Shoulder Rests Explained...

 

The most popular shoulder rests we sell are the Kun, the Viva, and the Wolf Forte Secondo. These seem to suit 90% of our customers, but the comfort of these rests also depends on the type of chin rest used and where the player is holding the instrument. There is no such thing as a standard human being, but most people seem to suit one or other of these rests.

 

Probably our single biggest seller is the Viva range. This is available in a variety of colours and three basic sizes. The rubber feet are built into the legs, eliminating the need to buy spares when the old ones perish, but they are quite hard and we have seen wear to varnish if the shoulder rest is being pulled on too tightly. They also do a collapsible version which makes it easier to fit it into shaped cases.

 

The Wolf range of shoulder rests has been around a long time: they are flexible and the metal and foam body can be bent to the shape of your shoulder. The legs of the Forte Secondo can be adjusted up to nearly 3” with the addition of the supplied black plastic collars, making it a good choice for those people with long necks. The Forte Primo is marginally less popular and is straight whereas the Forte Secondo is kidney shaped. The Wolf range also includes the Superflexible, which sells in small numbers.

 

The Kun rests are made in Canada and come in a two models. The Classic is still our most popular, the Super being the redesigned model that is supposed to be an improvement although the basic curvature remains the same on both. There are Mini Kuns down to 1/10 size and a collapsible model with folding feet to make it more compact when put away. The separate rubber feet featured on this rest are gradually being replaced by integral feet like the Viva, which means that there is less risk of damage to the side of the violin as they wear out.

 

Next in popularity are the Bonmusica and Playonair. We sell the occasional foam pad like the Huber, and the odd Menuhin style Lark, although the old Menuhin rests are no longer in production. Occasionally we are asked for the wooden Voight rests but these are only available to order.

 

We have customers with shoulder problems or whiplash injuries who can only play using a Bonmusica.  It has a metal protuberance that hooks over the shoulder and has width and height adjustments to fit any instrument. Its flexible body is designed to be bent to fit the shape of the player. Worth a try if you`re taking up the instrument in later life or have had back or shoulder injuries. Many teachers feel wary about recommending this rest to younger players as it is the violin player’s equivalent of a Zimmer Frame and the player never learns to actually hold the instrument.

 

The Playonair is a large inflatable pad, which is held against the back of the instrument with rubber bands. Undeniably comfortable, its downsides are the fact that you still need to hold the instrument with the strength of the arm, they have been known to slowly deflate during a performance, and they can have a slight muting effect on the instrument. They come in a number of different sizes and have a small but devoted following.

 

All the above shoulder rests are available for the viola and come in different sizes to accommodate this instrument’s less standardized dimensions. Although the Forte Secundo is more popular on the violin, the Forte Primo seems to suit more viola players. The Bonmusica is also more popular on the viola due to the instrument’s greater size and weight for which it offers greater support. (The Bonmusica is also more popular with viola players as it offers greater support for the larger, heavier instrument.)

 

 

PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH SHOULDER RESTS

 

Holding a violin or viola comfortably seems to be a tricky thing for many people to get right. Hardly a week passes without someone coming into the shop having difficulty holding up their instrument. Sometimes they can be in great pain. There are however several factors involved, and the shoulder rest cannot be seen in isolation from chin rest, body shape, posture or playing style.

 

Too many people come in to buy a shoulder rest without bringing in their instrument in the hope that just buying something new will improve their playing. Just because a particular type of rest suits a friend or teacher does not mean that it will work for you.

 

Customers’ discomfort is often related to their chin rest and the way that they hold their instrument rather than the collection of different shoulder rests they are amassing to try and fix the problem. So if you want a shoulder rest, come into the shop with an hour to spare and try them out on your own violin.

 

The first thing to remember is that shoulder rests have only been around for a short period of the violin’s 500 year history.  Musicians from the time of Monteverdi up until the 20th century played quite happily without them - they just learned to hold the instrument. If you play without a shoulder rest then the weight of the violin is entirely supported by the left hand. If you use a shoulder rest properly then the weight of the head, which is over ten times heavier than that of the instrument, holds the instrument in place with just a lean. You should not have to clamp your head down or hoist your shoulder up, which can create frozen shoulder and tension headache problems. With the instrument held in place by the weight of the head the left hand is free to tune the violin and then shift position and execute vibrato with far less effort.  Most of the problems associated with pain in the shoulder area have nothing to do with the shoulder rest that is being used but rather with its position on the body, usually too low down on the chest rather than on the shoulder, or an incorrectly positioned chinrest.