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(4 votes) 
Regulars
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Thomas wants to get rid of his shoulder rest and use a cloth (as, for example, Itzhak does)and have it so that it rests on his shoulder AND comes up over so it is between his chin and the chin rest. Does anyone have any suggestions? I have tried what I have at home, but they all are too slippery, either on the chin rest or underneath.
My second question is the buildup of rosin on my bow, and Thomases as well. I really do not want to spend $90 to have the bows rehaired every 2 months simply because of this buildup. I asked a luthier many years ago what he used to clean his bow and all he said was alcohol. I am assuming he means denatured but when I went shopping for denatured a couple weeks ago, I noticed there is nothing simply called denatured, it is either Appliance Fuel denatured, Fuel denatured or other variations. I sure would appreciate it. I have tried simple soap and water and it really does not work. The bow is still sticky which means the rosin is still on there.
Jim(Thomases Dad)
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@JimandThomas -
I checked into options when I removed my chin rest & shoulder rest on my Viola, but I ended up going with a low profile Resonans shoulder rest from Fiddlershop that has a velvet-like cloth cover.
There are cloth covers that are anchored over the chin rest, cover the chin rest hardware & button - AND have a little extra cloth for the shoulder rest area. This may be a good non-slip solution for Thomas!
Fiddlershop has a Cotton Cover - ONLY fits a Guaneri-style chin rest.
byDSM has a generic cloth cover for chin & shoulder rest area, held by elastic.
ChinRestcue will CUSTOMIZE a cloth cover at a VERY reasonable price - look at the faux suede!
For alcohol to clean the bow - I just used 'Isopropyl' Alcohol. Denatured alcohol is different, it's stronger, but I think it's overkill - you need solvent safe gloves & proper ventilation (denatured alcohol is toxic to skin & extremely flammable).
If you absolutely must use 'denatured'... you can try a Paint Supply or Woodworking store, like WoodCraft has 'Klean Strip'. It says fuel because it can be used in portable burners, but also cleans equipment & thins shellac. Lowe's carries a 'Klean Strip MEK Substitute' that would be comparable, but then again - don't use it unless you are set up with protective gear & proper ventilation. These solvents can be absorbed through skin & not great for lungs, or eye membranes, either. I certainly wouldn't risk it near a wood bow if it has a finish on it! You can also order <a href="
Was thinking you might want to see this video from Violinna - she focuses on steps for making the transition to rest-free and left hand adaptation.
<a href="
Regulars
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JimandThomas said
My second question is the buildup of rosin on my bow, and Thomases as well. I really do not want to spend $90 to have the bows rehaired every 2 months simply because of this buildup. I asked a luthier many years ago what he used to clean his bow and all he said was alcohol. I am assuming he means denatured but when I went shopping for denatured a couple weeks ago, I noticed there is nothing simply called denatured, it is either Appliance Fuel denatured, Fuel denatured or other variations. I sure would appreciate it. I have tried simple soap and water and it really does not work. The bow is still sticky which means the rosin is still on there.
I just use a dry cloth to remove some of the excess rosin every few days. I've never used anything else to clean my bow hair. You don't have to clean it that thoroughly, you're just trying to limit the amount of rosin on the bow. I play a lot and normally go about a year between rehairs, and I don't get excessive rosin buildup in that time. I know only a few people who use anything other than a dry cloth.
If you do get enough buildup to make a deeper cleaning necessary, use isopropyl alcohol, but make sure you detach the frog first so that alcohol does not touch the stick.
Regulars
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🤔... I've only used alcohol on my Arcus bow hair one time, well twice, once after I tried a rosin with beeswax in it (don't remember brand) - decided I didn't like it & didn't want any traces of it left on my bow. The 2nd time was when I was trying to figure out if my Arcus bow needed a rehair.
But that's it, for all of 4½ years of playing and a handful of different bows.
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Oh, as for playing without a shoulder rest: I just remembered that one violinist in my orchestra plays without a shoulder rest and uses a rectangle of black non-adhesive shelf liner (black so it's not visible on black clothing in concerts) that she drapes over her shoulder. That's separate from a cloth that might go over a chinrest. It may be more complicated than having a single cloth, but it certainly helps keep the violin in place.
Perlman's cloth doesn't always go very far under his violin, so I don't think he's using it as a shoulder pad; I think the purpose is just to keep his neck and jaw off the violin. In this video, there's a very clear view of him placing his violin on his shoulder at the 2:23 mark, and only an inch or two of the cloth goes under the violin.
