightly taller then several others I tried and when i was playing I always wanted to either hug the tailpiece or play right on top of it and this allows me to play like that. I can slide a little to the left if i need too but it's incredibly comfortable for me to play with. 

I also don't play with a shoulder rest and the berber seemed to put me in the optimal spot for me to play comfortably without a shoulder rest. 

On a side note if anyone wants any of the chinrests I have left that I'm not currently using just let me know and I can pop it in the mail for you as they are just collecting dust now! 

 

berber-chinrest.jpgImage Enlarger

This is the berber chinrest 

chinrests-used.jpgImage Enlarger

 

 

These are the ones i still have floating around my house. The chinrest on the right had an unfortunate accident where i stepped on it (how it ended up on the floor i dunno) and  snapped it but it's glued back together and incredibly comfortable for a side rest. Not as ascetically pleasing but still very useful!

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Dan-Hur

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September 28, 2017 - 12:58 pm
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Currently, I have a Stuber, Guarneri, Teka, and Wittner center mount. The one on my violin right now is the Stuber. But I'm jumping between that and the Teka because apparently my shoulder and jaw are engaged in some kind of uprising. There's too much instability in the region for either to establish a firm presence. I had played with the Guarneri for a long time before deciding to try another chin rest. The Wittner was the first one I tried to experiment with a center mount. Aside from hating the material, I don't think the center mounts work too well for me, but I may try one in the future. Between the Teka and the Stuber, I like the extra height of the Stuber and it has more of a ridge that works with my jaw. The Teka has better alignment with my chin though. That Berber actually looks pretty intriguing, I may try that one if I can't make peace with Stuber or Teka.

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Charles
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September 28, 2017 - 4:32 pm
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So far, I haven't been able to use any chinrest. As the result of a failed experiment the other day, I'm going to take a Guarneri to a local wood shop and have them cut off most of it. What will be left will be the mount points, and a thin partial ring near the edge of the violin. The idea is that I will be able to put my chin (as opposed to my cheek) down in the pocket formed by that chinrest and the tailpiece. My chin will go on the violin itself, with the chinrest preventing the violin from slipping either down or away from me.

Between having a very short neck and full beard, ordinary chinrests have just not worked for at all.  I have a couple of the Micro Gelrest should rests, and I sacrificed one side of one of them to create a crescent moon shape. That almost worked. It unfortunately didn't have enough surface area to continue to hold against the force of the violin trying to move away from when I went to shift to a lower position, but it helped, which is why I'm going to try cutting down the Guarneri one and see what that gets me.

When I don't use a chinrest of any kind, I find I don't need a shoulder rest, and in fact, since I'm generally trying to move the violin around a lot, it's a bad thing. It makes it both heavier and less prone to move in some of the ways I want.

The little bit of experimentation I did with this new setup suggests I'll need one for it, or have to get used to tilting my head way down. If the violin is far enough forward that I'm using my chin (as opposed to my cheek), I have lots of room - rather more than is desirable.  I'll have to keep playing around with things until I find something that works.

I've been learning to do higher positions the old way, i.e. as it was done before the invention of the chinrest or shoulder rest. You don't do things like shift from 7th position to 1st position. You spider-crawl your way up and down the fingerboard (although you could go from a low position to a high position fairly suddenly without too much trouble.)  I've found it interesting, although I can't truly say I've been learning "positions". I've been learning how to play notes much higher on the fingerboard. What finger I play them with and where the rest of my hand is (and will be shortly) depends entirely on what I've got to play next. Something as formal as 3rd or 5th position doesn't happen very often.

