Violin Forum/Message Board

[John Cadd]

AI has taught me a lot in the last two days . It can be annoying but the system drags all kinds of ideas back into the present .
The most useful idea is finding the best position around the violin edge for the rest . It mentioned the side mounted chinrest can be moved to make it easier to reach with left hand fingers .
So I worked out a test following that .
Firstly remove the chinrest. Now hold the violin like a guitar and pluck the G string notes in first position. This is mainly to help the fourth finger to reach. Now keep the fingers in place and raise the violin into a comfortable position under your chin.now check where your jawbone /cheek is along the edge. Put a piece of paper tape there .You can check how far the chinrest needs to move.
Most chinrests have felt uncomfortable for me since I was ten (seventy years ago ).The one I suffered with most was a bakelite thing with a Stradivarius name printed on it . Horrible thing .
Doing the positionn test I was amazed how comfortable the naked violin felt. I could reach the G string fourth note.There was nothing digging into my collarbone.My neck was not being stretched to reach over the chinrest .I might make one of those tiny wooden ridges that clamps on the edge about 2 cms wide.I would add a patch of leather where varnish has rubbed away on old violins . The minimal /naked violin was easier to tilt left and right if I moved my head. I am doing my best to avoid vagueness with this . My short neck advice could help any young players . They may give up and walk away from violins if the subject is left in the shade too long .
I fitted my chinrest with two separate clamps but the holes had to be drilled for pairs of tiny steel screws pointing upwards . That unusual design has a round plate instead of thin bent rods glued into holes. I tried that traditional style which were badlly made and went out of shape as soon as they were tightened. Maybe a reputable London violin shop has decent clamps .
But I glued the faulty ones with superglue into ebony and made sure the legs were parrallel. That was important and very awkward . My mistake was to use superglue. It`s far too rigid . Better would be Evostik which holds for ever but allows some flexing even after it sets. The edge of a violin would be safer with that glue relieving stresses and allowing alterations of position . I used thin goatskin leather rather than cork as a kind of gasket for the clamps. Leather is just as good as long as it`s not too thick .
Overall --well done AI for showing me something so useful .

[John Cadd]

I have been cutting down a chinrest that started as an over the tailpiece model .After many tests the wood is dramatically thinner. The clamps are now a combination of Hill top pieces plus vertical screws and the bottom is a straight across flat piece . The threads matched and there is no slackness as before from the cheaper vertical parts .
Now I am finalising the cutaway rest so the right side is 2 inches away from the end pin .That`s a fair distance but I can reach the fourth finger on the G string much better .
Violin teachers should use that as a test for young players to arange the chinrest position (on the side ).
Another violin site from a seller with several new violins says that the chinrest doesn`t "do anything". That is so wrong and shows he does not play himself .
Several players talk about "slipping" but do not specify what that means exactly .I had shoes like that once .

[John Cadd]

I had to disconnect the screws holding the chinrest for more robust carving . I doubt if the tiny screws needed any help from superglue so I will not use that again. The foam clay looks a good material to use but I will make a shape in foam rubber to start with.Then copy the shape . I thought squishy was a good description but the foam clay --when set--can be "sculpted and will be more resistant to squashing and will be firmer so maybe squishy is the wrong word . But the foam clay is not rigid at all .We need some new words for new products.
The tiny screws were overstrained when I took them out so I sent for replacements. The box coming has a variety of sizes .800 (800 not 80 I misread the advert ) screws for about £6 . All stainless steel . Bargain .
The Hill type chinrest top bits need to be inset in the ebony so I can use the purfling tool to give an exact depth of cut .The cork or leather bits are fiddly to fit and manufacturers have chosen that as a cost saving . Some drill holes for you .Some drilled holes are in the wrong place .They are doing players no favours these days .
I have avoided mentioning shoulder rests up till now. I think chinrests have been in use but neglected by bad fitting . It`s likely many shoulder rests are being blamed because the chinrests are not right . Shoulder rests cannot do everything that chinrests are supposed to do .If people think a chinrest is just somewhere to put your chin then we are not making any progress .

[John Cadd]

The final part of supporting a violin branches off towards Alternative Shoulder Rests which now has it`s own topic .
A pad under the violin which is attached to the violin is not really the best solution . That pad will not defy gravity by itself . So I have been looking at waistcoats with collars and pockets very close to where a pad would be useful . The pad and collar will be to cushion the hard edge of a violin with maybe Hill type chinrest clamps that make the edge more agressive and painful against the delicate collarbone skin .
See Alternative Shoulder Rests.

[John Cadd]

One comment I saw today refers to fitting a chinrest on the side rather than over the end block. The comment referred to " flimsy ribs. " Well if you have some ribs to spare and make one into an S shape , you can put it on the floor and place a wooden board on top and then stand on it .It will hold your weight without breaking .

[Michael Darnton]

Serious rib distortion from a side-mount chinrest is an extremely common problem that we see all the time. Also broken tops sometimes happen from the very high chinrests that some players use as a substitute for a shoulder rest, if those high chinrests are side mounted (and unsupported by the lower block).
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[John Cadd]

I was wondering just how hard players screw the chinrest down to do some damage . Do some new players try to fit the clamps without any padding under the metal ? Sellers supply a nasty little allen key that would make a scratch as they are tightened .