5 Things I’m Loving This Week: My Favorite Violin Shoulder Rests and Chin Rests

This post was originally published on the Plucky Violin Teacher Blog on November 13, 2015 so links and resources may not be current.

My Favorite Violin Shoulder Rests and Chin Rests…

If you are anything like me, you love setting goals.  New Year’s Eve is my favorite holiday, I love a fresh start.  I always have a list of goals on my desk, on my phone, on my computer.  So it makes sense that I would have studio goals as well.  I never thought to do this until recently, when I had just had enough.  I was tired of poor posture in my studio.  I decided that I would not focus on any other technical issue until my students are holding their violins in a healthy and effective way.

While this goal is still a work in progress, it’s been fun to see the small improvements in my students’ posture.  One of the first steps to achieving this goal is to find a set up that works for each student.  While every student is different, I have found a few different chin rests and shoulder rests that seem to work with a lot of my students.

1.  Many of my students find that a center-mounted chin rest really helps to improve their posture, bowing, and tone. For someone with narrow shoulders, or short arms, the center-mounted chin rest brings the tip of the bow into reach and helps to bring the violin more parallel to the ground. I have found that my students do not like the Wittner brand chin rests. Something about the shape of the plastic brackets is really uncomfortable on the neck.  The Ohrenform chin rest seems to work well for a lot of them.

2.  For my students that need a sponge, the Zaret Large Shoulder Pad is a fantastic option. The foam is stiffer than some other brands, so it offers good support. It is also very cheap, which is a huge plus.

3. I am a huge fan of the Playonair. I think it offers the freedom of a sponge, with the security of a more traditional shoulder rest.

4.  The Wolf Forte Primo is my back-up shoulder rest. I use it for gigs, or other times where I need to hold my violin for a long period. I keep it as low as possible, almost touching the instrument. My students that use the Wolf seem to like it as well.

5. Another shoulder rest that my students have liked is the Comford Shoulder Cradle for Violin. It doesn’t fit my shoulder well, but it really does the job for a few of my students. (It’s not available on Amazon, but it is available from Shar…I just don’t know how to show a picture from Shar, so…)

​I think fitting violin shoulder and chin rests is one of the most frustrating parts of being a violin teacher. You get something working, and then the kiddos hit a growth spurt. You have to start all over. Even so, finding a comfortable and efficient set up to hold the violin is crucial. If it’s not comfy, why keep playing?  Please share your favorite violin shoulder rests and chin rests in the comments, I’m always on the lookout for more helpful violin setup ideas.

What are your favorite violin shoulder rests and chin rests? Please share in the comments.