shoulder rest
{{Short description|Accessory used for violins and violas}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
The shoulder rest is an accessory that can be found on violins and violas. The shoulder rest appeared around the middle part of the 20th century.{{cite web|url=http://www.baroque-violin.info/vhold1.html|title=Holding the Baroque Violin Part I|website=baroque-violin.info}} It may be made of wood, aluminium, carbon fiber or plastic. Usually, the shoulder rest attaches to the edge of the back of the violin with "feet" padded with rubber tubing or made of soft plastic. The goal of a shoulder rest is to allow a more comfortable attitude while playing by adding height to the shoulder and preventing the instrument from slipping.{{cite book | author = Kreitman, Edward | year = 1998 | title = Teaching from the Balance Point | page = 30| publisher = Western Springs School of Talent Education}} A shoulder rest generally follows the curve of the shoulder; some shoulder rests are bendable, others are made of sponge-like material, and a few have an extension that hooks further over the shoulder for stability.
Function
File:Talented Violin Player Brisbane Mall-2 (16482748030).jpg in Brisbane, Australia]]
A shoulder rest, whatever its design, is an accessory to facilitate holding the instrument in place while playing. This can lighten the task of the left hand, enabling smoother and lighter shifting technique. All rests must make a compromise between violin support and freedom (or flexibility in holding the violin). There are both soft rests and rigid rests on the market.
The shoulder rest is an invention of the middle part of the 20th century. Prior to its invention, violinists and violists employed a number of strategies to hold their instruments: the violin in particular was often depicted in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries being held on or below the collarbone, though this does restrict shifting somewhat. Leopold Mozart is portrayed holding his violin quite low on his shoulder. {{Citation needed|reason=Reliable source needed for the whole sentence|date=May 2024}}Large violas were sometimes played with the aid of straps around the neck, and violins could occasionally be attached to the players' cravat.
There are two common approaches to playing without a shoulder rest. The first is to hold the violin horizontal with the support of the left hand at all times. This usually decreases the mobility of the thumb during downshifts and requires the thumb never to leave the neck of the violin in order to support the instrument. The second approach is to support the instrument almost fully at the neck-shoulder region, often requiring the use of some form of padding beside the collar bone to bring the violin closer to the jaw and to hold the instrument in place. Some violinists may even raise their shoulder to achieve this, particularly when shifting positions and when using vibrato.
Modern musicians who chose not to use shoulder rests may also prefer in its place a thin sponge or a cloth. Some instruments have also been marked by shoulder rests due to friction on the wood or added tension to the instrument.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
;Notes
- {{cite book
| last = Kempter
| first = Susan
| author-link = Susan Kempter
| title = How Muscles Learn: Teaching the Violin with the Body in Mind
| publisher = Summy-Birchard Music, Warner Bros. Publications
| year = 2003
| location = 15800 NW 48th Avenue, Miami, FL, 33014
| pages = 23–28
| isbn = 1-58951-401-7 }}
- {{cite book
| last = Kreitman
| first = Edward
| author-link = Edward Kreitman
| title = Teaching from the Balance Point
| publisher = Western Springs School of Talent Education
| year = 1998
| location = 1106 Chestnut Street, Western Springs, Illinois, 60558
| id = Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 98-90294
| page = 30 }}
- {{cite journal
| author = Richard Ward
| title = Show of Support: Choosing the right shoulder rest can be a tricky task
| journal = Strings
| volume = 127
| publisher = String Letter Publishing
| location = San Rafael, California, United States of America
|date=March 2005
| url = http://www.stringsmagazine.com/issues/strings127/yourinstrument_127.html
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061109144905/http://www.stringsmagazine.com/issues/strings127/yourinstrument_127.html |archive-date = 9 November 2006}}
{{Violin family}}