To prevent fiddler’s neck

December 19, 2025, 10:00 PM · I’m wondering how many of you ever had fiddler’s neck or fiddler’s hickey under the left side of the jaw. I’m a recreational player and usually play 1-2 hours 5-6 days a week. I changed my chin rest a few years ago and developed a small thickening of the skin under the jaw but didn’t think anything of it. A couple of days ago, I was surprised to find that this area was noticeably larger and tender to touch.

Could this have happened because of the new chin rest or how it affected the fit of the violin?

Should I change back to the chin rest that never gave me any problems?

Replies (1)

Nickie McNichols

December 20, 2025, 4:58 AM · Jerry, I think I’d get that new chinrest off my violin today. Some woods, as mention in Violinist, such as rosewood, ebony, contain toxic substances that can cause allergic reactions in human skin. Apparently, boxwood does not.
I’d also make an appointment with a qualified dermatologist as well. Don’t mess around with this.
Please keep us posted. Good luck.