Korfker Rest Adjustments

Edited: June 18, 2023, 9:37 AM · Try a wide setting-to allow for a less central adjustment left to right-and place the 1/2/3 leg (i.e. left side of rest/violin, IIRC) so it is farther removed from your neck. I do not have a super short neck, but use the lowest setting as I do not need or want the rest to push against my neck, to avoid any tension issues. Relaxation is the 1st rule after all, and it is why many of us use a shoulder rest.

The farther removed this "neck leg" is from your neck area, the lower the rest will lay. I use this type of setting with all my rests, low or high! In my case I also do it for easier and 100% straight bowing when it is needed-left hand positioning remains secure. It also 100% always allows for the violin to rest on my collarbone as one of three contact points.

But in your case, you do not need to even change your violin position-just move your rest further from your neck, especially the left/neck side. (TL;DR)

June 18, 2023, 7:45 PM · I typically don’t like having a shoulder rest further from my neck because it can lock my shoulder up if it gets too close to my shoulder. I don’t understand how some people can have it right on top of their shoulder but it’s such a personal matter. I’ll try this though thank you for the suggestion. Maybe since this one is much lighter it won’t be as bad.

June 18, 2023, 9:30 PM · It took my son nearly a year to figure out how to adjust it, but once he did, it has been fabulous for him. I personally couldn't figure it out either. I highly suggest calling around to local shops and asking if they have anyone who is an expert in adjusting them. Our local shop has someone who knows exactly how to make it work, though he says it still takes him about an hour per person to adjust.

Another option is trying the new Luna version instead -- it is supposedly much easier to adjust.

Edited: June 19, 2023, 1:58 AM · In my last week's investigation on shoulder rests here's what I found:

Saying that, I'm trying a very high chinrest instead of a shoulder rest today.

Edited: June 19, 2023, 7:03 AM · If you have a short neck, maybe you should get the short foot for the Korfker, sold separately. Install it on the shoulder side.

June 19, 2023, 7:44 AM · I own both the Korfker 2 and the Korfker Luna.

The 2 is a living nightmare to adjust. I got it pretty close to where I wanted it, but the Luna is MUCH easier to adjust and has a huge range of adjustment. Consequently, it is much easier to experiment and find the optimum setting for it.

And boy, is it worth it. Enhanced tone, comfort and stability are the rewards on offer.

June 19, 2023, 10:24 AM · Indeed my statements above were meant for the Luna-my sincerest apologies, Mr. Harvey. Would use a shorter leg in your case, and still attempt to place the left sided leg farther away from the neck.

Luna is really a dream to adjust-less than ten minutes for me, as I had stated elsewhere before. One of its benefits, in addition to the lower cost.

June 19, 2023, 5:51 PM · I am also having a good experience with my Lunas. Easy to adjust, easy to store in the case, substantially less expensive. Thanks to Pirastro for the innovation.

June 19, 2023, 9:15 PM · I was definitely a little confused about what you meant by the 1/2/3 leg, but I did use the ergopack to make the rest wider and placed it farther from my neck and so far it seems to work. I'll know for sure once I do a longer practice session. I also do currently have two of the short legs on my rest. This thing is a total pain to adjust. The only reason I got it over the Luna was that the model 2 was able to go 4mm lower than the Luna on the chest side if you used the short leg.

Although, now that I think about it I probably wouldn't have noticed those extra 4 millimeters depending on how the feet were screwed into the leg. Maybe I'll get a Luna in the future.