How to find a good chin rest and shoulder rest

Master Violinmaker and restorer Olaf Grawert talks about the things that are important when you are choosing a Chinrest and Shoulder rest. It is something he is very passionate about, having seen numerous string players struggle with playing related injuries.

00:00 Intro
00:31 How to choose a good chinrest and shoulder rest
12:10 Summary

#myviolinmaker, #olafgrawertviolin #violin

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[georgie_w]

I was having neck and back pain and went to Olaf and he fixed me up with the perfect setup for me. Worked wonders and helped me with my posture which then eliminated my neck issue. :) Thanks!

[jasonwang]

I love how integrated TwoSet is with Olaf’s channel! That’s so cool!

[nupsiwulst]

the luthier who sold me my violin actually made me try out different shoulder rests and helped me find a comfortable one - I am so grateful. Not that I practice that many hours.... but since life is full of habits hurting your neck and shoulders it is nice to have a hobby that does not add too much on that.

[juli]

Its so cool how Olaf makes these super helpful videos

He deserves waaaay more subscribers :<

[procrastipractice]

After years of tinkering I finally changed to a Bonmusica shoulder rest and never looked back.

[stellajacobson]

At the age of 12 I bought a 40, 5cm viola and that purchase was the starting point of problems that followed me all the way until last year. Finally got a teacher who understands the importance about posture and ergonomics. She was the first to mention that the instrument I had was to big so 6 months later I bought a smaller instrument. She also recommended removing the chin rest so did that too. Never looked back. And the most important tool for me to play comfortably is my bon musica shoulder rest. Before meeting my teacher I never thought removing the chin rest was an option but it was so liberating! thank you Olaf for bringing these topics up to discussion and into the light! Always looking forward to your videos!

[louisabone]

Genuinely looking forward to this as i need a new shoulder rest as mines not comfortable but honestly i dont have a clue

[elissahunt]

If my teacher had cared about my comfort, I might not have quit viola when I was a kid. It was just way too painful for me to play. No regrets--I switched to clarinet, which is pretty much the violin of wind instruments. I love how much I learn about string instruments on this channel though. Thanks, Olaf!

[ethanhe]

Even as a cellist, I find this stuff interesting

[germangarciamartinez]

Thank you Olaf!
Your words are valuable.
Greetings from Spain.

[ia]

I can't get enough of your skits and characters Olaf

[mabel]

I used to have a standard Strad chin rest before I switched to a Vermeer on my viola (16 inch). It worked, but I had to tilt my head a bit and really lean into the instrument to get a good grip. My initial solution was to get extension legs for my Everest shoulder rest and I was able to get by. When I got a new viola (17 inch), I didn't switch the Strad chin rest to a Vermeer right away. I tried Ohrenform, and my first impression was that it may be too tall because I couldn't lean into the instrument anymore. After a couple of days of playing with it and getting used to not leaning into the instrument, I think it's the right one for me since my neck stays relatively straight while playing. I also use a Mach one with this instrument (since the Everest no longer fit) and it is also quite tall. Turns out my neck is a lot longer than I thought it was.

[philipq]

Actually we can ask this question in other ways: not just focusing on whether to use SR or not.
1) How much height between the violin from your shoulder will be added by SR than playing without one? because after the violin is raised up, your right hand also have to raise that much.
If you have a super long neck, are you going to compensate by SR or Chin rest? Please bear in mind even people with longer neck, when they close their chin to the collarbone, the distance is enough to lock a violin from slipping off from the body.
2) are you going to hold the violin firmly by chin and shoulder? or use partial support from the left thumb?
3) will you adjust the tilt angle and horizontal direction of the violin while playing?
these three questions are more important than just asking whether to use SR or not.
Different SR will give you different flexibility and comfort.

[jollieJollie]

The first shoulder rest I bought when I started playing (nearly 3 years ago) was a kun ajustable shoulder rest and I never regret my choice because it is ajustable and if i'm not feeling comfortable I can ajust it. Because I live in Canada you may not know about this brand, but for people who search for a shoulder rest, I really recommand you to buy a Kun ajustable shoulder rest. Oh and other thing: those shoulder rest are actually *made* in Canada, so the working conditions are good for the workers!

[firelunamoon]

Very helpful, thank you for your wonderful videos!

[sarasings]

I ditched my shoulder rest years ago, and it's the best thing I ever did. I started with a small rubber pad to prevent slippage and eventually even ditched that. I love the connection between the instrument and my body and the way it vibrates on my shoulder and clavicle. It takes a while to get used to but eventually you find The Sweet spot. I'll never go back.

[mushroom]

Loving the close-up/zoom-in edits here

[H-DA]

Playing the violin I realized I have got a really thin, bony shoulder with a long neck. I can hold the violin by shoulder and chin only but I will have to bent so much that I face downwards all the time (and I already use a shoulderrest). I decided to try a high, centered chinrest because it helps me to get the violin more horizontal and I will try a Wolf shoulderrest because it is said to be really suitable for a long neck. Let's see how it will do. With my acoustic violin it wasn't that much of a problem but the electric one I just got is thinner and heavier and I really need to get it in a nicer position to add some comfort.

[VIM]

This is exactly what I needed right now Olaf! Thank you once again for your informative videos!

[carrielin]

Just what I need! I'm a violin newbie and all the practice, though enjoyable, is killing me!!