Shoulder Rests

I used a shoulder rest when I was a kid because the bracing would cut into my neck. I am much bigger now and that is not a problem. However, I cant get comfortable under the chin. I have to hold my neck all funny and its just not comfortable. I feel i do not have good movement with my left hand becuase I am having to support the fingerboard with my hand too much when my chin should be doing that. Is this hogwash? Is my form just terrible? Will a shoulder rest help with this?

If so, what rests do you all like/dislike?

Thanks again,

Aaron

Comments

  • There's all kinds of shoulder rests...so you might wanna look into what type might work best for you. How a person does that...I don't know...I don't have a fiddle supplier around me that I know of and I ordered a few online and couldn't stand any of them...lol. But I hear if you have someplace to go to they can help you figure it out and buy it on the spot.

    I also tried many types of chinrests...same thing...they just hurt me to use any of them. So none of my fiddles have chin rests and I don't use shoulder rests. this does make slidiing up and down the neck challenging. But since I mainly focus on old time tunes, it's not too bad most of the time.

    Let's face it...holding onto a fiddle is pretty awkward...but there are ways to make it better. Hopefully someone here who has conquered the beast can give some good advice, and/or if you could get out to a shop where they sell supplies and know how to help a person decide...it would probably make a big difference.

  • There is a thred on the BGD forum "Who uses a shoulder rest and who doesn't. Maybe it have some guidance.

    https://bgdforum.com/discussion/85894/who-uses-a-shoulder-rest-and-who-doesnt/p1

  • I have great difficulty fiddling without a shoulder rest. When I am somewhere out and about and someone asks me to play their fiddle, I decline if there is not a shoulder rest available. It didn't used to be this way but I grew more and more dependent on the use of one until it's now gotten to the point I just do not feel comfortable without one.

  • @Hakan Lindholm thanks for the link. I thought I did a search before I posted, but that must have been my other post.


    @Frederick what rest have you found that works best for you?

  • I have a long neck so it isn't hard for me to get comfortable. The Tido is a good rest and Kun is also a good brand. Thank you for the link to that older thread, @Hakan Lindholm

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