Hi all, I will be getting a new violin for my birthday (whee!) and I was telling my dad the other day that I would like to change to a centre mounted chinrest as my arms are quite short and I am not able to bow straight to the tip of the G string with a slight bend of the arm. That's the test to see if you need a centre chinrest or not apparently. I'd like to know if they're any good as I don't see many violinists around using one. Also, any brand suggestions? Thanks! I'm using a full size violin by the way.

I use a Flesch as well, and found it to be a great improvement to my comfort.

I would suggest as Primavera says, take your violin and shoulder rest to a music shop and try a selection out. Apart from anything else, moving from a side to a central chin rest will mean a radical alteration to your shoulder rest positioning and shape.

I currently use a Gewa brand Stuber model with a little lip that protrudes. I find it more comfortable that way. I know that there is a Flesch with hump so I guess I'm probably gunning for that as the SAS chinrest is expensive. Will there be major changes to fingering in terms of stretching etc?

I didn't find so, but my bowing improved a lot.

Depends on how big your hands are. If you have short(ish) arms and small hands it does mean the stretch across to the G string will be harder to achieve, moreso in higher positions, esp. when coupled with a short little finger.

Sometimes you have to accept the fact that physically you will not be able to use that top three inches of the bow. This is not a huge problem or indeed a crime, but one does need to remember not to go on trying to drag the bow to the point by straightening the elbow and then pulling the right shoulder backwards, resulting in 'bowing around corners'. Not only does it affect the tone, it will rapidly become an extremely bad habit...not to mention looking dreadful at the same time.

Amanda, since you said you're a small sized player, are you able to use the tip of your bow? My finger span is...hmm...I'm able to stretch to E on the A string with first finger down.

Err, just need a bit of clarification there. Do you mean the span of the four fingers, from your first finger to fourth finger, for an E ?? If so then that's a bit less than I can manage. With a good warm up regime my fourth finger will reach an F natural on a full-size violin and an F# or a G on a 7/8th violin. It takes years of practice to achieve that sort of flexibility in a tiny hand, so don't be shocked if you can't do that right now. Remember that everyone is different and flexibility in general is something that differs greatly from one individual to another.

No, I don't play right to the tip of the bow. I can reach comfortably to within about 3 inches of the bow tip. Further than that, my arm isn't long enough - end of story. Additionally with my small hands, a centre chinrest would make it very awkward for quick passages involving shifts on the G string. I use a Guarneri style chinrest, which is fairly flat and means I can move the instrument around if necessary, allowing a freedom of movement deep-cupped chinrests simply don't allow.

I've got another question. When I play now, I tend to find that my violin is very parallel to the ground. The scroll of my violin is quite heavy. As a result, I had to press down with my chin more causing a bruise to form at my jaw. Is it because the violin's too heavy or what? Or it because I may be pressing too hard down on the fingerboard? I can't raise the shoulder rest too high because it'll cause the joint area of my shoulder to hurt. Lol, I have so many problems with the violin! Still doesn't stop me from playing. It just hurts after that.

You should speak to your teacher as it is impossible to diagnose and correct problems via a forum. The violin should be balanced without undue pressure and be kept at the same level as your shoulder, ie. horizontal. If you are still finding the violin tips down, then you are either pulling it down with your left hand, or have developed a habit of leaning forwards. It is possible the scroll is heavy, but it shouldn't be pulling on the instrument that much.

It may be that your shoulder rest and chin rest setup requires a complete change if this problem is to be solved, but take advice from your teacher or a professional player, before changing things.

I can only talk to my teacher when I get home. I'm currently in Australia and won't be home till end of November. Sigh...

Is there nobody, not even a professional player who you could ask for advice?

How about contacting a luthier or violin dealer, I'm sure they could offer some assistance - a lot of dealers and some repairers, will at least have one member of staff who plays and able offer a few words of wisdom or help with a chinrest/shoulder rest setup.

My uni does not have an orchestra and there aren't any instrumental shops nearby. There is one that sells keybords, guitars and stuff and they're more geared toward that. I only saw like 1 or 2 violins hanging up there. Furthermore, my aunt or cousins don't play the violin.