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MrYikes
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September 29, 2017 - 8:57 am
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Hi, I tried not using a SR or a CR and really liked the feeling of freedom, but when down-shifting I would nearly lose the violin and having to concentrate on that was a problem when I should have been concentrating on music.
I purchased a 4"x4" block of balsa wood, drilled a 1" hole through it and then sliced the block in half twice, giving 4 chin rests. After drilling to attach the hardware, I used very course sandpaper to whittle down the part that I never touch while playing. A person could cover the CR with chalk, play some tunes and then whatever chalk was still on the CR, you would know that that part was unnecessary(using pink chalk gave a charming highlite to my skin, ha). Using this method to determine what I needed and wanted, I then used better wood to make my CR.
My CRs are very small, they do look kinda odd, kinda like Hitler's mustache, but the height and contour are perfect for me.

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damfino
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September 29, 2017 - 10:41 am
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I'm currently not using a chin rest. I tried to get used to my guarneri style one that came with my fiddle, but my jaw never sat right on it, and it felt like I have to try extra hard to grip the violin while playing. I couldn't afford to buy different styles to see what would work, and the closest violin shop isn't open on days I can get there, so I just tried playing without one, and seems to fit me that way.

I don't feel like I'm tensing up trying to grip it (like I did with the chin rest), I do fine down shifting so far. I like the extra connection to the instrument, and it seems to have improved the sound of the fiddle under my ear. 

I'm not saying I won't end up going back to some sort of chin rest, since I haven't been playing without one too long (maybe a few months now?) but so far it feels good :)  

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RockingLR33
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September 29, 2017 - 12:07 pm
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@MrYikes  could you post a picture of it? It sounds really really neat! You seem to be quite the carpenter/handy man when it comes to violins!!! 

@damfino  Oh I hear ya there. It can be a pricy endeavor. If you want to try out the side one i have just let me know I'll pop it in the mail but i completely agree. Once you find something that works for you its so nice! and if playing with no chinrest does what you want then heck keep it that way! 

@Charles That sounds a version of the sarasate. I believe thats what the original chin rests were like! Id love to see a picture if you get a working model going that works well for you! there may be others that could greatly benefit from it! 

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Charles
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September 29, 2017 - 1:07 pm
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@RockingLR33, I believe you are correct. When I was describing it to my teacher he mentioned that that sounded like some they had in the late 1800s, the precursors to the modern chinrests.  He didn't mention any names, though. 

It's kind of funny - when I was searching for "sarasate chinrest", I found an article that mentioned it, and somebody said it looked rather uncomfortable. I think they thought you were supposed to put some part of your body on top of the chinrest... :)

There's actually a place that sells them, although they had three different pictures of wildly different chinrests, so I'm not exactly sure what it is they're selling. If this experiment doesn't pan out, I may try getting one. Thanks for the info.

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Cearbhael
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September 29, 2017 - 1:16 pm
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I don't know what type of chinrest I have since it came with my grandfather's violin. I  IMG_2463-1.JPGImage Enlarger

am fairly sure it was made in Austria like the violin or in Dresden Germany like the bridge! Although, if the violin came to the US with his family, it came from Prussia which was separate from Germany at the time and had a very Military Kzar, (Czar or King) they left due to all sons were required to go into the military. They were trying to find a less war like stance. I believe he was Kzar William or Wilhelm. He was responsible, through military action, uniting the German/Prussian states. Why they chose Germany over Prussia to name the united German/Prussian states is a good question! He started WWI I believe. Any how, it seems and feels similar to the chinrest I had on my student violin in the late 50's. I attached a pic hoping someone here could tell me what type it is!?

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Fiddlerman
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September 29, 2017 - 2:25 pm
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I use a Stuber on my own personal violin but I don't know when the last time is that I played on it. Because of this, I would almost say that I use the Guarneri most often since most violins come equipped with that particular chin-rest.

What does you teacher say about not having a chin-rest Damfino?

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RockingLR33
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September 29, 2017 - 2:28 pm
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@Cearbhael  It appears to be a side mounted berber chinrest, or similar style. I did a quick search of the web and didn't find anything currently being sold like that, as the berbers i've seen and own are all center mounted over the tailpiece.  However if the violin, and i'm assuming the chinrest, are fairly old it may be a style that fell out of favor, or was custom made for that particular fiddler.

