Best violin set up for children | Violin Lounge TV #546
Violin teacher gives tips about choosing the right chinrest and shoulder rest for young children:
Hi! I'm Zlata
Classical violinist helping you overcome technical struggles and play with feeling by improving your bow technique.
Well fitting chinrest and shoulder rest for your child is very important to play the violin comfortably and without pain
Sometimes regular set ups don’t work on young kids. Their neck might be too short for a regular shoulder rest, shoulder rests in small sizes are sometimes chunky and kids are very sensitive to the brackets of chinrests.
The set up I recommend in the video above is a Wittner chinrest and a Belvelin foam shoulder rest. The brackets of the Wittner chinrest are covered, the shape doesn’t have sharp edges and the centered placement invites the child to a good violin hold. The Belvelin foam shoulder rest is very soft, no too high and adjustable.
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What’s your favorite chinrest and shoulder rest (if any)?
Share it in the comments below.
I also recommend the center-mounted chin rest for kids and adults playing violin or viola. As a professional violinist since 1988, I used the side-mounted chin rest for many years before trying the center-mounted kind. Now I prefer the center mount, because more of the weight of the instrument is on the left shoulder, and I can look straight down the middle of the fingerboard. Everything feels more balanced and centered. Also – no violin “hickey”! ( sore spot on the left jawline.) Also, for myself and my students I prefer using a sponge instead of a platform shoulder rest. Those platforms tend to fall off at inopportune times (like the middle of a concert) – and they are stiff, leading to a more stiff posture. So – I fully agree with your preference for these things! Thanks for your excellent blog and resources!
Thank you for sharing, Gloria!