Selecting A Violin Chinrest Styles

By Linda Ruiz


A chinrest is a carved piece of wood or a molded plastic that is attached to the body of a violin to properly position the jaw and chin on the instrument. There are a lots of material a chinrest can be made, the most common ones are made up of ebony, rosewood or plastic. This attachment is now already considered as a standard part of a violin due to benefit it provides.

Depending on what your playing position is, the chinrest will provide you that needed stability for a better performance. In finding a chinrest that perfectly fits you, it often needs a trial and error like procedure. But having the knowledge about the differences between the various types of violin chinrest styles can lower down the time and effort you might need to consume. In this article, we will know more about it.

Since there are various types of rests, it is a good idea to select one that you think suits your jaws perfectly well. Generally, selecting is contingent upon the length of your arms as well as your overall comfort. Improper selection can greatly affect the performance due to the constraints it may provide.

We cannot deny the fact that young players have shorter arms compared to adults. This means that they will have a little bit of trouble playing the instrument. To address this issue, it is better to choose an across the tailpiece type of chinrest. This will give the needed nearness to play the violin with ease.

You also have to consider its curvature. For players who have jaws that are bonier, it is a good idea to choose a chinrest that has defined curves. On the other hand, if you are one of the individual who has fleshier jaws, a longer and low ridge will best fits you. Selecting an appropriate curvature will lower down the likelihood of developing sores on your jaw and some other injuries.

Most people who do not use rests or is using it but that do not fit tend to have sores in their skin as well as muscles that are strained. Acquiring this equipment while playing the instrument will give you not just an excellent performance but overall wellness. A violin needs a lot of practice to master, and because of these violinists who tend to spend a lot of time practicing will end up having fiddlers neck.

A fiddlers neck or also known as a violin hickey is a condition that usually distinguished by redness and inflammation on the left side of the neck of an individual. Generally, the main cause of this condition is constant friction and pressure. In a violinist community, they usually call this as battle scars which indicates a skill of an individual due to constant practice.

Although there are some other factors you need to consider, it is by far the most important ones that you need to know. If you are a person with sensitive skin, then choosing a rest that is hypoallergenic metal should be your primary choice. Alternatively, you can also use plastic hardware.

Overall, comfortability should always be your primary concern. Even though it is not that expensive but still you are comfortable, then go for it. If you are still unsure of what chinrests to choose, you might need to seek for professional help.




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