It's a beautiful looking fiddle with an interesting history behind it from the sounds of it! I hope it sounds as beautiful as it looks! 

 

Edit: I stumbled upon an article that showed an image of "early chinrests" It doesn't have a name but the one on the left looks identical to the one you have! http://www.masterhandviolin.co.....log18.html

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Cearbhael
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RockingLR33 said
@Cearbhael  It appears to be a side mounted berber chinrest, or similar style. I did a quick search of the web and didn't find anything currently being sold like that, as the berbers i've seen and own are all center mounted over the tailpiece.  However if the violin, and i'm assuming the chinrest, are fairly old it may be a style that fell out of favor, or was custom made for that particular fiddler.

It's a beautiful looking fiddle with an interesting history behind it from the sounds of it! I hope it sounds as beautiful as it looks! 

 

Edit: I stumbled upon an article that showed an image of "early chinrests" It doesn't have a name but the one on the left looks identical to the one you have! http://www.masterhandviolin.co.....8.html  

@RockingLR33 Interesting article! I basically call it a kidney shaped chin rest. The left side of mine is a tad smaller than the right side, and it is definitely ebony NOT Bakelite LOL! All my accessories are ebony. I would assume that in the early turn of the century years that led up to the first WW, ebony was far more available and commonly used in European violins. Yeah, I have looked at the various styles of modern chinrests and I failed to find any to match mine, so you may be right about it being a defunct or made for that particular violin. It could be the whim of the  violin makers. I like it myself. Seems to fit me very well which surprised me considering all the variations out there. But again, my student violin had a similar if left handed version that was exactly like the one in that article! Both left and right sides being equal. I am tiny with short arms and legs so a small chinrest for a small chin works well for me!

By the way, thanks for the complement, I think it is a very attractive violin myself and it has a very beautiful flame pattern that YES, is in the wood and not faked in the varnish like some are! Her varnish has taken a beating but her beauty shines through! I am totally over the moon on how sweet she sounds! She has good volume and her notes are clear and have a nice ring to them! First time I bowed her strings I literally came to tears over how lovely she sounded! I went into the demothballing with a very cautious point of view! I was not sure she would be playable! She had been used hard by my grandfather, and she had been in storage so very long! She has her boo boos that need fixing which seems to be the usual with old violins that come out of storage. But, she blew me out of the water, she sounds wonderful to my ears! Far better than my student violin sounded and I am still on open strings working on good bowing techniques . Next step will be fingering techniques, and learning how to play 1st position! I tested one note on the A string and it rang true so expecting that to be hopefully easier than right hand bowing (I played left handed as a child) I could adapt it to a left handed violin but not sure that the fingerboard or bridge would allow it! Or the nut for that matter! So I prefer to not dink around and try to fix what is not broken! I would probably have to move that sound stick that is inside the violin too since it is meant to be close to the E string, which on a left handed violin is where the G string is! ROFL ? Too much work! As frustrating as it is trying to train my right hand, I am sure ultimately it will get easier, and I will be happy! ?

"Reality is an illusion, albeit a persistent one".- Albert Einstein 

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dpappas
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I've tried a few, but I use guarneri-style ones because they feel "right" for my body.  

 

The chalk/whittling thing reminded me of something Hillary Hahn said.  When she was younger she put lotion on her chin/jaw and played.  Her dad whittled down any wood that didn't have lotion on it.  Then she cleaned and repeated until she was happy.

 

Generally, I prefer center-mounted ones, with the plate to the side.  

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damfino
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@Fiddlerman It turns out she does the same thing for her viola, and then popped the chin rest off her fiddle after I did, and has been sticking with it. She said she always loved playing without a chin rest on her viola, that it made her feel more connected to the instrument and the music/sound, so she's happy doing it now with her fiddle, too. 

