Comments

Karen, like you, I would get tons of ideas from others and then I’ll just want to figure it out all by myself by exploring my own path. For me though, it's the shoulder rest. I used it for years when I was young without any pain or discomfort, but I couldn't now. I’ve tried at least ½ douzen but none will sit properly – one way or the other, they all like to take off. I think this is partly due to the more technically challenging stuff I'm doing now than before and partly due to age. So for me, sr is a device I would prefer not to use if I can. About 6 months ago I started to play without the rest.

So far so good, but I'm not giving up on the rest entirely and I tell you why. From time to time, I'll go back to the sr just to see if it'll work better with a new technique that I'm exploring. To me, if it sounds better with the sr, it doesn’t follow that I should or shouldn’t use the sr; it only tells me that I have a puzzle to solve: why the difference? I’d then go back and forth by playing with and without the rest to figure out where the problem lies and to see if I can fix the problem without the rest. So now the sr becomes a very interesting experimental tool for me, somewhat like your viola for you, I guess. For instance, by this comparison, I noticed that I could play with more ease on the G string with sr than without, and I figured out that this is due to the fact that I am 5’2” with limbs are shorter in proportion to my height. With the sr, the violin is slightly tilted to the right which makes the G string more reachable for my short arm. Knowing this, I now play without the rest by slightly adjusting the violin and my left elbow when I play on the G string, especially on 5th or higher position. The adjustment is subtle but worked. It further gave me another insight into how dynamic the relationship between my body and the violin is. There are a lot of sound advice people have given how to hold the violin, but it’s never one size fits all. The violin needs to be treated it as part of me to be working together, not a troubled colleague that I have to manage, if you know what I mean.

If a centered chin rest works for you on your viola, I's certainly try one on your violin.

I've found that my Infeld reds are very sensitive to bow movements and bow pressure. At first, they made me feel that I had a new and better bow. That may partially explain why you get good results with a light touch with your bow.

I'm glad that you're getting brave enough to try new "fixes" on your violin and especially glad that they're working and giving you confidence.

You sound to me like someone who wants to and can play both violin and viola.

Hmm. There is an awful lot of violin on this blog...(insert smiley face here).

You might want to try an Infeld Blue G string, along with the Infeld Red D, A, and E strings. This brand is designed to mix-and-match. Also, make sure you are getting the rosin crud build-up off of the strings.

You know what else occurred to me? The quote:

"No matter where you go, there you are".

Karen - I enjoyed reading this and I have to tell you, the night after I read it (had no time to comment back then), I had a dream that my bow went wonky on me from changes in humidity and I watched in horror as it stretched and stretched and pretty much exploded, and there I was, left with all these hairs everywhere, hanging by one end of the bow and I said, "Well, looks like I need to get it rehaired." I think it was from reading your post - funny, that. : )