Skin condition on my neck due to playing violin!
Over the years, as my dedication for my instrument has grown... I have developed a patch of slightly more pigmented and rough skin where my violin rests on my left side of my neck. It doesn't seem to go away as I went on holidays and didn't play for a week and it remained this ugly greyish mark under my jaw.
Particularly after uni finished, I've been playing mostly all day and this condition has become worse - I now have uncomfortable lumps there, like a mozzy has attacked me!
Could this be caused by poor technique? I'm not feeling any discomfort as I play, but after a long time it is like a 'raw' feeling.
Anyone else experienced this described and how did you resolve this issue.? Or any suggestions?
Please help as these lumps are really uncomfortable!!!!
:)
Replies (18)
I had the same thing as a child and after returning it came back. What exacerbates it is if I perspire a bit and my skin sticks to the instrument. I use a soft cotton cloth (white sports socks work great) to separate my skin from the chin rest and that seems to help a lot.
Lauren,
I see this on some, but not the majority, of violin students at Eastman, who are putting many hours in every day. Try a soft cloth, as has been suggested. It helps for some people. Another contributor is clamping too hard with the jaw / head. Clamping for long periods reduces blood flow to the points of greatest pressure and the body makes thicker skin to protect the blood flow in that area. It is possible to play the violin without clamping at all. If that is too much of a change for you, try less clamping force. It takes only a small, occasional clamping force to keep a violin in place on the collar bone. The rest of the time, it is just habit.
You could of course treat it as a love bite and get a lot of kudos from it ...
i am wearing my violin mark proudly.
I agree, Lena - wear it with pride! When I played for a living, I had one. Now I don't - which attests to a much more boring life spent working in a 'normal' job and rusty technique!
My teacher has that, too. He told me it was from the chin rest clap. And just like yours, his doesn't go away even when he breaks from the violin for awhile.
I don't have this mark. That's because I never practice! Ha! Actually it's very common, and it's been posted here before. Usually the irritation is due to a reaction to the metal parts of the chinrest. Simply cover the chinrest with a soft cloth, and the problem should soon abate. If it's severe, you may want to go to a doctor. Otherwise some salve or mild astringent like Witchazel will help minor skin irritations quite a lot. (Just a personal idea. I'm not a doctor - I just play one on tv!) Of course, don't put on any salve or cream just before playing. Also, a vice-like grip on the fiddle is never a good idea.
I used to have a pretty significant mark last year. There were times when it bothered me enough that I would wear a large bandaid over it when practicing, but now the mark is almost completely gone. I don't mean to start another SR debate, but when I ditched my SR last year, the mark went away. It makes sense because with an SR, the violin is being supported more with the shoulder and chin; whereas when playing without SR, the left hand is more active in supporting the instrument and less pressure is required by the chin.
@Lauren, I don't believe it is the result of faulty technique (though I wouldn't rule it out), rather it is simple physics. A violin doesn't weigh much, but if playing hours each day, just the small amount of pressure required by the chin to counteract the gravitational force pulling down on the scroll can be enough to leave a mark. Any tension in your left side, or pulling down on the instrument with the left hand, will exacerbate the problem.
If playing without an SR, the physics completely change -- not to mention your technique. The left hand supports the instrument, not the chin and shoulder, so it is possible to play with minimal pressure on the chin rest.
But does anyone that puts an absorbant cloth over the chinrest still have one? It got worst for me when I put down the violin and noticed that it was sticking to my chin-skin....
Statistically speaking, it is most likely to be the chinrest metal (as mentioned previously). It happened to me too. After another chinrest, all was OK.
What kind of statistics are they? Chin-squared? [Sorry, nerd joke]
I have never played with a metal chinrest - only ebony or (now) boxwood.
But maybe there is more than one kind. I seem to remember that the one I had as a child was more like a callous - it was hard but dark. The current one (actually it seems to have gone) was more like a sore - and due I think to sticking ot the chin rest.
Elise,
The chin rest is usually wood (I guess plastic on VSO's), but it's the metal clamps that can cause allergic reactions. More people tend to be allergic to nickel, as opposed to other metals. My son was having allergy problems and after switching to a chin rest with gold plated clamps, his allergy issues went away.
I don't have this problem, even though I practice and play several hours a day. I went all the way to 18 y/o without a shoulder rest. Then I tried one and liked it. At the same time, I added a Strad Pad for the chinrest. I've always been pleased with this setup. The Strad Pad also shields my skin from contact with the clamps.
Definitely keep the contact surface clean -- whether chinrest, cloth, or Strad Pad-type device. I keep a supply of rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs.
Hilary Hahn put up a good video on YouTube about this. Just search "Hilary Hahn Chinrest" and it will come right up.
"Phong you probably mean chinrest clamp but if your teacher really has chinrest clap don`t get too close to him ,it might be catching."
He must have been associating with the wrong sort of pupils ...
Mind you, concert halls are full of clap ...
The 'hickey' is normal for players playing for a long time. Your skin is reacting to the metal being held against it. Put a piece of cloth (or some kind of barrier) between you and your instrument from now on. Take steps to heal the spot if it is irritated. If the skin is broken and infected, see a doctor. Otherwise the idea is to keep your skin off of the metal (most likely) from your chin rest.
Hi Lauren, I know there's about a million and one remedies for the "hickey" and a good bunch of us who wear it proudly, but if it genuinely bugs you just go to the derm. He'll likely give you a cream that'll get rid of it pretty much immediately :)
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November 26, 2010 at 06:39 PM · My suspicion is you have an allergy to whatever metal/material holds your chinrest on. You may also be holding the violin too close to the skin and have irritation from sweat or have formed a callus. There are other metals and non-metal chinrests you could try. Or use a fine cloth there. But since it is bad & getting worse, I would encourage a visit to a dermatologist, just to be sure. Sue