You can see one of her now chin rest-less fiddles in this video :)  

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RockingLR33
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September 29, 2017 - 10:03 pm
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@damfino  out of curiosity I decided to pull off my chinrest and just see how it feels. For me it won't do but it was a fun experiment . I ended up hugging the tail piece and then some how I ended up playing right on top of the tail piece no matter if I played on the left or the right side hahaha.  I will admit feeling the bit of extra vibration through the violin was awesome but I just couldn't get comfortable enough to play more then a few minuets at a time with no chinrest....though if I used a shoulder rest instead of a pad it might have been a bit different. It's awesome you found an instructor that lets you do it to and even joins you that way. At the end of the day what works for you and makes you comfortable is where it's at  :D

I also was curious to see if the violin sounded different with vs. without a chinrest. When I was researching chinrests before settling on the berber several people had mentioned how the chinrests dampened, sometimes severely, the sound and vibrations of the violin. Now I don't over tighten my chinrests, I just do it to the point they don't wiggle when I go to play but I didn't notice a difference. MAYBE a tiny tad bit less vibration and maybe a tiny bit brighter on the g string....but I'm talking miniscule barely noticeable I could have made it up difference.  

I don't understand how a chinrest could change the sound as much as these people claim unless it's super heavy and/or they are clamping it down super tight/way forward onto the front and back plate, which would damage  the violin anyways OR the violin has a seam open or some other pre-existing issue that becomes more apparent with a different chinrest.  

Having tried several side and center and now none, on two different instruments I haven't noticed a difference in sound, playability or anything else besides my own personal comfort deciding if I liked one or not and this last time I was even listening for a change in sound specifically.

@Fiddlerman  since you have probably tried and worked with more violins then I'll ever see in my life I thought I'd ask...Have you noticed much of a difference in sound for the different types of chinrests? especially side vs. center mounted? 

Lead me, Follow me, or get out of my way!

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MrYikes
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RockingLR33 said
@MrYikes  could you post a picture of it? It sounds really really neat! You seem to be quite the carpenter/handy man when it comes to violins!!! 

DSCN1199.JPGImage Enlarger

I simply waste a lot of time piddling with this stuff.
Did you get your package?

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RockingLR33
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@MrYikes  I did receive it thank you so much! I'm going to start working on my first bridge here shortly! i'm super excited to see how it turns out! I'll keep ya updated! 

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Cearbhael
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@RockingLR33 I tried to PM you and I don't know how to send the message! I started a topic in the break room hoping someone could shed a little light on what I'm doing or not doing wrong LOL! Am interested in your spare chinrests if you still have them! Maybe I can get you to email me directly?

"Reality is an illusion, albeit a persistent one".- Albert Einstein 

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RockingLR33
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@Cearbhael  I sent you a pm so you'll have my personal email address. I know you probably won't be able to respond due to your issues with your phone but you can email me directly from there! 

Lead me, Follow me, or get out of my way!

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Cearbhael
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@RockingLR33 WoooHoo! Thank you so much ? Not having a send button for PM is really a wall hard to surmount! I really appreciate your help with this matter! Haa Haa, your going to be the first person on this forum to know my real name! Cearbhael is my maternal great great grandmother's maiden name! I love ❤️ Irish Gaelic!

i will get an email sent off today with all the information you will need!

"Reality is an illusion, albeit a persistent one".- Albert Einstein 

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Fiddlerman
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October 5, 2017 - 3:35 pm
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RockingLR33 said
..........@Fiddlerman  since you have probably tried and worked with more violins then I'll ever see in my life I thought I'd ask...Have you noticed much of a difference in sound for the different types of chinrests? especially side vs. center mounted?   

Not much difference in the sound but slight differences. I believe that the center mounted mute the sound the least and allow the instrument to vibrate freer. Though I had a Stuber for over 20 years and still have it on my main instrument.

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but the one who needs the least."

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